This stunning front-yard transformation involves a curving stone retaining wall and crazy paving complemented by thoughtful garden planting.
The project
When we bought our house we knew that we wanted to redo the front landscaping. I ripped out the sinking retaining wall, hired a Kanga mini-loader and excavated the whole yard.
I extended the front deck, concreted footings for my new retaining wall, installed drainage and crazy paving, built a new stone retaining wall with some neat curves and began planting away.
I did need to get a friend in to install the large boulders with his excavator. No chance of me lifting those!
The Kanga doesn't need a licence. In an hour you'll become an expert, and it's incredibly fun and satisfying.
The stones I used for the retaining wall are Adbri Natural Impressions. They are easy to work with as long as the concrete footings are level and solid.
If you're creating curves like I did, you can just chip away the lip underneath the block with a hammer and chisel to allow for the curving. I used Liquid Nails Landscape as extra reinforcing on all the curves and the capping.
I did the crazy paving myself. It wasn't too much trouble keeping the mortar off the face of the slate. When I laid the pavers I tried to keep everything as clean as possible and kept a sponge and bucket of clean water handy at all times.
When I applied grout, I used a dry mix and swept it in, followed by a mist spray of the hose every few minutes. The whole time I tried to keep everything as clean as possible to limit clean-up afterwards. I then used an acid to remove any excess grout on the pavers.
I had previously done the same paving in the backyard – but about 50 square metres. I relied heavily on the acid doing its job but it also removed a bit of the grout itself. I found that the deeper and cleaner the lines for the grout were, the easier it was to apply and the less likely it was for the grout to break away in time.
The deck got an extension.
And I installed a sprinkler and drip system for the whole yard.
It has created a nice haven for us that we enjoy every day.
Before and after
How to lay crazy paving
Use this mosaic-like paving trend to liven up your courtyard, driveway or for tricky areas such as a curved pathway with this step-by-step guide: How to lay crazy paving.
How to build a low-level deck
A low-level deck can pose a range of potential design and installation problems, with challenges around ventilation, drainage, termites and rot. But it doesn't have to be a difficult project once you take the time to understand the basics of how a low-level deck is put together.
Experienced Bunnings Workshop member Adam Woodhams has created a comprehensive guide to building your own low-level deck, which provides an excellent reference for getting started.
More project inspiration for your home
Bunnings Workshop member ProjectPete turned an unused corner in the backyard into a beautiful and relaxing space with a polished-concrete bench seat, feature wall and crazy pavers.
There are also plenty of great ideas in our collection of Paving ideas for outdoor entertaining areas, our Top 10 most popular garden makeovers and our collection of Ideas to revamp your side yard.
Let us know if you need a hand with your project – we're here to help.
