Saturday, October 31, 2009

Leave it to the experts

We've found it impossible to get anywhere with our landscaping. Either we don't have time on the weekends, or the weather is against us.... So we decided to call in some expert help and get some quotes from landscapers. We're thinking at a minimum, we'll ask for our paving to be done, plus a landscape design for the whole area, which we can carry out in stages. But depending on how the cost fits with our budget, we may get the whole thing done.

Today we're expecting the first guy to come and have a look at what we need done. With that in mind, I thought I'd better put my file of magazine pictures to good use and sort through them to come up with a vague design brief. After all, how do you design something for someone, when they have no idea what they want?

This lot (plus a rough plan of what we want to go where) should give him something to start with:

Seems I had enough pictures to cover the dining table...and I left a lot out.



Some ideas for our Balinese "bus shelter" (we don't have room for a proper-sized hut):



Built-in seating would be nice. Dreaming, maybe...



The kind of planting effects I'm going for:



We need a path along the side of the house. I'm thinking lush plantings and pavers in gravel:



Also some paving under the clothesline, but I want to break it up with mondo grass:



And we both agree that a feature wall is a must-have. Stackstone? Decking timber? Rendered? Water feature? Garden art? So many choices...



I feel as though we have something useful to present now - and I got to have some fun with scissors and glue. :)

6 comments:

Lula said...

Hiya, left a comment earlier about loving your blog -- have trawled it all the way back to here!

May I ask which designer you ended up using?

Lula said...

Oh just reaslied that maybe I didn't do my earlier comment properly -- anyway, I was scanning google images for pictures of my perfect outdoor area, much in the law you had for your own garden, and I just love EVERYTHING you've done. LOVE LOVE LOVE! I'm from Melbourne too... do you mind sharing who you worked with? (and .... is it insane expensive?) ((I know, it's all relative)) ((I'm a first home buyer - it's all insane is the answer!!)

Kek said...

Hi Lula - we used Planned Landscape Constructions, very happy with them! Paving, planters, screen, paths, soil, mulch, pebbles, gravel....all materials & labour... was around $18000. Depending on what materials you choose and how much you DIY, you could spend more or less.

Lula said...

Hi Kek,

Just got back from my hols and saw your reply - thank you so much, am definitely going to investigate this option! :)

Lula said...

Wow, they have you guys as the main picture - even they love your taste :)

Kek said...

Yep, Rod from Planned Landscapes was pretty happy with how our alfresco area turned out. Plus I took about a million photos and sent them to him.

It's nice to be featured as the main image, that's for sure. :)