Creating privacy, better drainage and a more welcoming front garden
This older home was ready for a transformation, and its front
garden needed to be established from the ground up.
The front yard sloped down from the road towards the house, while
the house itself sat across the block at an angle, leaving the
space both difficult to use and visually unappealing.
Apart from two existing camellia trees and an overgrown umbrella
tree, the garden consisted mainly of sand and rough grass.
The client’s brief was to improve privacy, manage water runoff
towards the house, enhance the overall appearance of the garden
and create a more functional outdoor space.
The first priority was to remove the garden bed along the front
of the house, as it was directing water underneath the building.
To make the area beside the house more practical and inviting,
the ground was levelled and paved with light grey outdoor tiles.
White pots were then placed along the tiled area to soften the
masonry walls and add visual interest.
Above this level area, a curved retaining wall was constructed
using grey rockface blocks.
Drainage was installed behind the wall before the garden was
planted with Brazilian walking irises, bromeliads, native
violets, agaves, monstera, strelitzias, hoyas, peace lilies,
a frangipani, a gordonia and a selection of succulents.
Along the upper edge of the garden, a lilly pilly hedge was
planted, followed by the installation of a white boundary fence
to provide privacy from the road.
To further strengthen the screening, the existing camellias were
lightly shaped and the umbrella tree was heavily pruned to form
a canopy, helping to create additional privacy from the street.
The result
The completed design gives the home a more welcoming street
presence while improving privacy, drainage and day-to-day use.
The new paving, retaining wall and layered planting create a
more cohesive connection between the house and garden.
