Mosman sits on a peninsula between two harbours, and most of its gardens are built on a slope that runs toward water. Terracing, steps and retaining are the real work here, usually around a house worth being careful near.
Mosman sits about eight kilometres north-east of the city, the only suburb in its own municipality, on a peninsula between Sydney Harbour and Middle Harbour. Sections of Sydney Harbour National Park run along its foreshore at Bradleys Head, and a good number of its houses date from the Federation period.
Very few blocks here are flat. The garden is terraces, steps and landings running down toward the water, and the structure holding those levels is where most of the budget goes. Done properly it lasts decades, and done cheaply it leans within a few years.
Federation houses and older sandstone structures are easy to damage and expensive to repair. Excavation, drainage and new levels near one need planning rather than enthusiasm, and we set out how we will protect what is there before starting.
Where a block runs down to national park or reserve, the lower garden is a transition into bushland. Planting there wants to suit the setting, and what can be cleared or pruned is controlled rather than up to the owner.
Almost every Mosman project begins with holding the slope and getting safe access down it.
Walls to hold a steep fall and create level terraces, built with proper drainage behind them. On a harbour slope this is the structure the entire garden depends on.
How we build retaining wallsStepped paths, landings and terraces paved to a level, free-draining finish. On a fall this steep the setting out of the steps matters as much as the material they are made from.
How we approach pavingThinning and lifting canopies to recover light and outlook without losing the tree. The Municipality of Mosman controls significant pruning of many trees and we check what is allowed first.
See our pruning and trimmingThe formal hedges and boundary screens common around period houses here, cut to a clean line and to a height agreed in advance where an outlook is involved.
How we trim hedgesMulch at a grade that stays on a slope rather than washing to the bottom of the garden, and at a depth suited to a sheltered harbour position.
More on mulchingLawn on the flatter terraces over prepared and graded soil. Under an established canopy we will tell you honestly whether turf will hold before laying it.
How we lay new turfBeds, terraces, stairs and paving joints cleared back, roots included. Near a reserve boundary there is steady pressure from regrowth, so regular passes beat one large clear.
More on weedingOld paving, excavated spoil, cleared growth and green waste taken away, barrowed up to the street where there is no vehicle access to the work area.
See our rubbish removalRemoving a tree that threatens a structure or has failed on a slope. The Municipality of Mosman controls removal and significant pruning of many trees, and we check before quoting.
About our tree lopping workThe grade, the access across it and what you are building next to.
Three steps, a fixed written price, and the site left clean.
Call or send photos showing the fall, the street frontage and the lower boundary. On a Mosman block that is what sets the price.
We measure the grade, work out how material gets down, check the boundary and what needs protecting, then put a fixed written price and a staged plan in front of you.
One crew from start to finish, the barrow runs planned, and all spoil and old material taken away.
Terry and his team are fantastic to work with.
The team have been very professional with their work, communication and they were also fast paced.
They use very high quality materials and workmanship is flawless.
Mosman sits on the lower north shore with Neutral Bay, Cremorne, Balgowlah Heights, Seaforth and Clontarf nearby.
For upkeep rather than a build, see our garden maintenance in Mosman, and browse every Sydney suburb we service.
Yes, with terracing, and that is most of what we build here. Retaining walls and stepped access turn a fall into a series of level areas. How many levels and how high the walls go depends on the grade, which we measure properly at the quote.
That is the main thing we plan for. Excavation and new drainage beside a period house or an original sandstone wall need a considered method rather than a machine and optimism. We set out how we protect what is there before any work starts.
It is the normal situation on these blocks. Material goes down by barrow, often via stairs, and spoil comes back up the same way. We plan the runs before quoting, so the labour is in the written price rather than added later.
Near the foreshore and reserve boundaries, yes. Clearing and tree work are controlled, and planting is better suited to the bushland setting anyway. We check what is permitted before pricing anything along that edge.
Sometimes, within what is allowed. Selective thinning and canopy lifting recovers a surprising amount without removing anything. The Municipality of Mosman controls significant pruning, so we confirm what is permitted before promising a result.
Yes. We work across Mosman 2088 and the surrounding lower north shore and Middle Harbour suburbs including Cremorne, Neutral Bay, Balgowlah Heights, Seaforth and Clontarf.
Send us the basics and we will come out, measure the fall, work out the access and check what needs protecting, then give you a fixed written price. The visit costs nothing.
Prefer to talk it through? Call 0451 267 287.
Whether it is a fall you have never used or terracing that has started to lean, we will come out, measure it properly and price the build.