Landscaping in Carrum Downs

We price by measurement rather than by the day, so the figure depends on what is being built. On average across Springvale blocks, a driveway replacement of around 40 square metres runs $4,000 to $6,500 in plain concrete, a 100 square metre turf replacement with full preparation is $2,200 to $3,800, and a full back garden rebuild falls between $15,000 and $35,000. Every job is unique, so these are averages rather than quotes. You get one written fixed figure before any work starts rather than an hourly rate that grows. Call 0423 422 866 to have the block measured.

Most of them are original to houses built in the 1950s and 1960s, so they are past fifty years old, and many were poured thin with little or no reinforcement by today's standard. Street tree roots are the second cause, lifting slabs from below along the older streets. The third is the clay subsoil, which swells and shrinks with the seasons and moves an unreinforced slab with it. A replacement laid on a properly compacted crushed rock base with mesh on chairs and control joints at 3 to 4 metre spacing does not repeat the problem.

For concrete inside your own boundary, generally not. For the crossover, which is the section between the kerb and your property line, the City of Greater Dandenong requires a vehicle crossover permit for any new or widened access, with specifications for width and profile that have to be met. We check what applies to your address and handle the application as part of the job. A crossover poured without approval can be ordered out at your own cost, so it is not worth skipping.

The existing lawn needs spraying out and removing rather than tilling in, because couch and kikuyu regrow through new turf from the smallest scrap of runner. After that, 50 to 100 millimetres of sandy loam underlay goes over the prepared base so the roots have something to strike into. Springvale's market garden topsoil is a genuine advantage here and often needs less imported material than newer estates further out. The area is then screeded flat with falls away from the house before a single roll goes down.

Yes, and it is one of the most common briefs we get in this suburb. Because the block is flat and the subsoil is clay, water has nowhere to go unless falls are built and drainage is installed. Typically that means regrading the lawn area, installing agricultural drain wrapped in geotextile through the low points, and setting any new paving or concrete to fall to a legal discharge point. It is not glamorous work and it is not the part people budget for, but it is what stops you rebuilding the same yard again in five years.

Both are in our service area, and they share the same sandy ground and drainage considerations as Carrum Downs. We also cover Hallam, Doveton, Berwick and the wider south-east from our Springvale base. If your street sits on the boundary between Carrum Downs and Skye, it makes no difference to us. Call 0423 422 866 and we will confirm coverage and book a measure.