Our original Queenslander cottage sat on a sloping block that was dotted by large volcanic boulders with no formal gardens to speak off. On the southern boundary, the antiquated fence / retaining wall was in danger of falling in the neighbours so fixing it seemed more than a prudent idea - it was really a top of the 'to do' list item. It turns out that retaining walls are a lot more expensive than I would have expected and we had to put three in! Hmmm... not in the original budget! One retaining wall on the southern boundary, one on the north-western boundary and one in the garden to even out the slope and create some useable kid-friendly lawn space.
When you renovate, the landscaping doesn't seem to rank highly in the budget factor yet there are items that can really add up to the overall building bill. For example, by putting in the garden retaining wall, we reduced the cost somewhat of the wall as this meant we could reduce the balustrading needed on the downstairs verandah. By no means a cost reduction that would balance out the cost of the retaining wall, but something worth doing anyhow to improve the functionality of the garden. The unique positioning of the house, due to its 1930s construction close to the northern and western boundaries, that would most certainly not be allowed in modern residential planning, did give us a unique opportunity to maximise the size of the 405m2 block and create a decent size garden that was both quite private (hidden by the house from the road) and one that would be much 'admired' from the two wrap around verandahs. Eight of the nine sets of french doors in the house would open directly onto this space, inviting frequent viewing as well as usage, so we felt some pressure to make sure the space deserved the attention!
Landscaping: The first step was to pull down the old carport and collapsing retaining wall on the rear boundary. The overgrown and straggly bushes were then removed to make space for the equipment needed to raise the house. A new rear retaining wall was then put up (see the photo with the massive amount of dirt moved to make space available), treated railway sleepers were installed around the base of the house to stop the dirt falling around the rainwater tank (thanks Dad!) and create a small retaining wall on the southeast corner of the house, and the relocated dirt / rock was used to backfill behind the new blockwork retaining wall. It sounds quick doesn't it...well it's not quite as straight forward as it sounds! Next the garden retaining wall was installed to allow us to level out the top and bottom gardens into a more useable kid / entertainment friendly area. This gave us a great space to work with.
Next the front retaining wall was put in place very close to the property boundary. Given the slope, this was necessary so the back of the house didn't tower over our neighbours and met council height restriction guidelines. It also gave us a nice private courtyard outside the laundry to hang our clothes! A few months later once the house renovation was nearing completion, the landscapers were back to pave the laundry courtyard, footpaths along the southern fence alongside the carport, and walkway created by the lynch gate. Now at this point I need to stop and give full credit for the lynch gate idea to my father, who happens to work in landscaping! The brilliance of the idea is that it allows us to 'guide' people as they come through the front fence. They can either open the western gate to go directly up the front stairs to the front door or through the eastern gate (which can be locked when needed) into the garden and downstairs play area. The front steps of the house sit very close to the property boundary so it was important to get this right. Full credit to Shane and the guys at
Bizscapes Landscaping who did a great job on the garden transformation. Another one of my father's brilliant ideas was to create a steps down from the verandah into the garden that span some 15m rather than put in balustrading and a normal set of stairs. These steps transform the area and "bring the garden inside" as you look through the windows and french doors from the house into the garden. Another HUGE thank you to my parents who bought all the plants and planted them on our behalf (we were overseas at the time) so that the landscapers could mulch the garden and turf the lawn. We're very happy with the result! A few finishing touches to put up the clothesline under the front deck and a garden hose and 'Voila'...the house starts to look a bit more lived in.
Fencing: The fencing was a fairly straight forward affair in the sense that we used the same traditional style of palings from the original fence, pulled down the dilapidated eastern fence and sanded / painted the neighbours concrete wall. The unconventional part of this fence is it's proximity to the house. At the front it is literally attached to the front deck. As the original Queenslander cottage was built during the 1930s, there were no planning restrictions (well enforced ones) so the existing front deck was actually within 8cm of the front boundary. The house doesn't sit squarely on the block which doesn't help. If we had put the fence up along the property boundary it would not have sat squarely in front of the house and looked very noticeable given its proximity to the house. I think the photos best demonstrate this and in the end I think the frontage looks much better square on than gaining a few extra cm of space along the eastern wall. I hope you agree!
Along the eastern boundary the existing concrete fence was an easy fix with a bit of sanding and a few coats of paint (thanks again Dad!). This concrete wall had been quite high when we first bought the house, however, after some four or five truckloads of sand and topsoil it was quite a bit shorter and looks very smart painted a dark basalt colour to match the charcoal retaining wall.
In conclusion well worth the effort but trying not to think about the cost!
Details are as follows:
- Turf: Sir Walter
- Paint colour on rear / southern paling fence and eastern concrete / paling fence (Colorbond: Basalt)
- Paint colour on front and western / roadside fence (Dulux: Vivid White)
- Pot belly stove garden feature (original to the house but no longer useable)
- Pavers: Adbri Havenbrick Charcoal Paver 100x200mm laid in a 90 degree herringbone pattern (Supplier: Tilestonepavers.com.au)
- Mailbox: Cottagewood Cedar Coventry Mailbox fence mount (Supplier: Demak Outdoor Timber and Hardware)
More photos to come as the garden is established.
 |
| Before photo: the backyard |
 |
| Before photo: rear retaining wall / fence collapsing |
 |
| Most of the garden starts to get flattened as the house is lifted |
 |
| Post house life and the potential is clear for a more useable space! |
 |
| Digging out the southern retaining wall |
 |
| Using treated railway sleepers to hold back the fill from the rainwater tank |
 |
| Retaining wall foundations |
 |
| The retaining wall starts going up next to the concrete slab that was the old carpot |
 |
| Filling in behind the retaining wall |
 |
| Putting in a garden block retaining wall to divide the garden into two flat levels |
 |
| Backfilling the garden retaining wall to create a level garden / lawn area! |
 |
| The fence is put up along the southern retaining wall and our southern garden/pathway is now showing itself! |
 |
| Front retaining wall up to create the courtyard outside the laundry |
 |
| Stairs into garden are framed up |
 |
| Brilliant idea dad! |
 |
| Stairs installed. Just need a handrail along the retaining wall section as it is more than a 1m drop |
 |
| Sealant added |
 |
| The front fencing starts |
 |
| The paving creates a clear path, the batons under the house finish off the garden surround and the planting begins. Turfing next! |
 |
| Our new fire pit garden feature - the old cast iron pot bellied stove that was irreparable and full of holes! |
 |
| A bit of rain to help water in the plants and fill up the rainwater tank |
 |
| Clothes line installed |
 |
| The paving just finishes off this area and the lynch gate creates a clear path directing people either up the stairs to the front door or out into the garden |
 |
| The front garden is planted with lavender that should look lovely against the white fence |
 |
| Western fence - path from the driveway to the laundry courtyard |
 |
| Gated entry to laundry courtyard |
 |
| Lynch gate under construction |
 |
| Note the close proximity of the staircase to the front fence |
 |
| Lynch gate from above |
 |
| Lynch gate from above |
 |
| Finished at last |
