A BEAUTIFUL driveway gives an important first impression of your home,

and there's never been such a wide range of paving colours, shapes and

textures, all offering that vital combination of strength, durability

and good looks.

If you have room for a garage which will match and enhance your home

at the end of your driveway, then you have the ideal place to keep the

car safe and sound, and to provide additional storage space for freezer,

bicycles and do-it-yourself equipment. If you haven't got space for a

garage, then a carport or canopy will enhance both your garden and your

home, and there are reputable professional firms which specialise in

constructing both.

The top British housebuilders incorporate a pavoir driveway in their

new developments, recognising that the car is an integral part of

everyday life, and that the safest and most convenient place to keep it

is close to the house. Housebuilders have also noted how an impressive

driveway with a garage and carport at the end increases sales by adding

to the appeal of the homes they build.

The garden area is now seen as an extension of the home, and these

days many families take as much time and trouble over planning the

layout and facilities outdoors as they do indoors.

Carports and canopies can add an extra dimension to the garden,

drawing the eye and adding a ''full stop'' to the view, providing shade

and shelter and looking good with or without a covering of plants.

A pergola is one of the most versatile features that can be used in

the garden, giving instant height and providing valuable support for a

myriad of climbing plants. It can also hide unsightly views and provide

some privacy.

As well as providing a practical place to store the car, a carport,

canopy or pergola can create a stunning focal point in your garden.

Built next to the house, the pergola frame makes a good alternative

carport with a concrete, crazy paved or gravel base. Corrugated sheets

fitted to the frame will provide a weatherproof covering. A wooden

garden trellis added to the pergola posts can be used for training

roses, and your local garden centre will recommend climbing varieties

which have been bred to flower throughout the season.

A covered area outdoors, ideally located over a part of the patio, is

a stepping stone between house and garden, providing somewhere to sit,

eat out or sunbathe on sunny days and giving children a firm outdoor

play area. A specialist company will ensure that drainage is properly

taken care of, especially if the garden rises away from the house, and

check that the patio level will be at least six inches below the level

of the house damp proof course.

A raised brick planter, filled with an assortment of shrubs and

flowers, could be incorporated into the patio design, or even built up

against the side of a wall. Here again a professional firm will ensure

that the house damp proof course will not be adversely affected. Just

about every garden, whether large or small, will benefit from a raised

planter -- terraced levels of greenery create an effect that's

interesting on the eye and easier on the back.

The planter must be built on sturdy foundations sunk into the ground,

and if your garden is on a slope, a level foundation area will have to

be excavated. Four horizontal courses of bricks and a top row of

vertical or ''soldier'' bricks will bring the planter up to an ideal

height for variegated plants, but if you plan to plant large shrubs or

tall grasses, you may prefer to have just two or three horizontal

courses. You can incorporate a seating frame with a storage space

underneath where you can store small garden tools into your brick

planter. Site it in the best suntrap your garden has to offer.

You might consider locating some plant tubs or a rotary clothes line

close to your patio and carport, or siting a garden pond nearby. A pond

is an attractive feature in any garden, and once stocked, needs little

attention to keep it lively and interesting. The shape of the pond,

whether formal or informal, can be selected to match the style of the

rest of the garden, and a reputable firm will help you select a position

where it can be drained without affecting the foundations of your home.

Exactly where you put your pond depends to a large extent on what is

already in your garden. Keep it away from overhanging trees and shrubs

-- dead leaves falling in autumn will soon fill up the pond and foul the

water. Shade also encourages the growth of algae, turning the water a

murky green, so make sure the pond benefits from plenty of sunlight --

at least half a day's worth. It is also best to site the pond where it

is protected from cold northerly and easterly winds, using shrubs and

brick planters to protect exposed sides and add visual interest.

Perhaps you would like to add to the amenity of your garden by

including a sandpit or climbing frame in your plans. It's often a

problem finding a safe area for adventurous children to play and

explore. If you have a tree in your garden, you can have the climbing

frame anchored to the trunk, making a climbing frame and tree house in

one.

On the

house

INSTEAD of repairing and repainting the outside of your house every

few years, you might consider a more permanent finish.

Bestex of Bonnybridge has an exterior coating which is spray applied

under high pressure, giving a finish up to 20 times thicker than

conventional paint, and is guaranteed for 15 years.

The company will arrange free inspections. Telephone 0324 815557.