How long does a front yard transformation like this take?

Typically 3–5 working days on site once materials are ordered. Render planters set overnight, then plants and rock go in the next day. Most transformations are turned around inside two weeks from quote to finish.

Do the agaves need much watering?

Once established (about 4 weeks), almost none — they're built for Gold Coast summers. We water in well at planting and recommend a top-up twice a week for the first month, then forget about them.

Will the lavender survive Gold Coast humidity?

Yes — we use varieties bred for warm climates (French and Spanish lavenders handle humidity better than English). Trim back hard after each flowering and they'll last 4–6 years before replacement.

Can you match the planter colour to the house?

Yes — render is custom-tinted to match the home's existing render or paint. We bring a sample to the site visit.

Do you do the design too, or just the build?

Both. Most jobs start with a free site visit where we sketch options, then a paid design fee covers detailed plans. Design fee gets credited toward the build if you go ahead with us.

Front Yard Landscape Transformation Gold Coast | Before & After

Front yards are funny things. People drop tens of thousands on the inside of the house and leave the front looking like every other block on the street. This one was the same — beautifully built family home, but the front presented as a flat sheet of lawn between the driveway and the front door. Zero impact, zero shade, zero personality.

The owners called us in to design and build something that matched the build quality of the house. Here's the before and after, and how we got there.

Before — a blank slate

Front yard before landscaping — flat lawn with no plants on a modern Gold Coast home — Before: solid lawn, no depth, no shade, no entry statement.

Functional? Yes. Welcoming? Not really. The house deserved a front yard that drew the eye to the front door and gave the entry some soul.

After — layered, sculptural, low-maintenance

Front yard after landscaping — curved white raised planters with agave, lavender hedges and blue-grey river rock on Gold Coast — After: curved raised planters, agave features, lavender border, river rock and a timber screen.

What we built

Two curved rendered raised planters in white to match the home's render — instant architectural impact
Agave attenuata as the sculptural hero plants in each planter — drought-tough, zero pruning
Lavender border hedge running the full curve — soft texture, scent at the front door, bee-friendly
Blue-grey 20-40mm river rock as a feature mulch around the planters — low maintenance, drains well, never needs topping up
Standard flowering tree on the left as the canopy anchor
Vertical timber blade screen on the right to soften the garage and add warmth against the white render
Reshaped lawn with a clean curved edge — turf stays, but it's now framed instead of being the whole show

Why these design choices

Raised planters do the heavy lifting

Planting straight into the ground gives you a flat-looking garden bed. Raised rendered planters add a second layer of architecture — the house wall, then the planter wall, then the plants. Three levels of depth from one move. They also let us control the soil mix completely, so the agaves get the free-draining base they want.

Lavender for sun, agaves for sculpture

Both are drought-tolerant Gold Coast performers. Lavender gives soft texture, scent and seasonal flower colour. Agaves give the sculptural focal points — they hold their form year-round and need almost nothing to look great. The contrast between soft (lavender) and architectural (agave) is what makes the bed feel designed, not just planted.

Blue-grey river rock instead of bark mulch

Bark mulch washes away in Gold Coast storms, breaks down within a year, and needs constant topping up. Blue-grey 20-40mm river rock looks sharper against white render, drains rain straight through to the soil, doesn't blow around, and looks the same in five years as it does today. Pay once, forget about it.

Material from our own yard

All the rock, planter render base and topsoil came off our own tipper. When the supplier and the builder are the same crew, you skip a markup and the materials land on the right day. Call 0487 193 085 to talk through your own front yard.

Rough cost breakdown

Raised planters (curved render, structural base, drainage): $4,500 – $7,500 depending on size and number
Feature plants (agaves, standard tree, lavender hedge): $1,200 – $2,500
Blue-grey river rock (supply + lay over weed mat): $1,800 – $3,200
Timber blade screen (hardwood, oiled): $1,500 – $3,000
Reshape lawn edge + new turf strips: $600 – $1,200
Typical full transformation like this: $9,500 – $17,000

Variations depend on planter size, plant selection, whether the existing lawn needs irrigation work, and access. We give a fixed quote after a site visit — no surprises.

Want this for your front yard?

We design and build front yards like this across the Gold Coast — Pimpama, Ormeau, Yatala, Coomera, Helensvale, Robina, Burleigh and out to the hinterland. Owner-operated, free site visits, fixed quotes. Call John on 0487 193 085 or use the estimate page.

Front Yard Landscape Transformation: From Bare Lawn to Resort-Style Entry