Coastal landscape revamp a success!

The entranceway to this seaside holiday home was transformed with some paving and a garden to suit the salty climate, thanks to the expertise of an experienced landscaper at Harbourside Landscapes.

Manjeet lives in Sydney but owns a beachside cottage in gorgeous Mollymook, on the south coast of New South Wales. She travels down there on weekends and for occasional holidays, and when she's not using it herself, rents it out to other holiday makers.

While having an elevated front decking and timber steps constructed for the cottage, she decided it was also a good opportunity to spruce up the front garden and entranceway. "It needed a facelift," says Manjeet. "It was a combination of making the front of the house look more attractive from the street and making the entrance safer."

Several people she knew recommended Hugh McBride from Harbourside Landscapes to do the job, a company with expertise in coast landscape design in NSW. Hugh took a look at the site and made some suggestions, including the creation of a new set of steps from the driveway, and laying a paved area from those steps to the timber stairs leading up to the deck.

He took Manjeet to a paving supplier and helped her select some pavers that would suit the space, although he left the final decision up to her. "Unless they ask me directly, I like to let clients choose these things themselves, because they're the ones who have to live with the choice," says Hugh.

He also recommended plants that would fit into the little garden at the front and would be suited to the NSW coast landscape; these plants needed to be sturdy and able to survive the salty seaside conditions. Manjeet took Hugh's advice, visiting a nursery and choosing varieties of westringea, grevillea and hibbertia that he directed her to.

Manjeet felt confident that she had chosen her landscaper well, and returned to Sydney happy to let Hugh go about the job. He ripped out the old concrete steps, poured some new ones and laid down pavers to create a safe, comfortable and attractive entrance to the property. He also planted out the new garden with the plants Manjeet had chosen.

Hugh, an experienced landscaper who has been in the game for almost 30 years, completed the job in less than a week. And the result for this coastal landscape project? "The work he did exceeded my expectations," says Manjeet. "It's added so much value to the property and to be able to leave him to it, and return to find such a high-quality result, was a great relief."

Hugh McBride, from Harbourside Landscapes

What was the client's brief?

The client lives in Sydney and this house is a weekender, which is also rented out when not in use. Manjeet was getting a builder in to create a deck and a new set of steps and she needed the little garden area and entranceway jazzed up as well.

So was the main objective to improve the aesthetics of the space?

Aesthetics were certainly important, because the house is right on the road, with the beach opposite. And because the property is rented out, it had to look like a nice place to stay. Safety was also a high priority, as the old steps and path were uneven and the owner didn't want anyone to injure themselves.

What were your suggestions for improving the space?

I advised that we replace the concrete steps and pave the path to the base of the steps leading up to the deck. I took Manjeet to a paving supplier and showed her some pavers so she could choose the ones she liked.

How did you choose the plants?

It's only a little garden, so we didn't want anything too large. The main consideration was that the property is part of a coastal landscape, with the sand of Mollymook Beach no more than 60 metres away on the other side of the road. So the plants had to be very salt tolerant and also fit the space in an aesthetic sense.

What was the main design or construction challenge with this project?

It was quite a straightforward job. The main thing was just getting it to fit together so there was enough space to walk comfortably and safely to the base of the stairs, while also leaving enough room for the garden. It was quite a tight fit, but it all seemed to work out pretty well.

Manjeet, the home owner

Why did you choose Hugh McBride and Harbourside Landscapes?

He was recommended to me by a very reputable builder. I was told that the quality of his work was excellent. In fact, several people in the area spoke very highly of him, so it seemed to make sense to contact him for our coastal landscaping project.

What did you ask Hugh to do with your garden?

I have a beachfront cottage that needed a facelift. A new deck was being built, with steps leading up to it and the front door, so I thought I'd fix up the landscape too. And council guidelines insisted that there was a garden and plants for screening purposes.

What exactly did you need to have done?

The front area needed paving and garden work done to put in some new plants. It was a combination of making the front of the house look attractive from the street and also making it safer for myself and visitors.

Did you have any specific requests with the landscape design?

No, I left it to Hugh. He suggested what would work in terms of design to match the colour scheme of the building, which pavers would suit the space, and which plants would work best. He also advised on how to improve the functional aspect of the space, because the previous steps were very old.

Would you recommend Hugh McBride to other people?

Definitely, without hesitation. The work he did exceeded my expectations and has added so much value to the property. The quality of his work, his knowledge of landscaping for a coastal environment and the time he took to do it impressed me; and being able to leave him to it and return to find such a high-quality result was a great relief.

For your own coastal landscape design, or inland garden design project, get the assistance of a local expert: