TALLBERGSTRÖM DESIGN

The Slope

Family home

Garden Design & Construction


— The Slope

Garden Design & Construction,

Family Home, Australia


— ROLE

Designer

Constructor


— DATE

December 2019 – January 2020

Garden design and foundational construction work on a garden in Melbourne, Australia. The property was narrow and long with a steep incline, with access only by a narrow wooden staircase. My role was to design the garden with a path down to the river, terassed gardens, rainwater management system, platform for yurt dwelling or as open sitting space, outdoor kitchen, compost toilet, and amphitheater. The garden was heavily overgrown and affected by erosion. The access

made it challenging to bring in construction materials. Iled four different teams of volunteers on the project site over three weeks, after completing the design phase. The foundational focus was on building retaining rock walls and wooden sleeper walls, placing water drainage pipes, building stairs and hang out spaces, preparing places for plants, and organising the work site for future development to be taken on by the owners and a local landscaper.


Simple sections of the slopy

garden, showing different

levels and places allocated on

the terassed property, from

the house to the river.


Simple sections of the slopy

garden, showing different

levels and places allocated on

the terassed property, from

the house to the river.



Project description and performance review by property owners Annette & Ariel: We purchased a new house with a 400 square meter garden. The garden was a steep downhill slope to a river. It was wild and untresspassable, with no path and many trees, rocks and weeds. 

We met Peter Tallbergström and asked him to make a design for us, including terracing the slope, managing erosion and water run-off and designing for placement of retaining walls. The concept design included provision for an amphitheatre, chicken coop, yurt, canoe and water craft storage and outdoor kitchen. Peter created and modified early designs and then, over a 5 week period commenced the building works. In this time he put in 5 retaining walls, pathways and a large bluestone sitting area, as well as tidying up a basalt rock wall so to make it safer and in order to create a wider path beneath it. We were really happy with Peter’s work and recommend him to others. He is knowledgeable, kind, and strong on the tools as well as in design.


Strengths:

* Wide skill set; design, storm water and irrigation, landscaping and labouring

* Kind and good listener

* Reliable and honest

* Accurate with estimating time and cost

* Understands how to work in harmony with the landscape; an ecological orientation