A glorious landscape design project

"Personally we don't entertain so much, apart from close friends and family," says John. "But we know that having a space that is good for entertaining will increase value on the house."

John went to a local garden design show and asked around for advice. Jim Roustas at Glorious Gardens came highly recommended, and John gave him a call. They discussed John's requirements, and over the course of the planning stage - with John adding his own ideas during this process - they came up with a comprehensive redesign.

There are a couple of neighbouring houses that overlook John's garden, so privacy was an issue. Jim designed some high privacy walls, including a purple wall flush against the side of the pool, which combined an appealing aesthetic with practical function. He also designed a water feature in that wall, which looks like a moving, splashing sheet of glass pouring into the pool.

The property was on a slope, so Jim designed a series of levels with some connecting steps. He placed a timber feature wall between the main garden and the converted garage on the side, then followed that timber theme through in other sections of the garden.

"We used timber in the dividing screens between the barbecue area and the utility area where they store the bins," says Jim. "It provides a nice backdrop for the garden sculpture too." 

John also insisted that some grass be included in the new, minimal, modern-looking garden.

"I had got used to having some lawn to practise my golf chipping," he says. "I haven't done much chipping on that grass yet, but at least I know I can if I want to."

So John and his wife are happy with their new garden. They can enjoy it now, and rest secure in the knowledge that its value has been increased by Jim's clever design.   

Jim Roustas

Glorious Gardens

How did you ascertain what John and his wife wanted from their new design?

We completed a questionnaire together, the idea being to pinpoint exactly what they wanted from their garden. We discussed their requirements and I went away and did some designs and, after showing them some initial plans, we discussed some small changes to be made. 

And what did they want for their new garden? 

They had planned to put a pool in and I needed to design the location and placement for that and then design the rest of the garden around it. They wanted to have a space that made it easy to entertain and they wanted to ensure privacy, since there were a couple of houses overlooking them.

Were there any particular or unique design issues involved in redesigning the yard?

The two most obvious issues were the sloping yard, which meant we had to design different levels, and John didn't want too many steps around the garden if possible. And there was an old garage that had been converted into a granny flat and we wanted to screen that from the rest of the garden.

How did you screen the granny flat?

We put in a feature wall made of Australian hardwood, which reduced the impact of the ugly building on the garden. Then we were able to follow that theme of timber through other sections of the yard, such as in the dividing screens that separate the barbecue area and the utility area used for bins.

And what sort of look or style did they want in the garden?

John wanted a fairly modern garden, contemporary without being too 'out there'. He wanted it to look completely different to the garden they had before. So the design is quite modern and no-fuss, including the use of minimal plants. Attention is meant to focus on the two feature walls.

John.

Why did you choose Jim and Glorious Gardens to do the work?

I enquired about garden landscape people at a garden design show and people gave me Jim's name and recommended him. He was a local and I just rang him up and we talked about the job and I liked what he said and the ideas he had.

Why did you want to landscape your garden?

We wanted a pool put in, and thought that we might as well redo the whole garden at the same time. There were some problems with the yard - it was sloping from one side to the other, and there were some issues arising from converting the garage into an outdoor studio for my son to live in.

What problems did the conversion of the garage into a studio cause?

We did an extension at the front to build new garages there, but the driveway still led through the property to the back. There was an old carport there too. So we wanted to fix up that area and make it look like part of the garden, and also to use it for things like barbecues and eating outside.

How did you want the garden to look?

We wanted it to look modern and be an area for entertaining, including the pool area. We don't entertain ourselves so much, but eventually we will want to sell the house and if the garden is set up for entertaining it will increase the value of the property. We also wanted some grassy areas.

Why were you so keen to have grassy areas?

Jim's original plans were for a totally paved area but we insisted on some grassy areas, even if they weren't very big. We like grass, and I had got used to having some lawn to practise my golf chipping. I haven't done much chipping on that grass yet, but at least I know I can if I want to.