Low on maintenance, high on style

What happens when you list your house on the market because your outdoor area just doesn’t work, but you can’t find a house that’s as good as yours anywhere? You ask landscaping specialists Zones to transform your backyard into the outdoor area you’ve always dreamed of, that’s what.

And that’s exactly what Andrew and Julia Ward from Auckland’s Pukekohe did. After dreaming of an outdoor area that they could enjoy all year round but that required minimal maintenance, the Wards connected with Debbie Gill, Zones franchisee for the Pukekohe, Franklin and Papakura regions, to turn their dreams into a reality.

What happens when you list your house on the market because your outdoor area just doesn’t work, but you can’t find a house that’s as good as yours anywhere? You ask landscaping specialists Zones to transform your backyard.

New landscape design specifications

The Wards’ existing backyard consisted of two levels of lawn and retaining. They no longer wanted the hassle of mowing a split-level lawn, so they wanted to remove the top-level altogether, level out their section into one flat lawn, and add a large wrap-around deck to accommodate outdoor entertaining.

Unfortunately, the original plan came in way over budget – double, in fact – thanks to the extensive earthworks and retaining work that was required, not to mention the large deck. “Access was also a problem,” says Debbie. “We could only just fit a mini digger onsite, and dealing with existing concrete and compacted clay soil added to labour costs too.”

Softscaping

Another factor was getting rid of soil.

“When you dig up soil that’s been compacted for many years, it expands – sometimes up to three times its compacted size,” says Debbie. “Soil removal can be problematic – and pricey.”

“Ee created a semi-circle into the existing retaining wall, put some paving down and created a conversation pit, complete with fire pit."
- Debbie, landscaping specialist

Debbie and the Zones team came up with a second design that ticked all the Wards’ boxes but wouldn’t break the bank, coming in at half the cost of the first design.

“Instead of getting rid of the whole top-level, we created a semi-circle into the existing retaining wall, put some paving down and created a conversation pit, complete with fire pit,” says Debbie. 

Updated decking

“Then we reduced the size of the deck and used boardwalk decking with planting on either side to bring the final cost down.

“We also removed the lawn and planted out the rest of the level so the Wards didn’t have to mow it. They could just sit there with a cup of tea, enjoy the sun and take in their lovely view over Pukekohe, truly making the most of their outdoor space.”

“We kept a few existing higher trees – ones that the Wards really loved – to maintain some maturity on the property"
- Debbie, landscaping specialist

New plants

Low-maintenance is the theme for the rest of the yard too. The lower grassy section remains, but pavers have been set into it to allow for handier access. Evergreen planting was used throughout – no sweeping up leaves or getting rid of dead flowers – and the sub-tropical theme will become lush and dense in the future, covering up any weeds.

“We kept a few existing higher trees – ones that the Wards really loved – to maintain some maturity on the property,” Debbie says. “We also planted some hedging around their spa area to create privacy and a sense of seclusion, and added a water feature so Belle the dog could play in it, not to mention the cat and the chickens!”

Functionality also played a part in the final design.

“Heat pump outlets aren’t very attractive, so we erected screening to hide theirs while still allowing air to circulate. We made that side of the house more practical by installing storage cupboards and another sitting area too.”