Practical projects and tips for the backyard DIY fanatic
Garthowen – Castle Hill Garden Many young home buyers start off with project homes surrounded by newly landscaped gardens, so Karlene and Peter Dimbrowsky couldn’t believe their luck when they were able to purchase a classic Victorian house complete with...
Glenorie Garden Rolf and Elisabeth’s garden is filled with fun and romance. They lovingly created it over the past twenty-one years, with Rolf clearing the bush, shifting rocks by hand and doing all the planting. Many of the garden features are made by hand,...
Graham’s Place Peter and Claire Graham describe themselves as water people. They love to swim, walk barefoot on the beach and paddle at the water’s edge, and keep an eye on the ever changing moods of the ocean. Every day is like a holiday to Peter and...
Trompe l’oeil is a French phrase meaning “to fool the eye”, and it’s the name of an art-form which is all about illusion, subterfuge and fun. The technique involves using the laws of perspective to create an impression of depth on flat walls,...
Landscape designer Andrew O’Sullivan convinced the owner of an ugly, red brick apartment block that with the right landscaping and renovations the building would increase in value. In return for Andrew’s input the owner sold him the rooftop at its...
You may remember last year on Burke’s Backyard we did a tremendously popular courtyard makeover using blue metal dust. Recently we’ve been back to check on the progress of the plants and add a very special finishing touch to the job. Update For the...
Landscape Designer Colin Brown is currently creating a garden around a Californian Bungalow style house. Colin’s approach is to ‘keep it simple’, and to try to incorporate elements of the architecture into the design. The solid vertical lines of the...
Colour in House Don visited Cairns to look at a stunning house and garden featuring a mixture of styles and themes. The owners, Rance and Julie Stafford, drew much of their inspiration from the work of Versace. Rance began collecting Mexican homewares, which led to an...
Cut and Fill Don visited a classic Australian housing estate to look at some very serious drainage problems caused by the cut and fill method of construction, which is commonly used these days to build houses on sloping land. What is cut and fill? Cut and fill is when...
Cutting Edge Bathroom Don looked at the very latest in bathroom furniture and accessories at the Taps Design showroom in Darlinghurst, Sydney. He found that modern bathrooms are just as functional as the bathrooms of yesteryear, but they look better and they’re...