Cobo Outlook
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Job Name:
Cobo Outlook -
Collaborator:
Auburn Gardens -
Date:
August 2024
This garden was a collaboration between Terra Nova and Auburn Gardens. With special thanks to Mike for so much heavy-lifting, Marcus and Jamie for rocking up and getting on with whatever needed doing at the time, Si at Titoki Landscapes and Sam at Sawn and Made for the extra help when it was needed, and the poor delivery guys at Norman Piette who had to do so many difficult lifts!
Sometimes, at the start of a project when a blank canvas sits in front of you, it’s relatively easy to envision what the space will look like upon completion. Not so in this garden. This elongated, elevated strip of land in the hills above Cobo Bay was rather uninspiring when we turned up on Day 1. Apart from the tufty turf, two concrete pads dominated the space – one with a large summerhouse and the other with a jacuzzi. Also in the centre of the space stood an existing timber pergola. With levels and square all over the place, it was up to us to turn this stretch into a gorgeous garden.
The plan was simple: Connect the summerhouse, pergola and jacuzzi with a long, broad, Millboard boardwalk. Add a sunken fire pit patio and a patio around the jacuzzi. Create spaces for entertaining and relaxing with two extensive Millboard decks. Add plants, and hey-presto!
Scroll down for finished project!
Of course, life is never as simple as you hope it might be. Poor soil, riddled with old builders waste made digging a challenge – even with machinery. And a few last minute additions to the garden design by the client meant we had over 70 oak sleepers to arrange and erect into a retaining wall stretching the length of the space, and formed into a planting bed. Sleepers were ripped in half at the local timber mill to produce chunky posts used in an undulating, hit-and-miss pattern – both to offer the garden privacy, and to add an impactful and unique architectural element to the space.
Two patios were installed – one as a sunken fire-pit area, and the other wrapping around the jacuzzi.
Once the decking frame was erected using recycled plastic Plas-Pro posts and joists, the Brushed Basalt Millboard could make an appearance. What a sight for sore eyes! The project finally looked like it was coming together. So after a giant clean-up, the garden had been totally transformed! What was once a bare, soulless strip of land, was now a spectacular place to invite friends and family to enjoy a glass of wine, whilst looking out over the equally-spectacular views of Cobo and The Guet.
