Devon Meadows
Find out more about this recently completed stunning private domestic garden project
The client’s objective for this project was to create a luxury, multi-functional landscape that complemented the architecture of the new four-storey property whilst maximising the potential of the steeply sloping site. The project formed part of the family’s relocation back to the UK after living in Portugal for six years, with the landscape playing a key role in creating a long-term family home and outdoor environment suited to modern family living.
The brief focused on creating usable outdoor spaces across multiple levels, incorporating areas for relaxation, entertaining, and family use, whilst maintaining strong visual links throughout the garden and property.The client required premium materials, bespoke features, integrated planting, lighting, irrigation, and water management solutions to create a cohesive landscape that balanced practicality with high-end design. A key aspiration was to transform a challenging site into a seamless outdoor environment that felt naturally integrated with both the property and surrounding landscape.
Devon Meadows presented a series of significant technical, logistical, and design challenges that required innovative problem-solving and close collaboration throughout the project lifecycle.One of the primary challenges was the site's dramatic topography. The garden levels dropped substantially across the plot, creating difficulties in both accessibility and usable external space. Hooper Services developed a carefully considered stepped garden design which created multiple functional zones whilst maintaining visual continuity and a luxury aesthetic throughout the landscape. To achieve this, over 105 linear metres of gabion retaining structures were installed using approximately 75 tonnes of facing stone, enabling level changes to be integrated naturally into the landscape design rather than appearing engineered or intrusive.
The scale and form of the four-storey property created further complexity. With multiple balconies, terraces, and viewing points overlooking the gardens, careful consideration was required to ensure every level of the property maintained strong visual connections with the external spaces. The client brief required numerous seating and relaxation areas distributed throughout the landscape, meaning sight lines, circulation routes, and material transitions had to be carefully designed to create a cohesive journey through the space while preserving privacy and usability.
Site access presented a major logistical challenge. Located on a narrow single-lane road, material deliveries and plant movements required extensive forward planning and sequencing. Particular coordination was required for large-format materials and specialist installations, including the delivery and craning of the Hydropool swim spa over the existing property structure due to restricted access routes. Material management and phased deliveries were essential to minimise disruption and maintain programme efficiency.
Water management and drainage were another significant challenge. The property's extension had been constructed over an existing well, creating complex drainage requirements that demanded a bespoke solution. Hooper Services played an instrumental role in the design coordination and installation planning of a tailored attenuation and drainage system that successfully controlled water flows and discharged into the watercourse at the lower section of the site. This solution ensured both long-term performance and environmental compliance.Given the scale of the landscape and exposure of the site, irrigation was a further consideration.
Hooper Services designed and implemented a bespoke irrigation system to provide efficient and consistent watering across extensive planting zones, lawns, and landscaped areas, ensuring the scheme remained sustainable and visually impactful throughout the summer months.The hard landscaping package itself added further complexity due to the scale and variety of finishes used across multiple levels and zones.
Across the project, approximately 684m² of porcelain paving and clay pavers were installed alongside large areas of resin-bound surfaces, decking, planting zones, lighting installations, and lawned areas. Coordinating material transitions across changing levels while maintaining alignment, consistency, and premium finishes required meticulous planning and high levels of craftsmanship.Throughout the project, maintaining the luxury feel expected by the client while overcoming substantial engineering, access, drainage, and level challenges was central to the project's success.
The result is a highly functional, technically complex landscape that integrates seamlessly with the architecture and maximises the site's unique setting
Devon Meadows is a prestigious private residential landscaping project that transformed a challenging greenfield site into a stunning, multi-functional outdoor environment tailored to the client's lifestyle and long-term aspirations. Set within the Devon countryside, the scheme combined large-scale civil engineering, structural landscaping and high-specification garden construction to create a cohesive landscape that seamlessly integrates with its natural surroundings.
The project required the importation and placement of over 4,800 tonnes of material, including 4,000 tonnes of topsoil and 800 tonnes of Type 1 aggregate, to establish the site's levels and create a stable foundation for the extensive landscaping works. Significant retaining structures were constructed using more than 3,000 concrete blocks and 300 linear metres of stone-faced gabion baskets, enabling the creation of a series of usable terraces across the sloping site while ensuring long-term stability and erosion control.
Designed to provide both functionality and luxury, the completed landscape incorporates a bespoke outdoor entertainment area featuring a dedicated hot tub space and outdoor kitchen, alongside 680m² of premium paving installed over a reinforced concrete sub-base. Further architectural features include 120m² of Millboard decking and 100m² of composite cladding, delivering a contemporary finish that complements the surrounding environment.
The soft landscaping package was equally significant, with over 600m² of planting carefully selected to enhance biodiversity, provide year-round visual interest and establish a strong connection between the built elements and the wider landscape. Through meticulous planning, technical expertise and exceptional attention to detail, Hooper Services successfully delivered a complex and ambitious landscape that combines engineering excellence with outstanding aesthetic quality, creating a private outdoor space that will be enjoyed for generations to come.
