Entire Garden Makeover Completes Bungalow in Mount Eden, Auckland

The Initial Consultation

After completing an interior renovation on her family home, Mount Eden homeowner Vanessa knew she wanted her garden to complement the upgrades. The front garden lacked street appeal, the side access had paving but little else, and the rear garden had a few established trees, small vegetable beds, and a large lawn, but there was no designated space for outdoor living. 

Vanessa had waited until finances allowed her to undertake the landscaping project that she had dreamed of. So when the time came to get started, she wanted to know her money would be well spent on the garden makeover. She looked at several companies for assistance with the design and construction of their garden and chose to go with the expert guidance of Zones Landscaping Consultant Kate Ryan. 

Kate could see that the section had solid bones to work with, including paving stones at the front and side of the house, a large wooden deck at the rear of the house, and some established trees. The potential was there; all that was missing was a cohesive modern design. 

Project Planning and Cost

As part of the Zones planning process, Kate worked closely with Vanessa to achieve as much as possible within her initial budget of $40,000. Kate’s designer, Vaughan, prepared a carefully thought-out design using the existing features to update the street appeal at the front of the house, tidy up the side access, and give the wow factor to the back garden with a new spa and entertaining area.

Not all of Vanessa’s goals could be achieved with the initial budget, so, with plenty of consultation, Kate revised the plan and was able to bring the cost down to $45,000. The final price came in at $53,000, with further changes made to the design during the build phase, including expanding the patio area and upgrades to planting. Kate and her team were able to complete the entire makeover in a mere 21 days, making use of the cooler weather at the time to plant. Kate commented that it was good timing to water the new plants with rain around. 

Taking Challenges in Stride

Once construction was underway, Vanessa asked if the patio area could be increased in size from the original plan. Kate coordinated with the paver to make it happen, and Vanessa was thrilled with the resulting larger outdoor living area. The paver worked carefully to adjust the spacing of the pavers around the new spa, which Vanessa had sourced herself, to achieve the best layout and flow. 

During the build phase,  Vanessa also decided to upgrade some of the planting, and, again, Kate worked closely with Vanessa to achieve her desired design for the garden. Being able to make alterations to the plan was made easy with Kate, who handled all changes while keeping a necessary eye on the budget. 

Instant Street Appeal

The front of the house is now beautifully complemented with classic planting that frames the path to the front door. Kate and her team finished it off with mulching as a low-maintenance solution to polish the area.

The side access has been tidied with a pebble path, simple rock garden planting, and steps to gain access to the rear garden. 

A Stylish Outdoor Entertaining Area

Kate and her team have transformed the rear garden into an outdoor retreat. They created a fabulous outdoor entertaining space beyond the wooden deck with marble-effect porcelain tiles from The Tile Depot. The tiles are attractive and practical, being non-slip and stain-resistant.

Paving from the entertaining area leads to the spa pool that has a complete view of the garden. Mature trees planted strategically at the edge of the garden create an instant privacy screen to great effect.

The landscaping team tidied around the vegetable garden with pebbles allowing all-year-round access. They created defined wooden edging for the new garden beds, which frames the entire garden and cleverly ties the design back to the home.

Kate reflected on the huge difference good planting can make to a design and was pleased with how the planting palette pulled the property together.

A Great Result for a Happy Homeowner

Vanessa was thrilled with Kate’s design, the team’s work, and the finished result. She enjoyed being able to have input on the plant selection and being included in making changes to the plan as it evolved onsite. 

With the extensive changes complete, Vanessa can now sit back, relax, and enjoy her home’s beautiful landscape.

Would you like to discuss your landscaping ideas?

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