The trouble with tradies.....

Well, my own garden build is turning into an experience and a half!

Brickies - 4 called, three turned up to give quotes. Number of quotes received? None. Even after numerous phone calls, messages left and text messages sent. Another chap was recommended and quoted silly money. As a landscape designer I am aware of the going rate. Many, I'm sure, are not. Finally found someone who quoted a decent rate....but didn't do a very good job. So many bricks, so little mortar. Bricks with no mortar between them? In a retaining wall.

Electrician - The first guy quoted silly money, so contacted two more and got quotes from both at around one quarter of the first quote. Yes, that's 25% of the first quote. This was for labour only, as I'd bought the lights myself. It remains to be seen how good a job the chosen one does. His assistant did wreck my retic in three places when digging trenches, though.

Concrete - this is where things have got really messy. Luckily the area under the patio roof was polished by a different contractor from the one who laid the concrete. He did a good job. The concrete guy didn't. It's awful!
Faults in the laying?
1. There are no isolation joints. There is supposed to a gap between concrete slabs and any fixed structure like house walls. There aren't.
2. No control joints. There are supposed to be 25mm deep cuts in the concrete to control any cracking that might occur, There are none.
3. There are bald patches in the exposed aggregate where little if any of the aggregate shows through. Only concrete is visible.
4. There are areas where there is too much exposed aggregate and not enough concrete.
5. There are areas where the concrete has not been levelled properly, leaving dips where the sealant has puddled.
6. In ground lights not installed properly so light is not flush with the concrete surface.
And this from a recommended contractor who 'always does a good job'.

Patio roof - nice job done.

My recommendations - always get three quotes. Try to get recommendations from people who have had work done in the past....but even that doesn't always work.

I'd hate to build a house here in WA. Too stressful!

Busman's holiday......

Time to refurbish my newly acquired gardens

Back garden

BEFORE

DURING - AUGUST 2013

There will be a raised bed in this corner, the same height as the limestone block walls. A wooden bench will be added to this wall. Horizontal wooden slats to be added to the fence.

DURING - NOVEMBER 2013

Concrete footings laid

BEFORE

DURING

DURING - CONCRETE FOOTINGS FOR RAISED BEDS

A raised bed will be installed in this corner and will be used as a veggie patch. The fence will have horizontal wooden slats.

BEFORE

DURING

Now that the old tree and shrubs have gone, some of this area and all of the path will be paved with exposed aggregate concrete and will be used as a bar-b-q area. The hedging will remain but be partly relocated. A water feature will be added. All of the lawn is to be removed and replaced with shingle to create a Mediterranean style courtyard garden.

BEFORE

 DURING
The old pergola roof has been removed to be replaced by a wood lined patio roof.

NOVEMBER - NEW PATIO ROOF & PAVERS REMOVED

 The block paving will be replaced with honed aggregate concrete. New garden lighting throughout.

Front garden

Plant clearout has begun and the new design is under way.

UPDATED 1ST SEPTEMBER 2013

Renovation of the gardens will take place over the winter months and will hopefully be completed by the end of October 2013.

UPDATED 3RD DECEMBER 2013
Garden unlikely to be completed until early 2014. Major hold up trying to find a brick layer. Concrete now laid with one area (side path and bar-b-q area) as exposed aggregate and the undercover patio area is polished concrete. The raised beds and pond have been built (though need some tidying up) but have not been rendered and painted yet. Garden lighting will be finished next week. This will be a combination of uplighters (embedded in the concrete), downlighters in the patio roof lining and walls and floodlights to highlight large plants. There is a large amount of sand and some rubble to clear out of the garden, but this will not be removed until I have a better idea as to the actual volume. See pics above for current progress.

Halls Head - renovation

Commenced in February 2013, this plot covers an area of over 900 sq m and is the largest suburban design I've done to date. The house is comparatively small, giving a garden area of around 800 sq m.
Plots in Old Halls Head are often much larger than currently available plots, where developers have squeezed sizes down to about 500 sq m, on average.
(Just today, I've had another enquiry for a new build in Old Halls Head for nearly 2,000 sq m, including the verge area.)
I toured the garden with the client, deciding which trees and shrubs were to be retained. Much of the old vegetation shown in the pics below has now been removed. To the front of the property are some substantial gum trees. I'm always loathed to remove mature trees. They give excellent shade and will complement the raised decking area which will reach out from the house, at a high level, giving a deck literally amongst the tree foliage.
A new garage and roofed al fresco has been designed. The pool is being retained. The remainder of the back garden to be quite formal planting, with raised beds in rendered brick to match the house which will also eventually be rendered.
Planting is not included in the commission at present.

A difficult area between the pool and a  rather ugly 1.6m retaining wall (of limestone 'rubble'). The wall has been checked by a structural engineer and is safe but will need concealing in some way. All vegetation to go.

This area to the west of the house is an open topped pergola with jasmine growing over. This is to be replaced with a gable roofed al fresco area, for which planning permission will be required.

The plot is on a street corner and this is the south-west side.

Existing driveway to be replaced with exposed aggregate.

This area on the south-east side to be repaved and a decking added with will continue over the steep slope to effectively be amongst the tree foliage.