Luxury Landscape Design In Melbourne
At New Era Landscapes, we plan big properties as one build, front gate to back fence, so the stone, water, light and planting each go in once, in the right order.
Luxury landscape design is the planning behind a high-end garden: the stone, pool surrounds, lighting and planting you see, and the drainage and levels that keep them right for decades. At New Era Landscapes we take on whole-property builds as part of our landscaping across Melbourne, mostly in the south east. Quotes are free and measured on site.
A big property is one site, even when it reads as two gardens. Rain off the back terrace and the front driveway usually ends up at the same council drain. Every excavator, pallet of stone and skip bin comes in down the same side path. The floor of the house sets the height of every doorstep, front and back.
So we plan a front and back yard renovation as one build. We lay the drainage for both together, build the back while the side access is clear, and finish the front after the last machine has gone.
Under the surface
What Makes a Landscape High End?
A high-end landscape is mostly decided underground and in the detail. That means drainage that keeps a stone terrace dry, levels that let three materials finish flush, conduit laid before the paving, and planting big enough to look settled from the first week.
Expensive stone on a poor base still moves, so the first part of every build goes on the work you'll never see again.
Get it wrong and the garden tells you after the first storm. A bluestone terrace that ponds is a very elegant bird bath.
The work
Our Luxury Landscape Design Services
A whole-property build splits into two halves: the structure that sets the levels, and the finish that grows into them.
Structure, stone and water
On a high-end garden the hard landscaping takes most of the budget and stays the longest. Terraces, steps and pool coping are set out from the house's floor level, so every edge finishes at its drawn height.
Here's what our structural design and construction covers.
- Levels, drainage and stormwater for the whole block
- Retaining walls, terraces and steps between levels
- Natural stone paving in bluestone, travertine, limestone or granite
- Pool surrounds, coping and the terraces around them
- Timber and composite decking, built level with the house
- Feature walls, built-in seating and natural stone cladding
Planting, light and the finish
Planting is what makes a big garden feel settled rather than new. We design it with the irrigation and the lighting, so every bed has water and every feature tree has light before the mulch goes down.
Here's what our planting and finishing covers.
- Planting plans for Melbourne's sand and clay
- Feature trees, hedging and screening planting
- Irrigation zoned to the planting
- Garden lighting planned with the paving, wired by a licensed electrician
- Instant lawn, laid last on ground prepared for it
The first meeting covers the whole block, because a terrace out the back can hang on a drain out the front.
Our landscape design page covers how the layout gets drawn, and what landscaping costs in Melbourne gives you a feel for the numbers first.
Approvals
What Gets Signed Off During a Luxury Build?
Most of a luxury garden needs no permit, but the big pieces often do. A pool needs a building permit and council registration, a retaining wall over a metre needs a permit, and so do most decks. Some councils also protect big trees and the ground around their roots.
Your quote lists the ones your plan triggers.
| What | When it needs approval | Who signs it off |
|---|---|---|
| A pool or spa | A building permit before construction starts, then registration with your council and a barrier inspection every 4 years. | A building surveyor, then the council |
| Retaining walls | A wall higher than 1 metre needs a building permit, and a lower one can if it protects a neighbour's land. | A building surveyor |
| Decks | Boroondara puts it simply: "You always need a Building Permit to build a deck." An overlay can add a planning permit. | A building surveyor, sometimes the council |
| Big trees | Glen Eira needs a permit to work within a canopy tree's root zone, which can decide where a pool or footing goes. | The council |
| Stormwater | New drains connect to the legal point of discharge your council sets, under the Building Regulations 2018. | The council |
| Garden lighting | The mains side needs a registered electrical contractor, who gives you a Certificate of Electrical Safety. | A licensed electrician |
The process
How Does Landscape Design and Construction Work?
On a whole property, landscape design and construction runs in three stages: read the whole site, settle the plan and the paperwork, then build it as one job. Each stage treats the front and back together, because they share the drainage, the access and the levels.
