Oatley, Sydney NSW
Above It All
Hover over the image to see the before and after photos
The Back Story
The client actually didn’t know what they wanted at the outset but knew what they didn’t want using the existing garden as their steer.
They felt the back of the garden was lost, unused and restrictive for a family gathering spot. It also didn’t take advantage of the distant views being that of the Georges River and the twinkling reluctant that the moving water gives off drawing you into a majestic trance state. They didn’t want to do the entire back garden simply for budgetary reasons and ‘simply’, if that is the right word, work on the immediate gardens connected to the home and it’s the levels changes to the general next drop of gardens some 5m below.
They felt especially with their working lifestyle they needed to have an area for family gatherings of notable size, with the ability to celebrate the chefs cooking. They also wanted to take in natural element of the trees abounding, giving the impression of being in the tree tops as the tree stock was down in the lower gardens.
They also wanted an area that was for them. An area they could grab a glass of wine and retire into, helping them mentally relax over the weekend in readiness of the week to come.
The Challenge
- Access for the removal and bringing in of materials.
- Structural integrity of the proposed design and its bearing to sound land form ideally that of bed rock.
- Bringing to the design a series of platforms that allowed you to meander off the path at choice as apposed to being forced to go down a steep incline set of steps and pathways if you didn’t want to.
- Retaining sensible privacy from neighbouring homes as you were very much up there and there for all to see.
- Using the views of the Georges River to the maximum visual effect and knowing that where ever you stopped and drew breath the view was yes different but as good as the last.
OUR SOLUTION
Walking through the home to an open set of patio doors you were immediately greeted by a tired patio wrapping around the homes shape and of depth controlled by a visually apparent drop off. The patio was framed by a aluminium handrail further indicating a risk of falls.
As you neared the edge protection the gardens below and yes very below opened up to a huge portion of real-estate lost and overtaken by vegetation. The garden below showed a little form of man-made structures being a rambling path along with a vegetable patch.
What immediately became apparent well before sitting down with the client and evaluating what they are looking for and what the garden doesn’t give them at the present time was the need of total respect to the land, its levels, its make-up and the mature trees that were abound. This was indeed going to be a project carrying structural intent throughout.
From the client
I first became aware of Chris Slaughter of Scenic Blue Design though our local newspaper. His ideas and imagination impressed me so much I arranged an interview with him to discuss designing my garden and supervising the construction.
I found Chris to be articulate, thoughtful and straight dealing with experience in actually constructing what he designs. As a busy professional, I needed someone with design flair and project and relationship skills with contractors to get the job done.
I engaged Chris to design my garden while the house was being renovated. I had some specific requirements and a few broad ideas as I wanted the house and garden to be really integrated. Chris asked many questions and I was absolutely thrilled with his inspired design. The project included fencing, planting, edging, deckconstruction, pavers, lighting and irrigation system installation. Chris communicated with me effectively throughout the project, checking at each step to confirm the progress of the project and informing me of costs as we went along.
I anticipated that one of my greatest challenges through the renovation would be co-ordinating the builder, Chris and the landscape contractor who carried out the works under Chris’s supervision. However Chris’s design flair and capacity to communicate effectively with others involved meant that the whole design materialised before my eyes in the most exciting and stress free manner.
All of Chris’s suggestions and advice on the lighting, decking and planting through to the pool pump, deck area and garden shed worked perfectly to create the look I was wanting to achieve for my outdoor entertaining/pool area. Chris also resolved a number of practical issues whilst creating outdoor spaces that are beautifully unified but offer the opportunity for different living experiences.
I appreciated Chris’s integrity and honesty during the whole process. His skilful quality design and efficient project management was second to none and the final result was one of excellence, both practical and enjoyable and greatly improved both the garden and outdoor areasand the value of my home. I would highly recommend Chris Slaughter of Scenic Blue Design to anyone considering using his services for any design and landscaping project.
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