Browse Forums Landscape & Garden Design 1 Feb 22, 2014 3:03 pm We are in between tender and contract for our new build. TBH didn't think about landscaping at this stage. Unfortunately bank asked us to provide landscaping plans (both front and rear) with costing. This isn't optional so means we will have to do this. We have done in past for our current house but never though in a sense of plans and costing way. Going to a proper landscaping company would be to pricey for us at this stage, as this cost will be counted towards valuation. What would you recommend to start this? Should just draw on a paper like this is all grass, here are couple of trees, and a veggie patch? Re: Landscape plan, where to start? 2Feb 22, 2014 3:22 pm I'd just set it down on a piece of A4. Draw the house on the block - not necessarily to scale. Then your proposed garden. Develop a budget as you go along - eg in ground watering system to garden - say - $1000. Plants - allow $20-30 for each - so maybe around $2000. Then bark and stones - say $1000. Lawn- if you plan to have it - say $500 (are you seeding or turfing). Put it together - maybe re-do for the bank's copy. Use words like proposed, estimated, projected, planned, approximate etc. Throw in examples - eg plants - hebes, palms, gardenia, hydrangea etc. Throw in a vegetable patch - $50. Maybe a re-cycle area - $50. Sand pit for kids - or projected kids ... The fact that you may not do it this way is irrelevant. But - at the moment you believe you will - you have given this plan "in good faith". Its almost impossible to do a plan for all aspects before moving in. You find things you never thought of. See ideas that are great - but you didn't see before the house was up. Good luck. Try to keep the estimate as low as possible - but believable. Landscape plan, where to start? 3Feb 22, 2014 4:37 pm Thanks Mike for great tips to start working on this project. That is so true, even though new house is pretty close to our current house and facing south east just as current house, but it is hard to envisage what to do with landscaping. As we won't have much space at front and long enough sun exposure, will go with low maintenance area with few shady plants. Medium to large river bed stones. On the sides, north sues was thinking to put bird of paradise 2-3m apart. South side would have min light so will have to pick shade lovers plants again. Backyard, thinking 1m garden bed and then just grass. Seeds would be cost effective method. We have 3 kids parks with descent playgrounds on 100m in each direction from new house, so thinking to skip the whole idea of play ground in backyard. Thinking to keep it under 5k. Will try to post first rough draft tomorrow. Re: Landscape plan, where to start? 4Feb 23, 2014 6:20 pm mirz Thanks Mike for great tips to start working on this project. That is so true, even though new house is pretty close to our current house and facing south east just as current house, but it is hard to envisage what to do with landscaping. As we won't have much space at front and long enough sun exposure, will go with low maintenance area with few shady plants. Medium to large river bed stones. On the sides, north sues was thinking to put bird of paradise 2-3m apart. South side would have min light so will have to pick shade lovers plants again. Backyard, thinking 1m garden bed and then just grass. Seeds would be cost effective method. We have 3 kids parks with descent playgrounds on 100m in each direction from new house, so thinking to skip the whole idea of play ground in backyard. Thinking to keep it under 5k. Will try to post first rough draft tomorrow. Sounds good - we have Bird of P - lovely. Tanbark is a great coverall. Various colours - even if you don't do it ... Maybe in the rocks area a few larger boulders - just mark them in. It doesn't have to be perfect - just believable. Landscape plan, where to start? 5Feb 24, 2014 12:29 pm Re: Landscape plan, where to start? 6Feb 24, 2014 8:59 pm Tip - dig out the latin terms for the plants - they love that. But - its looking good. Don't forget the watering system and maybe a bird bath. Re: Landscape plan, where to start? 7Feb 25, 2014 3:30 pm Re: Landscape plan, where to start? 8Feb 26, 2014 10:41 am Looks good. Had trouble reading words - even when I maxed it. A suggestion - maybe bring the garden beds out a bit for the plan - they look too narrow. This will help visualise it better. You won't be held to exact lines anyway. I like lawn - but I'd still put in sprinkler lines - eg dotted lines maybe. Front and back would not cost more than $500-1000 IF you do it yourself - and it is relatively easy. Starting at back - maybe a 4 / 2 / 3 head system. I also ran a hose under the lawn/cement to the rear corner - from the tap. Then could set up a zip zip type sprinkler and/or water garden better. Much easier to put it there before ... And - I mean real hose - they can be quite cheap. Lay it in sun for a few days to flatten out then straight to back corner. Just remember where it is when digging ... Re: Landscape plan, where to start? 9Feb 27, 2014 6:06 am Thanks Mike, I'm working on second round of draft and considering your advises in this one. We will have to keep a garden bed on other side of driveway. Should we run a conduit under driveway to run watering pipe? Hope it won't break Re: Landscape plan, where to start? 10Feb 27, 2014 2:12 pm mirz Thanks Mike, I'm working on second round of draft and considering your advises in this one. We will have to keep a garden bed on other side of driveway. Should we run a conduit under driveway to run watering pipe? Hope it won't break You could put in a hose from the tap. They're pretty tough. It will be too late after .... But - is that zero boundary - really totally zero ? I thought you had to leave 20 or 40cms or something ? You could run a pipe along the wall. Say - 50 cms up and locked on. Matching wall colour etc. Landscape plan, where to start? 11Mar 25, 2014 8:04 pm You are right, it can't be an absolute zero boundary which means we can run a pipe through at any time. Plus we have a recycle water tap right behind garage on the side wall. This will certainly help to automate watering system with some timers. Water rates gone up by 22% in Melbourne, now every drop will be precious, lol. Re: Landscape plan, where to start? 12Apr 27, 2014 1:05 am Just an update on this, plan with an estimated cost of $2k was accepted. But will do further research to make improvements during next 6 months. Auto watering system is definitely a no brainer. This has to be must for a lazy person like myself, lol. Re: Landscape plan, where to start? 13May 09, 2014 12:39 am mirz We are in between tender and contract for our new build. TBH didn't think about landscaping at this stage. Unfortunately bank asked us to provide landscaping plans (both front and rear) with costing. This isn't optional so means we will have to do this. We have done in past for our current house but never though in a sense of plans and costing way. Going to a proper landscaping company would be to pricey for us at this stage, as this cost will be counted towards valuation. What would you recommend to start this? Should just draw on a paper like this is all grass, here are couple of trees, and a veggie patch? Hi mirz... have you finalised your landscaping layout yet. As you may have seen on my blog, I've done a bit of thinking about the landscaping for our block... but please remember that we have 2.5 acres so we'll have massively didn't ideas to you. Cheers! Re: Landscape plan, where to start? 14May 09, 2014 3:31 pm tlblhayward Hi mirz... have you finalised your landscaping layout yet. As you may have seen on my blog, I've done a bit of thinking about the landscaping for our block... but please remember that we have 2.5 acres so we'll have massively didn't ideas to you. Cheers! I have gone through your blog, very informative indeed. shouldn't call that house, it is more like a palace THB In our case block size is very limited, particularly room for landscaping. I'm doing more research these days on different types of plants to go under different areas, i.e. full shade, partial shade, roots depth, full sun. also tossing between artificial and natural grass. artificial looks neat but again you loose natural touch. i'm hopeless so far with growing veggies, so not sure veggie patch would be good option to go with. Landscape Design Parramatta We have been doing a large amount of landscape design work in Sydney… 0 3 Need advice on the backyard plan above. Should I excavate and cut all of the dirt to level with the house slab or semi-excavate as per photo above? Both left and right… 0 24831 Thanks very much! And would the landscaper/contractor generally involve the engineer or is that something the client would do? Thanks for your help 2 10006 |