Two medium-sized roof terraces with basic decking were transformed into attractive rooftop spaces by designer Pippa Martlew and The Garden Builders.

The first terrace featured an attractive array of planting containers of varying heights set against the back wall. Care was taken to use lightweight materials to ease the load on the rooftop environment, such as cedar timber, aluminium planters and container compost instead of standard and heavier top soil. We sandblasted the sawn beige sandstone flooring surface to give it anti-slip properties and laid it onto pedestal feet, instead of a heavier sand and cement mortar base.

The latest in LED technology provided a fantastic lighting scheme for the space, characterised by tiny and discreet light fittings mounted on walls or strategically placed amidst the planting.

The second terrace posed a more challenging build. It was designed on an angle and necessitated extensive pre-planning. We had to reproduce the garden layout in our workshop to exactly lay out to plan all fabricated planters before delivery to the site. Several large planters needed to be physically lifted up the nine floors to the terrace as they cannot be accommodated within the apartment lifts. They also had to be exact to the millimetre to fit into the apartment door.

The terrace likewise featured a number of bespoke cedar timber items, such as a lounger store, cupboard unit and storage bench seat. These were all precisely fabricated in the joinery workshop, to fit seamlessly and precisely around the walls and planters.

This garden also featured a small water ripple pool that was marvellously illuminated in the evenings by two water lights which highlighted the subtle rippling of the water. The terrace's lighting scheme was completed by step lights.

An irrigation system was installed for the two gardens to help the clients with maintenance and to afford them more relaxation time in their vibrant new space.