- Read the whole site. Front gate to back fence: the house's floor height, where stormwater leaves the block, any protected tree, and the one way a machine gets in.
- Settle the plan and the paperwork. You sign off the layout and the quote, and we list what needs a building surveyor, the council or an electrician, so the start date allows for it.
- Build it as one job. One sequence runs across the front and back, so the drainage goes in once and nothing finished gets driven over.
What Order Is a Luxury Garden Built In?
A luxury garden is built from the ground up: earthworks and drainage first, then walls and pool surrounds, then stone and decking, with the planting last. Each layer sits on the one before it, so the order is what stops a finished garden being dug up again.
- Access and earthworks. Machines go in while the side of the house is still clear, and the bulk levels get set.
- Drainage and stormwater. Pipes, pits and the connection to the council's drain, before anything covers them.
- Conduit for water and light. Irrigation lines and lighting conduit run under the paving, so nothing gets cut into it later.
- Walls, steps and pool surrounds. The structures that hold the levels, once the pool shell is in.
- Stone, paving and decking. Laid to the levels set on day one, so every threshold and coping finishes flush.
- Trees, planting and lawn. Feature trees first, then the beds and mulch, with the lawn at the very end.
Recent work
High-End Work Around Melbourne
Three recent jobs: a travertine pool surround, a sunken seating area and a stone-clad entry. Client details stay private, so the photos speak for the work.
A travertine pool surround behind frameless glass, with steps up to a rendered terrace.
A curved rendered seat sunk into the garden, paved in pale stone.
Natural stone cladding up a full-height entry column, beside glazing and timber battens.
Why New Era
Choosing New Era Landscapes for a Luxury Garden
Over 10 years in the landscaping industry shows you where big builds lose time and money: the drainage nobody priced, the permit nobody saw coming, and the finished path a machine had to cross.
So our quotes start there: drainage as its own line, the approvals your plan triggers named before you sign, and a build order that lays nothing twice.
Comparing landscaping design and construction quotes for a big property? Put them side by side on those three lines. Ours is free, measured on site and carries no obligation.
Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does luxury landscaping cost in Melbourne?
Most of the price of a whole-property build sits underground: the drainage, how much soil leaves the site and the base under the stone. A front and back yard in natural stone with a pool surround sits in a different bracket from a courtyard. Quotes are free, measured on site and broken into lines.
How long does a luxury landscape build take?
The timing for your project comes with the quote, because it depends on what the design includes. Permits, the pool builder's schedule, the weather and how much soil has to leave the site all move the date. Planning over winter gives you more choice of spring start dates.
Is it better to use one company for landscape design and construction?
On a big project it usually is. When one business designs and another builds, a problem with the levels or drainage can fall between them. With landscape design and construction under one contract, the people who drew the plan answer for how it's built.
What deposit should I pay for a landscaping project in Victoria?
For domestic building work, Consumer Affairs Victoria caps the deposit at 10% on contracts under $20,000 and 5% from $20,000, and says you pay for completed stages. Ask for the stage payments in writing before you sign, and be wary of anyone who wants half the money up front.
Source: Consumer Affairs Victoria.
Do I need a permit for a pool and landscaping?
The pool does. It needs a building permit before construction starts, then council registration and a barrier compliance certificate. Retaining walls over a metre and most decks need building permits too, while paving and planting usually don't. Which of these your plan triggers is listed with the quote.
Areas We Serve Across Melbourne
Our base is Melbourne's south east, and whole-property work takes us right across the city. The first meeting is always on site, because a high-end garden starts with the ground it's built on.
You'll find us regularly in Brighton, Berwick, Frankston, Cranbourne, Glen Waverley, Cheltenham, Narre Warren, Pakenham, Dandenong, Bentleigh, Beaumaris, Mentone, Mordialloc, Hampton.
Not on that list? Call and ask. We cover most of Melbourne, and you'll get a straight answer either way.
Written by Jono O'Brien, who runs New Era Landscapes and has been in landscaping and turf renovation for over ten years. You can talk to him directly about your yard.
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