I’d just like to introduce myself and give you my back story so I’m not a complete stranger…

Since 2014 I’ve been living in the South Island of New Zealand - a beautiful little spot called Queenstown. Originally from the UK – I started hard landscaping at the age of 17 – many years ago now it seems like. Everything from driveways, to patios, to fencing, to turfing. This is where I developed a great skill set, a great understanding and also a great passion for hard work. But more importantly, hard work done properly. And I definitely owe a lot to my first boss, who I was lucky enough to have as a teacher. I spent 6 years doing this and then went back to college to study 3D design in which I received a Foundation Degree.

On arriving in New Zealand, I took a slight change from hard landscaping and went down the route of maintenance , gardening and soft landscaping . I spent the first 5years learning a lot about native plants and the way a garden works throughout the seasons. I was lucky enough to spend most of that time taking care of the stunning gardens at a place called Walter Peak. I appreciated the knowledge that I’d acquired when it came time to leave but I knew it was time for me to get back to my roots.

In June 2020 I started up my own landscaping company, Masterplan Landscapes and Gardening – which very quickly became primarily a paving company (amongst many other aspects). Last year we received entry in to the New Zealand Master Landscapers program. I was very honoured at this achievement. Unfortunately, 17years of relentless labour does come at a slight cost – which in this case was my back! This is when it dawned on me to maybe bring some ideas I’ve had over the years to life and reignite the passion for design once again!

Having dealt with so many clients over the years, I seem to always hit the same questions and problems; ‘What will it look like like?’ ‘I can’t visualise it’ ‘How much would it cost to draw something up or bring in a designer?’ I always sympathised because landscaping can be extremely expensive without forking out extreme amounts for a design. So this is where my idea came from. How could I get designs to anyone, anywhere that maybe wanted some ideas and some inspiration for their garden...

So, I’ve come up with a variety of designs consisting of decks, paving, pergolas, planting, pebbles, lawns (you get the picture). I’ve used materials &  sizes of products that actually exist. I guide you through materials that you should use – and more importantly, that you shouldn’t. I’ve constructed these designs with 2 main purposes. To add value to your property, or alternatively.. just to give you a bloody brilliant garden that you’ll want to be in all summer .. and maybe winter depending where you are. In each design

I’ve included images of measurements, a list of materials we recommend you use, tips that I think you’ll find helpful along the way, 3d designs of our garden models, a (very close to) real life model… and a price estimation breakdown for each individual design. The logic behind this package is that you can browse over the designs in front of you and maybe take your favourite parts from separate designs and merge them together. Having a price indicator for areas sizes will help tremendously with this.

These ideas, should you choose to commence with any, can then be handed over to a professional or even undertaken by yourself. Alternatively, these would be great for anyone who owns a landscaping company that maybe want to give a client some visuals.

We would always recommend using a professional – especially for the hard landscaping (paving & decking) just to ensure everything is done to the highest standard. These are garden design concepts and ideas and not necessarily a DIY manual.