\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tUpdated:<\/p>
7.11.2022<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
Share on:<\/h4><\/i><\/a><\/span><\/i><\/a><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>T<\/span>his overgrown, ivy-covered backyard once featured a chicken coop and a pond. And now?<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>Homeowners Emily and Will have a modern space absolutely ideal for entertaining.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s just say, you\u2019ll be wondering if it\u2019s the same backyard because this garden makeover has created that<\/em> much extra space!<\/p>\n<\/div>In this Project Story you\u2019ll discover:<\/p>\n<\/div>
- <\/i><\/span>\n
The tonnes of effort required to prep (quite literally)<\/p>\n<\/div><\/li>
- <\/i><\/span>\n
The full list of landscaping upgrades<\/p>\n<\/div><\/li>
- <\/i><\/span>\n
Their advice for homeowners (involves hiring a tradie!)<\/p>\n<\/div><\/li>
- <\/i><\/span>\n
Plus, the epic before and after photos.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/li><\/ul>
\nLet\u2019s get stuck into it!<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>![\"Before\"](\"https:\/\/builderscrack.co.nz\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Landscaping-Garden-Makeover-Before-2-1200px.jpg\")
![\"After\"](\"https:\/\/builderscrack.co.nz\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Landscaping-Garden-Makeover-1200px-4227.jpg\")
<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/span><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>Here’s a sneak peek: before (left) and after (right) | Photo: Alana Shinn<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>The Backyard “Was Overgrown, Cluttered And Unwieldy\u201d<\/strong><\/h3><\/div>After spending some time in Emily and Will\u2019s home, it\u2019s clear this newly engaged couple don\u2019t do things by halves. Emily begins to tell me how their vision for the space went from \u2018garden tidy up\u2019 to \u2018complete backyard makeover\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe saw the impact of what we renovated inside, of it all coming together and thought \u2014 how good would it feel if we got it all done?\u201d Emily says.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/div><\/div>![](\"https:\/\/builderscrack.co.nz\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Landscaping-Garden-Makeover-1200px-4188.jpg\" "\\"Landscaping")
<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>Christchurch Homeowners, Emily and Will | Photo: Alana Shinn<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>Digging Up A Hidden Gem<\/strong><\/h3><\/div>The previous property owners had lived there for 30 years, and Will says you could see how much time and effort they had put into it before it became overgrown.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut we\u2019re not green thumbs, so we wanted to strip it back and go minimalist with easy maintenance,\u201d Will says.<\/p>\n
When it comes to landscaping, Will jokes they\u2019re pretty<\/em> good at removing things \u2014 but that\u2019s the extent of their skills.<\/p>\nIt was time to find someone who was up for the challenge.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>![](\"https:\/\/builderscrack.co.nz\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Landscaping-Garden-Makeover-1200px-1221.jpg\" "\\"Landscaping")
<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div>![](\"https:\/\/builderscrack.co.nz\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Landscaping-Garden-Makeover-1200px-1136.jpg\" "\\"Landscaping")
<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div>![\"A](\"https:\/\/builderscrack.co.nz\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Landscaping-Garden-Makeover-1200px-1153.jpg\" "\\"Home’s")
<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>Ross from Grasshopper Landscapes, and before shots of the garden | Photo: Alana Shinn<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\u201cRoss Had Vision, And We Didn’t\u201d<\/strong><\/h3><\/div>With seven trades chasing their job, Emily and Will carefully looked at profiles and reviews to try and find who they liked most.<\/p>\n
\u201cRoss stood out from the crowd \u2014 by a lot,\u201d Will says, nodding his head slowly.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s a nice guy, you know, he sees the planter box out the front and he\u2019s already throwing some ideas out for what we could plant there,\u201d Will says.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe thought, firstly, this is a guy who can help us, you know, we don\u2019t know what works, we\u2019re first home buyers,\u201d Will says.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd secondly, he was so passionate, we knew we could trust him.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>![](\"https:\/\/builderscrack.co.nz\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Landscaping-Garden-Makeover-1200px-4090.jpg\" "\\"Landscaping")
<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div>![](\"https:\/\/builderscrack.co.nz\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Landscaping-Garden-Makeover-1200px-1183.jpg\" "\\"Landscaping")
<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>Emily and Will found Ross and his ideas inspiring | Photo: Alana Shinn<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>Bringing Experience From 200 Acre Private Estates<\/strong><\/h3><\/div>Ross from Grasshopper Landscapes has been in the business of landscaping for a couple of decades now, here in New Zealand and over in the UK.<\/p>\n
After voicing my curiosity for what kind of work he did overseas, Ross shared some stories, and one of them did not disappoint.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was once the groundskeeper for the Rothschild Estate,\u201d Ross says, with a modest tone.<\/p>\n
Fast forward to his time in Christchurch, he\u2019s now got a team of seven great guys working with him.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>![\"Backyard](\"https:\/\/builderscrack.co.nz\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Landscaping-Garden-Makeover-1200px-1207.jpg\" "\\"Landscaping")
<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>Rodrigo, the site foreman, taking back the overgrown ivy | Photo: Alana Shinn<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>A Tonne (Or Two) of Hard Prep Work<\/strong><\/h3><\/div>The state of the backyard meant heavy lifting for the first part of the job, and Will says those first few weekends were good bonding times with the old man.<\/p>\n
\u201cDad and I removed just under a tonne of ivy,\u201d Will says, and I try to visualise exactly what a tonne of ivy looks like.<\/p>\n<\/div>
\n“The ivy was so heavy because it had actually grown trunks, which Ross says is quite rare.”
