How would I landscape my front yard?

[Houseproject07]

what needs to be done for my front yard to level it and make it look good

 

[JacobZ]

Hi @Houseproject07,

Thank you for your question about landscaping your front yard.

It looks like there might be some formwork set up. Is there a concrete path or pad being installed, or is this just leftover materials from construction?

If you were looking to level the front yard, you would need to make a delineation somewhere and add a retaining wall. If there is concrete going in, then it should be somewhere at least 300mm or so away from this concrete to enable you to install retaining posts. It looks like there is some kind of barrier already there. Was this installed as a retaining structure already?

If you're just looking for guidance on preparing the ground for turf, then you would start by excavating the top 100mm or so of soil and removing any large stones or construction waste. This is achievable with a shovel and wheelbarrow, but the simplest way to do this is to get a skid steer in to do a site cut.

Once this top layer of soil and any hard rubbish has been cleaned up, add a layer around 100mm thick of top dress, which can be purchased in bulk bags through your local store's Special Orders desk. It can be spread with a wheelbarrow and shovel and then smoothed and levelled with a Top Soil Spreader.

You can then follow How To Lay Turf for a guide on installing turf on your prepared area.

Once turf is in place and any further work has been done, you might like to consider adding some garden beds or decorative elements. Check out Top 10 most popular front yard projects and 10 ways to improve your home’s street appeal for some inspiration.

Allow me to tag @Dave-1, @LizzieCro and @mich1972 to see if they have any ideas for landscaping the front of your home.

Jacob

[Dave-1]

Good Afternoon @Houseproject07 

@JacobZ has pointed out a few ideas that would get you going.

Some other things to consider, plants, shrubs and trees. Easiest way I know is to take a stroll through Bunnings and have a look at what types you like and then take note of how big each grows (height and width) Then go home and sketch up your yard anbd what you want in it. Even if its just level grass then some flowers or succulents on the edges might be nice.

The stormwater pipe you have from your photo I would check to see if its still in its original form. I have seen a bunch of stormater pipes with gutters like yours be squashed from deliveries and builders ot really caring. It would be a shame to fix the yard and then find out the pipe is compressed. A note of caution for checking before you dig especially on the footpath. Double caution for sure.

Dave

[Houseproject07]

I have made these garden beds and on left side I have made retaining wall.from here do I need retaining wall in front or just level bit more council area and it should loon good

[JacobZ]

Hi @Houseproject07,

I don't think you really need a retaining wall based on what I'm seeing. A gradually sloped front yard will still look good.

I'd just follow the steps I mentioned about adding top dress and then laying turf.

Let me know if you have any further questions.

Jacob

[LizzieCro]

Hi @Houseproject07 ,

If all you need to know is how to get some decent level from the garden border to the kerb, there's simple ways to do that. No retaining walls look necessary. The easiest way is to drag  a large gate across it. Probably not much help unless you have one though. This worked really well on one place I owned.

I had a similar situation to yours  with another front lawn (when I had no large gate to drag!). This will depend on what sort of 'lumps' are on the ground. If they're hard clay it may not work so well. I smashed as many of the lumps as I could, using my spade and mattock. Then I attached a long length of timber to may rake, using cable ties, and dragged it across the the yard, evening it out. It needn't be perfect, just as long as the area looks smooth to the eye. Then I'd have a load of garden compost delivered and rake that over the area. Tamp it all down, level again, and water it in. Fill any low spots and water again. Depending on your area, you can seed or turf the ground, but turf gives a quicker result and is much more satisfying. You will have to keep the water up to it though, especially as we come into Summer.

[Houseproject07]

Also this side how I put gravel or stones

[EricL]

Hello @Houseproject07 

I propose having a look at these discussions - Travertine pavers and gravel garden path by @TaylerMayd and How to add a gravel pathway? by @bianca123456. These discussions will give you a general idea of what you need to do in order to lay a gravel path in your pathway. My best advice when planning your gravel pathway is to create a slope going towards your fence so that rainwater will flow away from your house and not towards it.

The general steps will be to level and create a slope towards your fence. The soil needs to be compacted and weedmat placed over the surface. You then place road base on the surface for even better levelling. The final step will be to place the gravel on the surface and making sure to tamp the surface.   

If you have any other questions we can help with, please let us know.

Eric

[LizzieCro]

Hi,
Firstly level it out as much as you can, lay some weed mat down and peg it down with pins (both products from Bunnings). Then some place pavers as stepping stones to the air con unit, then back fill it all with pebbles.