Landscaping Oxenford
Tiled alfrescos that drain, pool surrounds and gardens for Oxenford's family homes, designed and built by one team.
Bella Terra Group is a landscaping company based in Nerang that designs and builds outdoor spaces in Oxenford. Our work here includes a covered alfresco laid in large pale tiles with slot drains, running out to a tiled pool surround behind frameless glass, with palms and hedges along the fence. Quotes are free and measured on site.
Oxenford sits between the Coomera River and the Pacific Motorway, with Movie World and Wet’n’Wild inside its boundaries. The river flats were dairy farms until the Oxenford Estate, the first of the big housing projects, began in the 1970s.
Today almost three in four homes are separate houses, and more than half have four bedrooms or more. Each project here is part of our landscape design work on the Gold Coast: planned with you on site and built by our own team, so you deal with one company from the first visit to the last plant. Our owner, Dion McGirr, manages each project personally.
The ground
What Changes on an Oxenford Block?
On an Oxenford estate lot, the alfresco and the pool often take up most of the backyard. That’s a lot of hard surface for a summer storm to land on, and none of it soaks in, so where that water goes shapes the whole design.
Every litre has to go somewhere lawful, never onto the neighbour’s lot. Near the pool, the barrier rules also decide where a planter, step or wall can sit.
So we settle the falls, the drains and the pool barrier first. The tiles, planting and lighting are then planned around them, which keeps the finished space dry and the pool fence compliant.
The work
Our Landscaping Services in Oxenford
Our own team carries out the work below under our QBCC builder’s licence, with the lighting wired by a licensed electrician. You don’t need to arrive with a plan. Tell us how the family uses the backyard now and how you’d like to, and we’ll work out the layout, the materials and the order of work with you.
Alfresco areas and pool surrounds
On many Oxenford homes the alfresco and the pool sit side by side, and together they make one large hard surface. We lay the tiles to fall away from the house, set drains where the water collects and plan the surround around the pool barrier, so a summer storm runs off rather than pooling at the back door.
Here's what our alfresco and pool work covers.
- Large-format tiles for alfrescos, laid to fall away from the house
- Slot and strip drains set into the tiles, carried to a lawful outlet
- Pool coping and surrounds that meet the alfresco at one level
- Surrounds and garden beds planned around the pool barrier rules
- Garden and path lighting, wired by a licensed electrician
Gardens for family homes
Most Oxenford homes are family houses, and about a quarter are townhouses. In a house garden, the backyard usually has to do several jobs at once: screen the neighbours, give the kids a lawn and leave room for the dog, without turning into weekend work.
Here's what our garden work in Oxenford covers.
- Palms, hedges and screening plants along the boundary fences
- Garden beds with edging, pebbles and mulch for low upkeep
- Low retaining walls and steps where the lot falls
- Paths and side access from the street to the backyard
- Natural turf, laid once the heavy work is complete
Every Oxenford project starts with a visit to the property. Where the water drains, the pool barrier and the side access can change a design completely, and they’re only clear on site.
During the visit we walk the backyard with you, measure it and look at the levels, the drainage and the access. We talk through the layout, the tiles and planting, how much upkeep each needs and what it costs, so you can choose what suits your budget.
The process
Our Process
Every Oxenford project starts with how the family wants to use the backyard. From there, it runs in three stages.
- Consultation and site assessment. We walk the backyard with you and check the levels, drainage outlets, access, the pool barrier and any trees.
- An itemised quote. Each part of the project is priced separately, so you can see what every element costs and stage the work if you prefer.
- The work itself. Our team builds it, Dion oversees each stage, and he hands the finished space back to you.
What Do We Check on an Oxenford Lot?
We check five things before an Oxenford design is settled: where the water goes, the pool barrier, koala fencing, the flood level near the river, and trees or body corporate rules. Each can change what is built and where, so they come before the quote.
- Where the water goes. Council requires runoff to reach a lawful discharge point without harming the neighbours, so we find the outlet before the falls are set.
