New home landscaping in Mickleham
Front and back yard landscaping for new Mickleham homes: estate rules, order of works, Melbourne price ranges and what to ask before you sign.
A new home in Mickleham usually hands over with bare clay, a crossover and not much else, so the first landscape is a full job: levels, drainage, a lawn, paths, garden beds and often a low retaining wall. Published Melbourne figures put a full landscape for a new home from bare ground at $13,500 to $54,000, and a smaller backyard-only makeover at $4,500 to $13,500. Mickleham Landscaping is a referral website; the quote and the work come from an independent local landscaper, not from this site.
What does a new home landscape usually include?
Most first landscapes in the newer Mickleham streets cover the same set of items. The order matters more than the list.
- Site clean-up: builder’s rubble, offcuts and compacted fill removed.
- Set-out of levels and falls so water runs away from the slab and towards the stormwater pits.
- Any retaining walls along boundaries or where the lot steps down.
- Hard surfaces: side paths, a back patio, the clothesline pad and bin area.
- Soil preparation, then lawn and garden beds.
- Irrigation, mulch and plants last.
Hard work goes in before soft work. Turf laid before the paving contractor has finished gets driven over and dug up, and a garden bed built before the side path is poured often ends up at the wrong height.
Estate design guidelines come first
New Mickleham estates commonly come with developer design guidelines that bind the front yard, and at Merrifield the front landscaping is tied to a special condition in the contract of sale. Read yours before asking for quotes, because they can rule out materials a landscaper would otherwise suggest.
The Merrifield Design Guidelines published by the developer are a good example of how specific these get:
| Merrifield front garden control | What it means for your quote |
|---|---|
| Front garden finished within 90 days of the Certificate of Occupancy if you do it yourself | Book a landscaper well before handover |
| At least 50 per cent of the front garden permeable (gravel, bark, sand and similar) | A fully paved front yard will not pass |
| Synthetic turf not permitted | Front lawn must be real grass or another permeable treatment |
| Visible retaining walls and pillars under 1.0 m | Taller level changes need stepping or a different design |
| A planting strip beside the driveway (500 mm, or 300 mm where the garage is on the boundary) | Leave room for plants, not concrete, along the side boundary |
| Plant selection must include drought tolerant species, with a preferred list in the appendix | Ask for species the guidelines name |
Merrifield also runs its own front landscaping service for eligible lots, so check whether your contract already includes front works before paying anyone else to do them. Other estates have their own rules and approval forms; ask the developer for the current version, as estates revise them.
Comparing the main options for a first landscape
| Approach | Suits | Watch for |
|---|---|---|
| Full front and back in one contract | Owners who want it finished once | Larger contract, so check the registration rules below |
| Front yard only, to meet estate deadline | Owners on a tight budget after settlement | Back yard stays bare clay and gets muddy |
| Back yard hard surfaces first, soft later | Families who need a usable yard fast | Plan levels for the later lawn now |
| Design plan first, build in stages | Larger or sloping lots | Staged contracts can count as one contract (see below) |
A professional garden design plan in Melbourne is listed at $720 to $4,500 per plan. On a standard estate lot many owners skip it and work from the landscaper’s own sketch, which is fine as long as levels and drainage are written down.
What a landscaper will check before quoting
- Site and floor levels, and where the stormwater pits and downpipes are.
- Access: side gate width, whether a small excavator or bobcat can get into the back yard, and whether the neighbours have built yet.
- Soil: estate lots are usually cut, filled and compacted during the civil works, which leaves heavy clay with little topsoil. Expect the quote to allow for imported soil in garden beds and lawn areas.
- Services: water meter, gas meter, NBN pit and any underground cables. A careful landscaper lodges a Before You Dig Australia enquiry before digging.
- Estate guideline approvals, if the developer has to sign off the front design.
Rules that apply to landscaping a new home
On its landscaping page, the Building and Plumbing Commission says a first landscape done as part of building the house is domestic building work, and that retaining structures and fencing generally are as well. Above the contract price threshold on that page you need an appropriately registered building practitioner, and above a higher figure the provider must supply domestic building insurance. A contract that covers only planting, lawns, garden beds and paving is generally not domestic building work.
The Commission also warns that a yard broken up into several contracts can be counted as one contract under the Domestic Building Contracts Act 1995. Splitting the front, back and walls into separate jobs to stay under a threshold does not avoid the rules.
Retaining walls 1 m or higher, or near a boundary where they could damage the neighbouring property, need a building permit. More on that in the retaining walls guide.
What a careful provider will not skip
- Falls away from the house. Paving or garden beds built up against the slab edge can let water reach the house.
- Keeping weep holes and the slab edge clear of soil and mulch.
- Drainage behind any retaining wall.
- A written scope that names the soil, turf variety, paving product and plant list.
- Leaving the nature strip alone unless council has approved the work. Hume City Council requires its consent for nature strip landscaping and does not allow synthetic turf, irrigation or retaining walls there.
Related guides
- Instant turf and synthetic grass for the lawn decision.
- Paving and exposed aggregate paths for side paths and patios.
- Garden beds and planting for the planting plan and irrigation.
- The Mickleham landscaping cost guide for how the prices add up.
- Local notes for Mickleham and nearby Kalkallo.
What to do next
Gather your site plan, the estate design guidelines and the date your builder expects to hand over. Then describe your new home landscape on the quote form, including the lot size and which parts (front, back, side paths) you want priced.
Frequently asked questions
- When should I book landscaping for a new home in Mickleham?
Start getting quotes a couple of months before your builder hands over, especially if your estate sets a deadline for the front garden. Landscapers need the final site levels, so a firm start date usually comes after the driveway and paths are in.
- Can I put synthetic grass in my front yard in an estate?
It depends on the estate. The Merrifield Design Guidelines do not permit synthetic turf in front gardens, while other estates may allow it. Check the current guidelines from your developer before you order anything.
- Do I need the builder to finish before the landscaper starts?
Yes for most of it. The driveway, porch, garage door and earthworks should be complete, and site rubbish cleared, before soft landscaping goes in. Otherwise trades walk over new turf and garden beds.
- Is a new home landscape domestic building work?
The Building and Plumbing Commission says landscaping done in association with building a home is generally domestic building work. That affects whether you need a registered building practitioner and building insurance, depending on the contract price. A contract limited to planting and paving is treated differently.
- What should a new home landscaping quote list?
Each area separately (front, back, sides), the levels and drainage work, soil type and volume, turf variety, paving product, retaining wall material and height, the plant list with pot sizes, irrigation, and what happens to excavated spoil.