Practical projects and tips for the backyard DIY fanatic
Straw Bale House Don visited Jo and Kerry Armstrong in Beenleigh, Queensland, and chatted to them about the straw bale cottages they built as an extension of their permaculture philosophy. They say straw is often considered a waste product and many tonnes are burnt...
Suzi Q Garden Andrew Quixley’s award winning design for his sister Suzi’s garden is adventurous and fun, but also practical. Andrew had to contend with design constraints including restricted space, an ugly wall, views of next door’s Zincalume piping...
Tamarama Apartments Don visited Jake Dowse and his wife, Lu Ipkendanz, at their fabulous beachside apartment in the Sydney suburb of Tamarama. A freestanding terrace house originally stood on the steep site, which Jake, who is an architect, bought and redeveloped as a...
House Of Red Branches In Don’s opinion Australia is leading the world in exciting garden design, particularly for smaller gardens around ordinary domestic homes. He looked at an innovative city garden in Melbourne which makes the most of restricted space and...
Italianate Courtyard Con Bilionis loves Italy and everything Italian, so he asked landscape designer Paul Bangay to transform his featureless courtyard into a fabulous Romanesque entertaining area. When talking about design in a restricted space, Paul emphasised the...
Leaf Loo Paper – The French Alternative If you find yourself stranded in the loo without any toilet paper, don’t worry. Jackie French has a green alternative! Tree Mallow or Lavatera (Lavatera arborea) This famous dunny ‘leaf’ used to be known...
New Millennium House The owner of this fabulous, ultra modern beach house has combined vibrant colour, cutting edge design and the latest technology to create a home for the new millennium. Peta worked closely with designers and architects when planning her fantasy...
Nindooinbah On a clear day you can stand on the verandah at Nindooinbah and see about 110km (60 miles) over the water and across the valley. Nindooinbah is a local Aboriginal word meaning ‘the place of ashes’. In times gone by the Aborigines used to camp...
Modern Courtyard Landscape designer Ian Barker was given a simple brief by his clients for the courtyard of their modern townhouse: they wanted something easy and something different. Features of the design Corrugated galvanized roofing iron was used on the exterior...
Modern Mexican Villa Two years ago Colin Ashby and Ross Jenkins moved to Mission Beach, in far north Queensland. They purchased a unique 2 acre property, surrounded on all boundaries by rainforest. After major renovations the existing bland house has been transformed...