- The pool barrier. A pool fence must be at least 1200mm high with a 900mm non-climbable zone, so walls, planters and steps near it are placed to keep the barrier compliant.
- Koalas and the dog yard. Council asks for koala-friendly fencing where a dog can reach in a designated koala area, and checks each address on its map. We check yours before fencing or screening is planned.
- The flood level near the river. On lots near the Coomera River we order council's flood level search and design the surface drainage for storms, which the search doesn't cover.
- Trees and body corporate rules. A tree with a trunk over 40cm around may need council approval to remove. In a townhouse complex, the body corporate decides instead.
Recent work
Alfresco and Pool Work
The first view is our Oxenford alfresco. The other three are similar alfresco and pool jobs we’ve built elsewhere, shown full size so you can see the finish.
Oxenford: the covered alfresco in large pale tiles, a slot drain running out toward the pool.
Another job: natural stone crazy paving around a plunge pool, with monstera in a rendered planter.
Another job: a travertine pool surround, with palms in black-edged pebble beds along the fence.
Another job: a pale paved pool surround meeting a stacked-stone water wall and a hedged boundary.
Why Bella Terra Group
Choosing Bella Terra Group in Oxenford
Our owner, Dion McGirr, has been in the trade for over 14 years, and our Oxenford work runs from a tiled alfresco with slot drains to the pool surround and the planting beside it. You can see more of it in our project gallery.
Each project is designed and built by the same company, under QBCC licence 15452813, with Dion managing the work on site. Natasha P, who hired us through hipages from Oxenford, wrote: “Communication was fantastic, and my backyard looks amazing - I honestly couldn’t be happier.”
Quotes are free, measured on site and itemised, with no obligation to go ahead.
Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does landscaping cost in Oxenford?
The cost depends on the size of the area, the materials and the site itself. In Oxenford the biggest variables are how much tiling the alfresco and pool surround need, the drainage to carry that water away, any work near the pool barrier and how easily materials reach the backyard. We visit, measure and provide an itemised quote at no charge.
Do koalas affect landscaping in Oxenford?
They can, around the pool and the dog yard. The City of Gold Coast warns that koalas can drown in backyard pools, and suggests a rope out of the water or a pool fence of glass, Perspex or steel that a koala can't climb. In a designated koala area, the part of the yard a dog can reach needs koala-friendly fencing, and council's map shows whether that applies to your address.
Source: City of Gold Coast.
How should a tiled alfresco drain?
Away from the house, to drains that carry the water somewhere lawful. A tiled area is laid with a slight fall toward a slot or strip drain. The National Construction Code's waterproofing rules for terraces exempt a concrete slab that steps down at least 50mm below the floor inside, so the step-down at the door matters too.
Does flooding affect landscaping near the Coomera River?
It can. The Coomera River runs along Oxenford's western and northern edges, and the City of Gold Coast's flood level search gives the level for your lot. That search covers river flooding only, not flash flooding from storms, so we design the surface drainage for heavy rain as well as checking the river level.
Oxenford and the Suburbs Around It
We’re based in Nerang and work right across Oxenford: the streets either side of Tamborine-Oxenford Road, Studio Village in the south, and the blocks back toward the Coomera River.
If you’re looking for landscapers in Oxenford, we also work in the suburbs around it, including Upper Coomera, Maudsland, Pacific Pines.
Further afield? Get in touch. We cover most of the Gold Coast, and you’ll get a straight answer either way.
Written by Dion McGirr, who runs Bella Terra Group and has been in the trade for over 14 years. You can talk to Dion directly about your project.
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Share a few details about your Oxenford backyard and Dion will be in touch to arrange an on-site consultation. The quote is free, itemised and carries no obligation. Fields marked with an asterisk are required.
Let’s plan your Oxenford backyard
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Get a free quoteEvery quote is free, prepared on site and carries no obligation. Or call 0423 188 691.