\n<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\u201cI don\u2019t see that very often, it was a shocker,\u201d Ross explains.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had taken at least a tonne of green waste out, and we took the garden all the way back to bare bones,\u201d Ross says.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen we had two skips of dig out materials: concrete, old lawn and god knows how much soil,\u201d Ross laughs.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/div><\/div>![\"Home](\"https:\/\/builderscrack.co.nz\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Landscaping-Garden-Makeover-1200px-1148.jpg\" "\\"Home-Improvements-Under-$5000-1200px\\"")
<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div>![\"Backyard](\"https:\/\/builderscrack.co.nz\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Landscaping-Garden-Makeover-1200px-1187.jpg\" "\\"Landscaping")
<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div>![\"Backyard](\"https:\/\/builderscrack.co.nz\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Landscaping-Garden-Makeover-1200px-1155.jpg\" "\\"Landscaping")
<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div>![\"Backyard](\"https:\/\/builderscrack.co.nz\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Landscaping-Garden-Makeover-1200px-1161.jpg\" "\\"Landscaping")
<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>Tonnes of green waste materials were removed | Photo: Alana Shinn<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
T<\/span>his overgrown, ivy-covered backyard once featured a chicken coop and a pond. And now?<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div> Homeowners Emily and Will have a modern space absolutely ideal for entertaining.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s just say, you\u2019ll be wondering if it\u2019s the same backyard because this garden makeover has created that<\/em> much extra space!<\/p>\n<\/div> In this Project Story you\u2019ll discover:<\/p>\n<\/div> The tonnes of effort required to prep (quite literally)<\/p>\n<\/div><\/li> The full list of landscaping upgrades<\/p>\n<\/div><\/li> Their advice for homeowners (involves hiring a tradie!)<\/p>\n<\/div><\/li> Plus, the epic before and after photos.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/li><\/ul> Here’s a sneak peek: before (left) and after (right) | Photo: Alana Shinn<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div> After spending some time in Emily and Will\u2019s home, it\u2019s clear this newly engaged couple don\u2019t do things by halves. Emily begins to tell me how their vision for the space went from \u2018garden tidy up\u2019 to \u2018complete backyard makeover\u2019.<\/p>\n \u201cWe saw the impact of what we renovated inside, of it all coming together and thought \u2014 how good would it feel if we got it all done?\u201d Emily says.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div> Christchurch Homeowners, Emily and Will | Photo: Alana Shinn<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div> The previous property owners had lived there for 30 years, and Will says you could see how much time and effort they had put into it before it became overgrown.<\/p>\n \u201cBut we\u2019re not green thumbs, so we wanted to strip it back and go minimalist with easy maintenance,\u201d Will says.<\/p>\n When it comes to landscaping, Will jokes they\u2019re pretty<\/em> good at removing things \u2014 but that\u2019s the extent of their skills.<\/p>\n It was time to find someone who was up for the challenge.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div> Ross from Grasshopper Landscapes, and before shots of the garden | Photo: Alana Shinn<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div> With seven trades chasing their job, Emily and Will carefully looked at profiles and reviews to try and find who they liked most.<\/p>\n \u201cRoss stood out from the crowd \u2014 by a lot,\u201d Will says, nodding his head slowly.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s a nice guy, you know, he sees the planter box out the front and he\u2019s already throwing some ideas out for what we could plant there,\u201d Will says.<\/p>\n \u201cWe thought, firstly, this is a guy who can help us, you know, we don\u2019t know what works, we\u2019re first home buyers,\u201d Will says.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd secondly, he was so passionate, we knew we could trust him.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div> Emily and Will found Ross and his ideas inspiring | Photo: Alana Shinn<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div> Ross from Grasshopper Landscapes has been in the business of landscaping for a couple of decades now, here in New Zealand and over in the UK.<\/p>\n After voicing my curiosity for what kind of work he did overseas, Ross shared some stories, and one of them did not disappoint.<\/p>\n \u201cI was once the groundskeeper for the Rothschild Estate,\u201d Ross says, with a modest tone.<\/p>\n Fast forward to his time in Christchurch, he\u2019s now got a team of seven great guys working with him.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div> Rodrigo, the site foreman, taking back the overgrown ivy | Photo: Alana Shinn<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div> The state of the backyard meant heavy lifting for the first part of the job, and Will says those first few weekends were good bonding times with the old man.<\/p>\n \u201cDad and I removed just under a tonne of ivy,\u201d Will says, and I try to visualise exactly what a tonne of ivy looks like.<\/p>\n<\/div> “The ivy was so heavy because it had actually grown trunks, which Ross says is quite rare.” \u201cI don\u2019t see that very often, it was a shocker,\u201d Ross explains.<\/p>\n \u201cWe had taken at least a tonne of green waste out, and we took the garden all the way back to bare bones,\u201d Ross says.<\/p>\n \u201cThen we had two skips of dig out materials: concrete, old lawn and god knows how much soil,\u201d Ross laughs.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div> Tonnes of green waste materials were removed | Photo: Alana Shinn<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>
\nLet\u2019s get stuck into it!<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>The Backyard “Was Overgrown, Cluttered And Unwieldy\u201d<\/strong><\/h3><\/div>
<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div>Digging Up A Hidden Gem<\/strong><\/h3><\/div>
<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div>\u201cRoss Had Vision, And We Didn’t\u201d<\/strong><\/h3><\/div>
<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div>Bringing Experience From 200 Acre Private Estates<\/strong><\/h3><\/div>
<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div>A Tonne (Or Two) of Hard Prep Work<\/strong><\/h3><\/div>
\n<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div>
![\"Backyard](\"https:\/\/builderscrack.co.nz\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Landscaping-Garden-Makeover-1200px-4197.jpg\" "\\"Landscaping")
<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div>![\"Backyard](\"https:\/\/builderscrack.co.nz\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Landscaping-Garden-Makeover-1200px-4248.jpg\" "\\"Landscaping")
<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div>