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Advice please on Landscaping

Advice please on Landscaping

Old Jul 27th 2011, 12:37 am
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Default Advice please on Landscaping

We want to landscape our back yard. It's about 6 x 8 metres, plus a pathway down the side of the house. It's mostly concrete and bricks. We've had a design done, and to remove concrete, lay decking and grass, pave down the side and planting, we've been quoted $20k. So expensive. Now, would you go for it knowing that it's all done in one go, or would you get someone in to remove the concrete (as that's the hardest bit) and try and do the rest of it yourself. Baring in mind it'll take longer, but will probably be cheaper? Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
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Old Jul 27th 2011, 12:56 am
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Default Re: Advice please on Landscaping

I have renovated a lot of our places and can say it does take a lot of your time. Also, unless you are really skilled in the tasks, you'll find that you don't quite get the quality finish a time served tradesman can achieve. (so long as you keep your eye on them and make sure they do what you ask... )

Yes, it is expensive, but you'll find a lot of that is materials. I'm guessing at least $10k for pavers, base material, timber and associated parts. Removing costs for concrete also not cheap. At the end of it you're probably trying to save about $5k in going diy.

Are you any good, do you have the time (lots of it) the right tools and equipment (eg trailer, digging tools, cutting tools for stone + wood, leveling, mixing, fixing and plenty of other odd jobs Hiring stuff isn't cheap either.

I'm not a tradie or supporting any, but I have done enough of my own to say sometimes it's just easier to get it paid for and let someone else do all the hard graft.
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Old Jul 27th 2011, 1:36 am
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Default Re: Advice please on Landscaping

Would probably be worthwhile getting a couple more quotes as $20k is a lot of money. Also get references from the landscaper for other jobs that they've done.
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Old Jul 27th 2011, 2:48 am
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Default Re: Advice please on Landscaping

Originally Posted by jannyb
We want to landscape our back yard. It's about 6 x 8 metres, plus a pathway down the side of the house. It's mostly concrete and bricks. We've had a design done, and to remove concrete, lay decking and grass, pave down the side and planting, we've been quoted $20k. So expensive. Now, would you go for it knowing that it's all done in one go, or would you get someone in to remove the concrete (as that's the hardest bit) and try and do the rest of it yourself. Baring in mind it'll take longer, but will probably be cheaper? Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
To remove the concrete you would probably need to get someone in, but the rest, I would do myself. We did all our landscaping ourselves, planting, paving, laying turf, etc, not to mention landscaping around a pool, and yes it took a while, but it was so worth it, not only to save on cost, but the achievement that you have done everything yourself.
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Old Jul 27th 2011, 8:01 am
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Default Re: Advice please on Landscaping

Originally Posted by jannyb
We want to landscape our back yard. It's about 6 x 8 metres, plus a pathway down the side of the house. It's mostly concrete and bricks. We've had a design done, and to remove concrete, lay decking and grass, pave down the side and planting, we've been quoted $20k. So expensive. Now, would you go for it knowing that it's all done in one go, or would you get someone in to remove the concrete (as that's the hardest bit) and try and do the rest of it yourself. Baring in mind it'll take longer, but will probably be cheaper? Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
Sounds a bit high but can depend on type of paving, type and size of plants etc,

Where are you?
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Old Jul 27th 2011, 9:59 am
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Default Re: Advice please on Landscaping

Originally Posted by jannyb
We want to landscape our back yard. It's about 6 x 8 metres, plus a pathway down the side of the house. It's mostly concrete and bricks. We've had a design done, and to remove concrete, lay decking and grass, pave down the side and planting, we've been quoted $20k. So expensive. Now, would you go for it knowing that it's all done in one go, or would you get someone in to remove the concrete (as that's the hardest bit) and try and do the rest of it yourself. Baring in mind it'll take longer, but will probably be cheaper? Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
Look up "Concrete Breaking" in your area on the Yellow Pages and get a few quotes to help you decide if the quote for the whole job is too high.

Have you got much grass on the rest of your property? Is this to-be-landscaped area easy to get to with a lawn mower, i.e. continuous flow from rest of the lawn in other parts of your garden(s)? If not, you've got to think if it is worth the hassle mowing a tiny bit of lawn every weeked in the summer. I would be tempted to put pavers/rocks/mulch down instead.

6mx8m is not too big an area to landscape yourself unless you've got lots of decking to put in. But then if you ask my husband, he would probably just throw his hands up, work extra hours to pay for someone else to do the job.

