A pre-sale garden makeover | Ainslie, ACT

When our client came to us, her property was close to going to market and the garden was working against the sale rather than for it. Years of wear had left the planting tired and the hardscapes cracked and uneven — the kind of first impression that gives a buyer pause before they've reached the front door. The brief was clear and disciplined: a simple, geometric design that would present the home at its best, delivered within a tight budget.

We took on both the front and rear, and the budget became the scheme's organising principle rather than its limitation. Clean lines, considered proportions and a restrained palette do more for a property than expense ever does — a garden that reads as calm, cared-for and complete is exactly what a buyer is looking for, and it photographs well, which is much of the work in a sale.

We cleared the site entirely, including the old garden, failing paving and a worn driveway all removed, and rebuilt it all from the ground up. New paving defines the footpaths, garden beds and a rear patio made for entertaining, while fresh planting, mulch, turf and irrigation brought the garden back to life. A new hot-mix driveway and front door path finishes the approach, so the property presents cleanly from the kerb in.

The result is a garden that does its job quietly: simple to maintain, sharp in its lines, and ready to help the home sell.