It's been a while.
I was browsing the blog this week and reminiscing about all the changes over the past eight years, and thought I'd provide some updates.
Firstly, the gardens.
Picton is REALLY cold in the winter. The plants and shrubs we originally put in either didn't survive the frosts, or looked straggly and ugly after a while. About five years ago, we pulled everything out and started again. Many of our neighbours planted buxus and viburnum hedges, and now we know why! They are incredibly hardy and pretty much bomb proof. I purchased super-tiny plants to start out with and it didn't take long for them to grow into what you see out front.
The fencing.
We knocked down the handmade concrete fence out front and had a landscaper come out and create a timber post and rail fence, and a matching gate, along with pouring an extended section of driveway. Now we have a spot to leave the trailer and additional cars etc.
The gate eventually went 😁 We also installed a colorbond fence along the front to provide more privacy. With that large section of land that juts out to the right of our land, we created a spot for our caravan to sit, made of crushed granite.
Pool and entertaining area.
Our entertaining area was the one area that was never utilised. It was far too narrow and we really only used it to hang washing out when we were too lazy to head to the line! Our boys were 9 and 11 when we made the decision to put a pool and entertaining area in. The pool took about 12 months from the initial consult to installation. We used Narellan Pools because they had one of the few designs that had a smaller width (2.6 x 5.75m). It was a terrific build - super easy and no fuss.
Once the pool went in, we had local landscapers come in and lay the foundations for the extended entertaining and tile the new combined areas. We another company provide and install the glass fencing, and then my husband purchased the colorbond fencing extension pieces and 1.6m front colorbond panels himself. He also spent a few weekends installing it himself and did a great job.
Last thing was to extend the entertaining area. We ordered an insulated pergola and it really ties the areas in. We are super happy with it!
Costings are as follows.
Swimming pool contract: $35 070
Pool shell and installation, filtration equipment and pump/accessories, excavation and removal of soil, compliance documentation, temporary fencing.
Associated works (Surplus to contract): $8160
Robotic cleaner, 4 spa jets, 17 kw heat pump.
Landscaping: $29 000
Concrete tiling slab (pool), concrete alfresco extension slab, thickened drop edge, coping tiling, back-up tiling, tiling existing and new alfresco, black grate drainage, concrete bond beam (pool).
Tiles (Amber Tiles "Enzo Moon"): $9158
Bullnose pool edging, pool and entertaining tiles
Glass pool fencing: $4417
12 l/m of 1.2 mm frameless toughened glass, stainless steel spigots and one soft-closing gate.
Colorbond fencing and side gates: $1050
Side fence extensions, two gates, poles and fencing panels to close off the front.
Pergola: $13700
Pergola ( 5.6 x4.3 m, 2.4m height), installation, lighting/wiring, guttering and downpipes.
Aesthetic landscaping: $305
Pebbles, hedging etc
Council fees: $1553
Plumbing: $1505
Electrical: $812
Total: $104730
In addition to this, we bought a barbeque and my parents passed on their old outdoor lounge. Rug from Ikea, cushions from Bed, Bath and Table. Decor mostly from Kmart.
So yep, that's our eight year update! We're still finishing things off after all this time, but its been a slow process! Next step is to fix up our back corner and turn it into a fire-pit area, and plant more viburnum to tie it all together.
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