Blocks that climb
Most gardens here are a series of levels rather than a yard. Terracing with retaining walls and stepped paving is the normal answer, and the number of levels does more to the price than the floor area does.
Palm Beach 2108 · Northern Beaches Council
Landscaping Palm Beach
Palm Beach blocks are steep, exposed and often a long way from where a truck can stop. Those three things decide how a garden gets built here, and we price them honestly rather than discovering them on day one.
- 15+ years across Sydney
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- Free on-site quotes
What we build here
Steep, salt-blasted and hard to reach
Palm Beach sits roughly 41 kilometres north of the city on the narrow neck of land running up to Barrenjoey Headland, with Pittwater on one side and open ocean on the other. Blocks here climb away from the road, and almost all of them are exposed to salt from one direction or both.
Salt from both sides
With ocean on one side and Pittwater on the other, exposure here is harder than almost anywhere in Sydney. Planting and fixings both have to suit it, or the garden burns off and the hardware fails early.
Access is the first question
Long driveways, steep paths, no truck access to the back. Materials often go in by barrow over a considerable distance, and that is a real part of the cost rather than a footnote.
What we build
Our landscaping services in Palm Beach
Almost every Palm Beach job starts with holding the slope and getting materials to it.
Retaining walls in Palm Beach
Walls to hold a steep fall and turn it into usable terraces, built with proper drainage behind them. On a slope this is the structure the whole garden sits on, so it is where the budget should go first.
How we build retaining wallsPaving in Palm Beach
Stepped paths, landings and terraces paved to a level, free-draining finish. On a steep block the setting out matters as much as the surface, because a step in the wrong place is a trip hazard for years.
How we approach pavingTurf laying in Palm Beach
Lawn on the flatter terraces over prepared and graded soil. On sandy, exposed ground we improve the soil first, because turf laid straight onto sand will not hold through a dry summer.
More on turf layingMulching in Palm Beach
Mulch at a grade that stays put on a slope and holds moisture in sandy ground. The wrong grade washes to the bottom of the block in the first heavy rain.
More on mulchingHedge trimming in Palm Beach
Screens and boundary planting kept to a clean line, including the wind-shaped coastal species common here that need a different approach to an inland hedge.
How we trim hedgesTree pruning and trimming in Palm Beach
Lifting growth off roofs and gutters and thinning canopies to open a view or let light down to a lower terrace. On bushland boundaries we work within what the council allows.
See our pruning and trimmingWeeding in Palm Beach
Beds, terraces, paths and paving joints cleared back, roots included. On a bushland-edge block there is steady pressure from regrowth, so regular passes work better than one big clear.
More on weedingRubbish and land removal in Palm Beach
Old paving, cleared growth, broken concrete and green waste taken away. Removal from a steep block is a barrow exercise and we size the real volume in the quote.
See our rubbish removalTree lopping and removal in Palm Beach
Taking out a tree that threatens the house or has come down on a slope. Northern Beaches Council controls removal and significant pruning of many trees, particularly near bushland, and we check before quoting.
About our tree lopping work
Working in Palm Beach
What changes a Palm Beach quote
Slope, access and exposure. On these blocks they account for most of the price.
- How steep it is. The grade decides how many levels you need and how high the walls go. We measure the fall properly, because a guess on a slope this steep is a guess at the whole budget.
- How far materials have to travel. Where a truck cannot reach the work area, everything moves by barrow. On a long steep driveway that is substantial labour and it belongs in the written quote.
- Salt exposure. Ocean and Pittwater both. Plant selection, fixings and finishes all have to suit it, which we specify rather than leaving to chance.
- Soil. Sandy ground drains fast and holds little. Where you want lawn or substantial planting, the soil is improved first or it will not establish.
- Bushland boundaries and tree rules. A lot of these blocks adjoin bushland. Northern Beaches Council controls clearing and tree work, and we check what is allowed before quoting.
How it runs
How a Palm Beach landscaping job runs
Three steps, a fixed written price, and the site left clean.
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Tell us about the block
Call or send photos, including the driveway and the path to the back. On a steep site that is what tells us most before we visit.
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Free on-site quote
We measure the fall, work out how materials get in, check the exposure and the soil, then put a fixed written price and a staged plan in front of you.
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We build it and clear out
One crew from start to finish, the barrow runs planned, and all old material and green waste removed when we go.
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.
Around Palm Beach
Other areas our Palm Beach crew covers
Palm Beach sits at the northern end of the Northern Beaches with Avalon Beach, Newport, Mona Vale and Narrabeen to the south.
- Gardener Avalon Beach
- Landscaping Newport
- Gardener Newport
- Landscaping Mona Vale
- Landscaping Narrabeen
- Landscaping Manly
- Gardener Manly
- Landscaping Terrey Hills
For everything we do along the coast, see our Northern Beaches landscaping, or browse every Sydney suburb we service.
Palm Beach questions
What Palm Beach homeowners ask us
Our block is too steep to use. What can be done with it?
Terracing. Retaining walls and stepped paving turn a fall into a series of usable levels, and on most Palm Beach blocks that is the only thing that works. How many levels and how high the walls go depends on the grade, which we measure at the quote.
Nothing we plant survives. Is that the salt?
Almost certainly, and often the sand as well. With ocean on one side and Pittwater on the other, exposure here is severe, and sandy soil holds very little water or nutrient. We specify for both, which is why our coastal planting holds.
A truck cannot get to our backyard. Is that a problem?
It is normal here, not a problem. Materials go in by barrow and we plan the runs before quoting. It does affect the labour, so it is in the written price rather than appearing later.
Can we open up the view?
Sometimes, within what the council allows. Selective thinning and canopy lifting can recover a lot without taking trees out. Northern Beaches Council controls significant pruning and removal, so we check what is permitted before promising anything.
Will a retaining wall hold on sand?
Yes, built properly, with the right footing and drainage behind it. That is exactly where corners get cut on cheap coastal jobs, and it is why those walls lean within a few years.
Do you cover Avalon Beach, Whale Beach and Newport?
Yes. We work across Palm Beach 2108 and the northern end of the Northern Beaches including Whale Beach, Avalon Beach, Bilgola, Newport and Mona Vale.
Free, no obligation
Get a quote for your Palm Beach landscaping
Send us the basics and we will come out, measure the fall, work out the access and check the exposure, then give you a fixed written price. The visit costs nothing.
- Free on-site quote anywhere in Palm Beach 2108
- Steep, sandy and salt-exposed blocks
- Fixed written price before work starts
- All old material and green waste removed
Prefer to talk it through? Call 0451 267 287.
Request your free quote
Ready to make your Palm Beach block usable?
Whether it is a slope you cannot stand on or planting that has burnt off twice, we will come out, measure it properly and price the build.