Here comes the backyard

The back yard is finally coming to life. A little while ago we had a stone wall erected - the great wall of Lilydale (well almost). It was actually built some months ago (as you can tell by all the water on the ground - not much of that around at the moment) but we have only just had some additional work done in the back yard to be able to bring out these pics and then to follow on with some additional posts for more work that has been carried out in recent months.

Adrian and the boys from AllFX concreting did the work and they have done a very nice job, once again. We chose the same Adbri Masonry blocks used in the front yard and also followed the theme using the same Austral Riviera pavers for the steps.

The idea is to have the enclosed area laid with turf with underground irrigation run off the water tank and pump. A sandpit for the girls is to be included (which can years from now be removed and more turf added to fill the void) and also an allocated space for a new trampoline as the old one has seen better days and doesn't quite meet OH&S standards any longer ;-)






The Subsidence.
Along the rear of our property is an easement, carrying both storm water and sewer drainage. A while after our 'Great' wall was erected and we had had a bit of rain, we came out one morning to find that a section along the easement had sunk! A large section had dropped almost a foot, (that's around 30cms for the younger generation..err...not to say that I'm old...umm...anyway, on with the story).. and also created a rather deep hole as can be seen in the photos below.



After contacting the agent who sold us the land and sending him some pics, he advised the land developer who put us in contact with the engineering firm who had developed the estate. They promptly came out and assessed the site and soon sent out a crew to back fill the area with additional soil. They also had to straighten the fence line as it too had shifted during the subsidence. They claim that during the laying of the easement pipes, the ground had not been filled and compacted enough and air pockets may have been left and the recent rain had caused them to collapse. Hopefully there's no more pockets left!

Coming up next...."THE REAR DECK!"

Pebbles and Mulch

Well the front yard is now Complete!
Phew - Took nearly 12 months but it's all come together.
We sourced some local mulch and rocks from 'Supersoil' including:
20 mm Riviera pebbles and 14-20 mm Tuscany pebbles.

All the step pavers below were laid on a bed of mortar on crushed rock and then surrounded with the Riviera pebbles.


...and from the other angle.


We also decided to tidy up the blind side of the house and also make it very low maintenance using the Tuscany pebbles.


The water tank area received some attention and was sprinkled with some stone too.


The front garden beds also got the treatment.




Note, the Deck in the following photos has been hit with hose to get this nice effect (tank water of course ;-) - an oiling is planned in the next couple of weeks to give it a permanent colour.










The rear yard is a work in progress and some parts are on hold, although we have recently had an awesome deck built - so once that is all completed we will post some more pics.
Enjoy the summer.

The Front Garden

A lot has happened recently with regard to the front yard and I have finally had time to put together a post.

We had a truck load of rocks delivered and strategically placed in the slope to create some pockets for effect.

We had a fair idea as to what sort of look we were hoping to achieve in the front yard - something that was low maintenance, no roses, no lawn and a variety of plants. So we took a trip down the plant wholesalers with our landscaper who was able to provide some good advice as to what would suit our landscape with the ideas we had in mind. This place is called 'Plantmark - wholesale nursery' located in Lyndhurst - it was massive!! The only downside is that you need to be in the trade to get in.

Here's Lou helping load the truck with all of our plants. We had three trolleys!

Then they were laid out across the yard...

...and planted with fresh top soil.




with the final effect being...

During this development we also had a letterbox constructed and a planter box incorporated to house a Cycad (or Sago Palm).


Next was to start on the front deck. The plan was to create a multi-level Merbau deck which would meet with the exiting path and also with the paved courtyard.

Along the way I had a lot of helpers who were 'eager' to help Dad.






And here is the finished product. This was just after I washed it down. I am still yet to oil it.




To finalise the front yard we now just need to add the mulch and pebbles. The next post will be dedicated to some of the work being carried out in the back yard - stay tuned.

At this point we must say a big thank you to Adriaan and the boys from 'AllFX Concrete' who have done a fantastic job with all the the concrete work and landscaping, and also a thankyou to Craig from 'Australian Lattice and Timber' for the supply of the timber for the deck.

Courtyard paving

As an update to the landscaping efforts to date, the front courtyard paving has been completed and we are very happy with the results. Adbri Masonary Stone was used for the walls and Austral Riviera 'Imperia' 400mm pavers where used for the base and seat. Links included below for those who wish to know more.

Austral Riviera Imperia
Adbri Masonary

The colours work well with each other and also pick up well with the colour of the house and paperbark windows/gutters/garage door etc.







A merbau deck is now under construction which will lead out from the front door with a step down to paver level to connect the two. Once that is complete we will be organising plants and mulch and stones to complete the front landscape - hanging out to have this completed.

Landscaping journey begins

Time for a landscaping update.

We've had the boys from All FX Concrete out again to do some more 'hard landscaping' work for us (you'll remember they also did our driveway for us) And no, I don't mean hard as in difficult. I mean hard as opposed to 'Soft Landscaping' - ie. planting and laying mulch etc :-)

Out the front we are creating a courtyard with a seat and a paved area - something to break up the garden.

Here is a pic with the section excavated ready for the slab frame to go down.

And here it is all laid out.

We are also getting the alfresco paved with the same pavers as the front.

Down the blind side of the house we are getting standard concrete without pavers to minimise maintenance.

We are also getting a slab laid for a freestanding spa.

...and of course every mans basic need - a garden shed.

The access these days is getting a little harder so they enlisted the use of a concrete pumper to get to all the locations.


Here we can see the guys hard at it......on all the slabs.


And what slab wouldn't be complete without signing it. The cherubs thought it was great - a little bit like Hollywood!


While the diggers were there we also got them to level the backyard ready for a retaining wall. This area will eventually be lawn for the cherubs to play on. They took out 3 truckloads of soil.