Dressing the backyard

Landscaping the backyard has been the priority of late. With winter fast approaching we wanted to make sure we weren't going to be walking around in mud once again during the wet season. (especially having recently acquired a new puppy).

We wanted to hide the slim line water tank PD had installed using a material that would blend in with the surrounds. We chose to go with the Merbau and the treated pine frame. Here the holes have been dug and posts are ready to be set in place.

Once the posts were in, some rails were added along with a splash of 'Feast Watson' Merbau decking oil.

Next we added the the Merbau planks.

And 'viola' - the tank is gone!

We decided to go with a different landscaper to help us with the remaining works in the backyard. This time we enlisted the services of Ben Proctor from 'Vision Designscape Solutions'. He was really helpful in providing ideas and nothing was too difficult. We had decided earlier that we wanted install instant turf using a buffalo grass called 'Palmetto'. Ben had to re-route some of the house drainage as it sat too high in the ground and would have been damaged during the soil preparation. Additional 'aggie' pipes were also included to assure us that no problems would arise during the wet season. The downpipes from the Shed and additional aggie pipes around the retaining wall were all linked to the storm water drain.

Once the fresh top soil had been laid, Ben went about installing the drip line irrigation. The existing water tank (no, not the one shown earlier, another one, used for irrigation) was tapped into to provide water to the lawn and also to feed the garden beds which will be shown later.

A double solenoid system was installed under the deck which runs back to an automated timer running off the tank and pump. One drip line feeds the lawn while the other feeds the garden beds. The solenoids are shown below.

This is the solenoid timer/controller - a Hunter 6-station outdoor controller.

Here you can see the drip lines being tested.

Once the system was connected the turf was brought in and laid. A sand pit for the cherubs was also included which is nicely tucked away in a corner. Something which can later be removed and more turf added to fill the void once they grow out of it.

Next, we needed to finish off the top level by installing the steppers and garden beds. 500x500mm concrete pavers were used to create a path from the Alfresco area to the shed and side of the house.

Weed mat was laid around the pavers to minimise maintenance.

River pebbles were used this time to fill the areas around the pavers.

The downpipes of the shed were plumbed into the aggie drains.

Then the top soil and mulch were carted in and filled into the garden beds.

Once in, we set about selecting the plants and having them installed.

A feature Agave (or Foxtail Agave) was included close to the deck to prevent little ones stepping off accidentally.

Six 'Silver Sheen' Pittosporums were added to line the wall.

Dotted throughout the garden bed we also incuded smaller agave's, Blue Fescue and Guzmania Bromeliads (below).

Along the fence line we included eight 'Strelitzia Reginae' or 'Birds of paradise' plants with 'Arthropodium cirratum' or White Night. as fillers in between as shown in the pic below.

Along the Shed wall we added some espalier fruit trees; a lemon, an orange and in the middle, an olive tree.

Once all the plants were in we installed 6 low voltage halogen lights running off a dusk timer which can be set to remain on for 2, 4, 6 or 8 hours or till dawn.

Before...

...and after.

So that takes us to where we are now, a low maintenance, purposeful backyard where the Cherubs can finally run around with the dog and kick a ball or two.

A massive thanks to Ben (and Blair) for their efforts in turning this backyard into our little tropical paradise.

Thursday 13th Nov - Handover day

Yes, WE HAVE THE KEYS!!
Sorry everyone for taking so long to get back on the blog; it has been a VERY hectic last couple of weeks and little access to the internet.

Tile Cleaning
As you would recall in our the last post, 'D' had issues with trying to get the floor tile grout clean which postponed our handover and has had to call in a professional. Here is a pic of him scrubbing the floor with a solution called 'Lift off' which is supposed to draw out the grime from the grout.


Well it seems to have done the trick as the tiles have come up pretty good.

Termite Protection
As most new home owners would know it is standard for the builder to spray the building perimeter for termites. During our inspection it was explained to us that the protection is only effective as long as you don't disturb the soil. WHAT THE?? This is a brand new house, of course we are gonna disturb the soil and plant stuff and lay pavers and concrete etc. So, while we were waiting for handover we organised for a reticulated termite protection system to be installed. As once we have the keys, the driveway would be installed soon after, and the system had to be installed before hand.

We got the guys from 'Fumapest' to install a reticulated system as they provide a 50 year warranty (provided you ensure the regular maintenance scheme is adhered to). First up they spray the perimeter with a solution called 'Biflex'. They then dig a shallow trench around the house and lay the flat pipe which sits on a sheet of plastic. The system is then capped at a single point and enclosed in a box which allows easy access for regular maintenance top ups. They then cover up the pipe with soil and pump it full of Biflex to soak the area.

Handover
On the morning of Handover we had suspicions that the house may not be ready (as it had been delayed now so often) and when we arrived the cleaner was still running around doing a final mop of the floors.

When the builder provides a clean of the house, they provide what is known as a 'Builders' Clean'. This is a not a full service as you would normally get from a cleaner. So when you get the keys don't expect the place to be picture perfect by any means.

There were still minor quality issues which we expected to be of a better standard, but to minimise any further inconvenience to us, we accepted the keys. As other new owners would know, when you insert the new 'owners' keys, the tumbler in the lock barrel changes to no longer accept the builders' set of keys. This worked for all the locks except the garage entrance, therefore requiring a call out from the locksmith the following day. Fortunately he arrived that day too, as the door handle mechanism for the study had become defective after closing the day before and would not allow us to open the study doors.

As part of handover the tiler was asked to come back one more time within 5 days and re-do the powder room grout as it was no an acceptable standard. For all those DIY'ers out there, it was rougher than 80 grit sandpaper!

Carpet laying
We accepted the keys at around 9:30 am and had the carpet layers in that afternoon at 4:30 pm. Boy they work fast! By the time they left that night, they had laid the rumpus, study and lounge and had prepped the upstairs with the carpet edging.

We are VERY happy with the colour of the carpet, in fact we are very happy with all of the colours we chose, as we can now see them all come together beautifully.

Water tank

In the afternoon of handover I ventured out the back and realised we didn't have a water tank or pump! A quick call to 'D' to ask where it was got a response to the effect of ....It must have walked?. It was later determined that it never actually arrived! Handover was becoming more eventful. Another tank was sourced and in place the next day and the plumbers were onsite in the afternoon to hook it up. Sadly the quality issues don't stop there. The design of the slab for the tank had not allowed for the pump to be situated alongside, and therefore the plumber had to locate the pump on some leftover bricks imposing on our side access as shown below.

Another visit from 'D' later and a more acceptable solution has been devised by adding a pair of 600mm square concrete pads to the left side of the tank to locate the pump and re-route the plumbing accordingly behind the tank to the other side. At this stage we are still waiting for the sparky to turn up and extend the weatherproof GPO to the left side to connect the pump switch.

While the Plumber was erecting the initial pump set up, he severed the reticulated termite pipe, which required a call out from the 'Fumapest' boys again to mend and refill the system.

Driveway
On Friday morning we had Adriaan from 'AllFx Concreting' out to work his magic on the driveway. The guys battled the poor weather to get the drive scraped and formed ready for the pour which will be on Dec 3rd - sadly they can't get it any earlier :-(

Thanks for waiting. You've nearly caught up now - hopefully our Internet is connected soon and we can contribute a little more often with some photos of the inside completed ;-)