Skip to main content

Frequently Asked Questions

We are happy to take your questions. These are some questions frequently asked about our services, our business, and different aspects of landscaping in general.  If these don’t answer your query, please don’t hesitate to contact us!

General questions

Who are you?

I’m Simon, owner of New Wave Landscapes. I’ve been a landscaper for over 20 years in the Bayside and Inner South Eastern suburbs of Melbourne. However, I have worked all over Melbourne, from Port Melbourne to the Mornington Peninsula. I love what I do. I will always give you a fair price – I have a family and I appreciate that your dollars are as hard-earned as mine. I currently live in Bayside.

Do you provide free consultation and quotes?

I do! I’m happy to come over to your house or building site to have a look and talk to you about your plans. Within 48 hours (in most cases), I’ll send you a detailed quote for the work we discussed. Just give me a call at 0409869088, send me an email at simon@newwavelandscapes.com.au or fill out the contact form on this website.

How quickly can you start?

Well, that depends on what work I already have scheduled. It’s always best to organise your job several months ahead of when you need it done. If you are looking to have your new backyard completed in time for summer or a big event, organising the landscaping as early as possible gives you your best chances that all the work can be completed by your due date. Most landscapers get very busy leading up to Christmas!! Best to call sooner rather than later, but if you’re late don’t despair – sometimes we can fit you in. We can discuss all this during your free consultation.

How long will my landscaping take to complete?

That of course depends on the job! Once I see your area and we discuss the work you want done, I can give you a good idea of the time it will take to complete. For most work, the completion time depends on the size of the area to be landscaped, work needed to ready the site, what we’re doing (paving, concreting or turfing, etc) and site access. Generally, it’s a highly individual calculation. All that said, 90% of my jobs take between 3 days and 4 weeks from start to finish (the other 10% being large, multi-unit sites).

Can I have my landscaping installed in phases?

In some circumstances, yes. A driveway can be completed, and later we can come back to do your turf or planting, etc.

How do I schedule a consultation?

Just give me a call at 0409869088, send me an email at simon@newwavelandscapes.com.au, or fill out the contact form. We’ll work out a time that suits.

What payment options do you provide?

We usually use electronic funds transfer.

What is the best time of the year to do landscape installation?

The best time is when you’re ready! (Well, call us a couple months before). That said, some projects can have minor delays in winter due to too much rain. For instance, grouting will get washed away in heavy rain, and concrete can’t be laid either. For those, we must wait for a dry day. However, we work in all conditions, all year, rain or shine!

Can I do this work myself?

Some work can be done yourself if you have the time and skills. However, most projects demand higher training, skills and experience. For instance, laying turf might seem easy, but it actually requires quite a bit of groundwork (no pun intended) such as soil levelling (but also with the optimal slope away from your house for water drainage), topsoil laid, automatic irrigation (preferably)… Laying pavers also requires knowledge of best materials, preparing the proper base which is essential to a stable patio (we have seen quite a few DIY disappointments). Retaining walls are definitely something you want to leave up to the experts. You are an expert at your profession; we are experts at ours. Let our 20 years of experience work for you to deliver a landscape that you can enjoy for years to come.

Services

My backyard needs returfing. It's uneven and weedy. Do you do this type of landscaping?

We do! Often returfing is the best option for a lawn-gone-wild. We will dig out your existing lawn, level it, lay new top-quality topsoil, and returf with the best type of grass for your situation. We’ll discuss all the options with you.

Do you do retaining walls?

We do! Retaining walls are simply low walls that hold back soil. They can be made of a variety of materials such as stones, wood or brick, or paved over with crazy paving. We’ve done it all. See our page on retaining walls for more information.

What size properties do you work with?

We’ve worked with all sizes of properties. From the acre blocks out at Warrandyte, to the golden mile in Brighton, to small city courtyards in South Melbourne and everything in between. We’ve also installed landscaping on many new builds, both detached homes and multiple unit sites.

We are building a new home. When should we install our new home landscaping?"

Your landscaping must be submitted with your building plans to council. Even prior, a bank will want cost estimates for your landscaping. Once a  landscape designer draws up plans for you, I can give you a quote, and then you can give me a call again when you’re ready for the landscaping phase.

I want a new driveway. What materials do you suggest?

Exposed aggregate looks wonderful in a driveway, and its style far exceeds the extra cost over plain concrete. Check out our photo gallery for examples of exposed aggregate driveways. Of course, there’s several other great options. Brick, brick edging around concrete, bluestone, sandstone, granite, lilydale gravel with brick border…Check out our photo gallery for examples of driveways.

I live near the city and I only have a small courtyard. Is this something you do? What are my options?

We have lots of experience with small city spaces! We’ve worked for years on small areas in suburbs such as St. Kilda, South Melborne, Port Melbourne, South Yarra, Albert Park, Fitzroy, Brunswick… You can turn that tired courtyard into a beautiful retreat with the right paving, plants and walls. Take a look at our photo gallery for some examples of our work.

I just want a nice patio. Do you do patios?

We are patio specialists! In our 20 years we’ve done all sizes, all materials, all manner of outdoor patios. See our photo gallery for exampes of our work and our page on paving for more information on paving choices.

What is crazy paving?

Crazy paving is taking irregularly-shaped natural stone pavers, like sandstone or bluestone, and arranging them like puzzle pieces. A picture is worth a thousand words: take a look at our crazy paving page and examples of the crazy paving we’ve installed in our photo gallery.

How do we choose materials we want, like pavers or stones?

We can advise you on the best types of materials for your job, and the relative merits of each. We usually refer customers to a few landscaping outlets that have a large variety of pavers and stones on display, so you can pick and choose. We can give you as much or as little guidance as you’d like. Our paving page and photo gallery also have many examples of different kinds of pavers.

Do you have a nursery or retail outlet?

No, we focus on installing and planting services. In order to use the highest quality materials while keeping prices competitive, we maintain long-standing relationships with several local nurseries, paver suppliers and other vendors. See our partners page.