When looking at landscaping your backyard, most Adelaide residents have an area they can sit outside to relax and look out over their garden. Taller trees and plants are often used as a backdrop to smaller hedges and colourful flowers in the foreground. In between the two can be a great space for incorporating a focal point or feature to the garden. Statues and bird baths were common place decades ago, but these days adding a custom piece that forms part of the garden is in vogue.
A feature earns its keep more from where it's placed than what it's made from. Positioned at the end of a sightline (down a path, framed by planting either side, or viewed straight on from the main window or entertaining area), it draws the eye every time you're in the garden. Tucked into a corner with no clear line of sight to it, even an expensive piece gets ignored. It's one of the first things worth working out before choosing what the feature actually is.
Custom made garden features Adelaide home owners now incorporate as part of their landscape design include water features, fire pits surrounded by seats, even a pizza oven can be custom built to make a statement and talking point. Instead of adding something that's just visually appealing, why not consider adding elements that delight your other senses. Fountains or cascading water flowing over rocks gently splashing creates a relaxing sound in addition to their aesthetic appeal. Adding garden lighting can extend the period of enjoyment, especially during warm Summer nights.
Using pavers and pebbles, paths can be laid drawing your attention to a custom made structure. Garden features don't need to be boring, nor expensive and can incorporate water to provide relaxing sound and movement. Add garden lights to showcase your centre piece at night!
A water feature's pump size has to match its scale, not just its look. Undersized and the water barely moves; oversized and you're paying to run a pump doing more work, and making more noise, than the feature actually needs. Most garden water features recirculate from a hidden sump rather than running off mains water continuously, and need a liner (EPDM rubber is the standard, more durable than PVC) unless the feature is built directly onto rock or concrete that's already watertight.
Anyone hungry? Imagine family or friends gathering around your custom made pizza oven, an outdoor feature that keeps on giving. Add some plants for colour, hardwood screens and you've created one of the most practical yet visually pleasing features to your garden.
A fire pit needs to sit on non-combustible material with clear space around it before it's anything else: that's the difference between something safe to use most of the year and something that becomes a fire-ban-season ornament. A proper wood-fired pizza oven takes it further: it's built as a fire-brick or refractory-cement dome over an insulated base (vermiculite or perlite concrete, not a standard slab), which is what lets the dome actually hold the high heat a real pizza needs instead of charring the base while the top stays cold.
For a more formal, designer look to your front, consider pavers laid to form an interesting path. Add a bright coloured pot containing perhaps vegetables or herbs you can smell and eat as an additional element the kids will love to be involved with. With low maintenance plants and black mulch that matches the pavers, you have a modern design, but by changing the colours and plants it could easily be a country classic.
Garden Features FAQ
What counts as a garden feature?
Any custom-built focal point in your landscaping rather than planting alone: fire pits, wood-fired pizza ovens, water features, sculptures and feature lighting are the most common in Adelaide gardens.
How much does a custom pizza oven or fire pit cost in Adelaide?
It depends on size, materials and how much site work is involved, so it's quoted individually rather than off a fixed price list. As a guide, a large rendered firepit seating area like the one built in Aberfoyle Park runs to around $40,000, while a smaller build like the curved seat wall in Port Noarlunga is around $12,800 (both figures incl. GST). A free on-site quote is the fastest way to get a real number.
Do I need council approval for a fire pit or pizza oven in South Australia?
It depends on your council and the size/type of structure. A properly built permanent fire pit is generally fine to use outside Total Fire Ban days with adequate clearance from anything flammable, but rules and permit requirements do vary by council. We factor compliance into the design so this isn't something you need to chase up yourself.
Do water features need much maintenance?
Some, mainly topping up water lost to evaporation, an occasional clean to keep algae down, and basic pump/filter upkeep. Nothing like the ongoing work a garden bed needs.
Can garden features add value to my home?
A well-built, well-maintained feature adds genuine street appeal and usability. A functional outdoor entertaining area (a pizza oven or fire pit with seating) tends to add more real value than a purely decorative piece.
If you know what your budget is and have something in mind, ask us to quote on it.
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