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Old Jul 27th 2011, 10:19 am
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Default Re: Advice please on Landscaping

That sounds incredibly expensive. We got 40 metres of metre high retaining wall, about 70 sq m of paving (with all the base material and sealing), several 100 sq m of turf' lots of lorry loads of soil and roadbase, and all the earthworks and drainage for just over $30,000 about 5 years ago. I know prices have gone up but not that much.
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Old Jul 27th 2011, 11:24 am
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Default Re: Advice please on Landscaping

Originally Posted by Siren & Brian
Sounds a bit high but can depend on type of paving, type and size of plants etc,

Where are you?
We're in Newport/Williamstown in Melbourne. The quote is $4k for demolition, $4.5k for decking, $3k for pavers, $1k for turf (there's a bit in the front aswell), $5k for planting, the rest is bits and pieces. I thought the decking was expensive as it's such a small area.
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Old Jul 27th 2011, 11:28 am
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Default Re: Advice please on Landscaping

Originally Posted by JackTheLad
Look up "Concrete Breaking" in your area on the Yellow Pages and get a few quotes to help you decide if the quote for the whole job is too high.

Have you got much grass on the rest of your property? Is this to-be-landscaped area easy to get to with a lawn mower, i.e. continuous flow from rest of the lawn in other parts of your garden(s)? If not, you've got to think if it is worth the hassle mowing a tiny bit of lawn every weeked in the summer. I would be tempted to put pavers/rocks/mulch down instead.

6mx8m is not too big an area to landscape yourself unless you've got lots of decking to put in. But then if you ask my husband, he would probably just throw his hands up, work extra hours to pay for someone else to do the job.

Mrs JTL
I thought about putting a bit of turf down so there is a child friendly bit for our 10 month old. You're right in that it would be such a small area to mow. Do you think mulch would be just as child friendly?
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Old Jul 27th 2011, 11:40 am
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Default Re: Advice please on Landscaping

Originally Posted by jannyb
We're in Newport/Williamstown in Melbourne. The quote is $4k for demolition, $4.5k for decking, $3k for pavers, $1k for turf (there's a bit in the front aswell), $5k for planting, the rest is bits and pieces. I thought the decking was expensive as it's such a small area.
Do the turf and planting yourself (turf is cheap - $4 sq.m, but plants can be costly) Those quotes are high and probably reflect mostly labour costs. Not that technical a task.
Get the demolition, site prep, paving and decking done by a tradie. (decking is more expensive than paving, as takes longer)
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Old Jul 27th 2011, 10:20 pm
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Default Re: Advice please on Landscaping

Originally Posted by jannyb
We're in Newport/Williamstown in Melbourne. The quote is $4k for demolition, $4.5k for decking, $3k for pavers, $1k for turf (there's a bit in the front aswell), $5k for planting, the rest is bits and pieces. I thought the decking was expensive as it's such a small area.
Sounds high. if you were in Perth I could have quoted you.

Demo $600 skip bin $3400 labour. How many days is it really going to take, maybe 1 for 2 people, so $1000

$1000 lawn. I would charge that much for 40m2 of Sir Walter Lawn which includes all the prep sand fertilizers.

Decking and paving and plants well that all depends on amount size etc as I have said before.

Pics and plans would help.
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Old Jul 28th 2011, 12:46 am
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Default Re: Advice please on Landscaping

Originally Posted by jannyb
I thought about putting a bit of turf down so there is a child friendly bit for our 10 month old. You're right in that it would be such a small area to mow. Do you think mulch would be just as child friendly?
It's true, lawns are great for kids but the mowing isn't always fun. We've got over 1/2 acre of grass so I know... I don't mind big open areas but hate going around obstacles in the garden.

When we got the girls a trampoline last Christmas, we put under it some playground mulch ("pine softfall" from a local landscape supplies place) on top of weed mats (from Bunnings). The mulch is about $80 per cubic meter plus $30/delivery. We only need to pull out weeds occasionally. The kids don't care if it's mulch or grass, as long as they don't hurt themselves falling, but I love not having to mow under the trampoline.

Mrs JTL
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Old Jul 28th 2011, 2:55 am
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Default Re: Advice please on Landscaping

Have pm'd you
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Old Jul 28th 2011, 9:02 am
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Default Re: Advice please on Landscaping

Originally Posted by ukecadet
Have pm'd you
Me? It's not come through. Can you try again. Ta.
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Old Jul 28th 2011, 9:15 am
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Default Re: Advice please on Landscaping

Originally Posted by Siren & Brian
Sounds high. if you were in Perth I could have quoted you.

Demo $600 skip bin $3400 labour. How many days is it really going to take, maybe 1 for 2 people, so $1000

$1000 lawn. I would charge that much for 40m2 of Sir Walter Lawn which includes all the prep sand fertilizers.

Decking and paving and plants well that all depends on amount size etc as I have said before.

Pics and plans would help.
It's probably my fault as I said we had a budget of $20k cos I had a preliminary quote by someone else who then seemed like he couldn't be bothered to do it. So that's how much I thought it would be. When he originally looked at it, he said it'll be more like $35-$40k but he could get it down to $20k.
The decking area would probably be about 3x4m. 4x2m for grass. Then the plants would go in the rest of it.
I would upload the plans but don't want to get into trouble for copyright or something. They don't give sizes though as we haven't proceeded with the quote yet.
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