Given there is only so long that you can look at a pile of dirt, clay and broken building materials, it didn’t come soon enough when we had our landscaping sorted.
We recruited the services of Mark Gabell & Associates for the driveway and landscaping work which was a smart move as Mark and his team could then plan things out knowing how it will all fit together.
We vaguely knew what we wanted here and there, but hadn’t really considered the details too much - Mark was great at providing ideas and suggestions on how we can follow what we wanted, and then expand upon them to come up with a plan that would work - and stage it over the Christmas/New Year period.
So up first was the driveway, which you can read about on the previous post, which still looks stunning. And it’s even better now that the mulch has been laid as it was a pretty severe drop from the edge of the driveway to the ground, as we found out if we didn’t reverse from the garage on track.
The work around the back and front was done in some stages over a two week period, which started with simply laying the framework for the beds and path areas - simple stuff. Then filling the frames in, providing soil and mulch, compacting pathways and surface coating. And then the final step was laying the grass, and working on the front retaining wall and mulch.
Now it was great seeing everything come together, including the fine soil used for the beds and grass base. And waking up to see a small trail of paw prints where Hamish meanders down the side of the house. We just weren’t counting on a windy weekend where any gap in a window resulting in the furniture near the window getting coated in a fine layer of dirt. But, now with the grass laid and looking beautifully green, it’s now dust free.
Hamish still looks a little bit unsettled on the grass, and prefers to quickly cross to the garden bed then wander up the side on the mulch - but no doubt when the grass has settled and it becomes less spongey (it’s really really spongey) he’ll no doubt love it, including a range of sunny spots for him to snooze. But he can, at least, get outside and away from his kitty litter tray - something he was so used to before coming to live here.
Plant-wise, we have some ideas of what we want to do, but given February is no doubt going to be a scorcher, we have decided to leave plant purchases until it cools down a little bit - and that gives us some more time to determine exactly what we want to do. But in the interim, we at least have grass and beds ready to go.
Out the back we will be getting a veggie patch prepared too - but similarly that can wait until the cooler weather hits, and we can get things planted ready for the winter season.
In front of the bedroom window, Mark constructed a small retaining wall box, painted Woodlands Grey and then decorated with stained wooden beams. The soil and mulch then cascade around the sides, leaving a raised area for us to work with.
So here’s what we did all up:
- Side and Clothes Line base: Lilydale Topping
- Rear “path”: river pebbles (we thought 7mm, but after advice a larger size was chosen given 7mm are good at ending up in shoe soles and then scratching tiles)
- Driveway: Exposed Aggregate #5 (at Werribee Sand, Soil and Mix)
- Grass: Sir Walter Buffalo
- Mulch: Hammermill
You can find out more about Mark Gabell & Associates at his website, which also includes contact details and what their specialities are. I can’t recommended these guys enough - their quality of service, professionalism, idea generation and workmanship have been superb, and we both just love the finished product. Even if there are no plants, but hey, get the nurseries to look after them during the hot February weather - we can take possession after that…
Framing the Base
Rear Frames
Dirt, Rubble and Frames
Compacting the Base
Gravel
"oh yes, a break from the kitty litter: I have a garden bed again..."
Gravel, Mulch and Side Path
Soil Prep for Lawn
Retaining Wall in progress
Front Retaining Wall
Soil, Grass, Digger: It's all happening
Laying the Grass
Laying the Grass
Grass and Garden Lights
Grass: Laid
Rear View
View from the Clothes Line
Side Path and Bins
Narrow Side
Project Regent
Front: At Night
