A focused garden upgrade can be finished in days or weeks. A full design and construction project on a complex site usually runs over several months, including the planning that happens before anyone arrives on site. Weather, access, structural work and material lead times are the usual variables.
The sequence a landscape build follows
- Site visit, scope and planning
- Design resolution and any engineering or approvals
- Site set-up, demolition and excavation
- Drainage and structural work
- Hard surfaces: paving, concrete, decking, steps
- Soil, irrigation, planting and turf
- Lighting, detailing, clean-up and handover
What most often extends a timeline
- Wet weather, particularly during excavation on clay or through a South Gippsland winter
- Restricted access requiring hand work instead of machinery
- Unexpected conditions underground: rock, fill, old footings, services
- Engineering or permit requirements for retaining and structures
- Lead times on stone, porcelain, advanced trees and specialist materials
- Coordination with a builder, pool contractor or other trades on site
Why the garden is not finished on handover day
Construction ends on a date. Planting does not. Structural planting needs one to three seasons to knit together, and the first two summers of watering and care decide how well it establishes.
We plan for that, and we are honest at the start about what the garden will look like at handover versus two years later.
Common questions
When is the best time of year to landscape?
Construction can happen year round. Planting establishes most easily in the cooler months, so we sequence soft landscape works around that where the program allows.
Will the site be unusable the whole time?
Not always. On larger projects we can often stage work so parts of the property remain accessible.