Verge lawn and front entrance to house through vertical timber batten screen fence with coastal planting
Aerial view of decomposed granite and recycled railway sleeper path leading from lawn to driveway through garden
Decomposed granite path through native garden toward fire pit area, past feature Queensland bottle tree
Aerial view of sandstone fire pit with recycled timber seating and decomposed granite and timber step path through native garden
Aerial view of house showing flow of landscape and gardens front front yard, internal courtyards and though to backyard

Coastal Escape

A drought-tolerant coastal escape
2019

LOCATION
AWABAKAL COUNTRY, CATHERINE HILL BAY

PHOTOGRAPHY
ATELIER PHOTOGRAPHY, SHUTTER PROJECT PHOTOGRAPHY

VIEW PROJECT GALLERY

Materials chosen for each of the property’s four functional spaces anchor the surrounding rugged landscape, with sandstone boulders, gold decomposed granite and recycled timber reminiscent of the historical Catherine Hill Bay wharf.

On arrival, sculptural recycled timber battens blend privacy with visibility to create a unique facade while adhering to estate frontage guidelines. A decomposed granite path leads you on a journey throughout the property, stopping at two central hidden courtyards, before finishing in the backyard at a statement sandstone fire pit, ready for swapping stories over the flames.

Throughout the four outdoor spaces are a mix of native coastal shrubs, grasses and groundcovers, set off by our favourite Queensland bottle tree and the silver-green foliage of 50 year old black olive trees. Each plant is equipped to tackle the coastal salt spray and winds, while the area’s poor quality clay soil was ameliorated and excavated to combat long-term drainage problems.

The result is understated yet powerful. Designated functional spaces to live and play, balanced with planted areas that maximise space. The show stopping sculptural screen and eclectic plant selection delivers a unique design that plays by the estate rules.

Plant palette
Queensland bottle tree (brachychiton rupestris)
Olive tree (olea europaea)
Kidney grass (dichondra repens)
Fraser island apple (acronychia imperforata)
Mat-rush (lomandra spp.)
Knobby club rush (ficinia nodosa)
Lilly pilly (acmena smithii minor)
Coast banksia (banksia sp.)
Australian tree fern (cyathea cooperi)
Native violet (viola banksii)

Material palette
Recycled timber batten screen
Sandstone block fire pit
Gold decomposed granite
Sandstone boulders

Awarded 2022 Best of Houzz for Service

Better than we could have imagined

From the get go Jay was responsive and open minded about what we wanted to achieve. Our access was a massive issue which would have scared away a lot of other places but MB didn’t miss a step. We ended up with a beautiful native garden with gorgeous tree selections – better than we could have imagined and completed ahead of schedule. Jay is imaginative, a perfectionist and he has a great team of hard workers. Highly recommended!

- Will W
Our front yard is now the talk of the Estate

Jay and his team are artists or magicians, or both. We gave him a blank canvas and a few rough ideas of what we thought we wanted, and a budget, and boy did he deliver. Our front yard is now the talk of the Estate. We are extremely happy, can’t help but stop and admire his handiwork every time we leave the house.

- Darryl W
MBS transformed our garden into something we’re really proud of

We were thoroughly impressed with Jay and the job that the Moss Boss boys did for us. They transformed our front garden into something we’re really proud of. The whole process from the earliest concept chats with Jay, to drawings and plant choice through to the end product, was professional and efficient. Jay was flexible and friendly in his approach to design and budget.

- Sanhaines
Capable, highly skilled, professional and polite

Moss Boss Studios redesigned and created our front and backyard. We love it, the scale of the project was daunting but Laney was so great with the design and the team were so capable, highly skilled, professional and polite. Highly recommend!

- Mitch P
The quality of design blew me away

The quality of design and thought that went into the final creation blew me away. Jay is an artist with landscaping. He can put together the most beautiful arrangement of Rocks, Timbers, native plants and he even did a Billabong and waterfall (also ambient night lighting) The plants range in size and type to include delicate flowering plants. I can highly recommend Moss Boss Studios for landscaping. It will greatly increase the value of your home.

- Anon
Jay and his team are what you need

I think its rare to find a team of people that care as much about your project as you do. Well if that’s what you are looking for then Jay and his team are what you need. They delivered exactly on the vision we had in our heads, spot on advice the whole way through and nothing was too much trouble. Thanks Jay and the Team you are legends!

- David C
Friendly, reliable, polite, helpful and above all, hardworking

Moss Boss Studios was highly recommended to me for their quality of work and I was not disappointed. The team were friendly, reliable, polite, helpful and hardworking. Jay spent time on the plant selection, sourcing and getting the soil conditions and drainage right. Many neighbours and people walking past are envious of our new garden. I would recommend him to anyone for landscaping work. Thanks again for a great job!

- Tanya B-W
A positive and cheerful team made the project go smoothly

Jay and his team were knowledgeable and professional in designing and executing our project. We were able to discuss personal preferences and are very happy with the outcome. Jay was able to suggest suitable plants for our difficult conditions where we are at times blasted by sea winds. A positive and cheerful team made the project go smoothly. We are very happy with the result.

- Sandra S
We highly recommend Jay and his amazing team

We highly recommend Jay and his amazing team if you want your landscaping done right! All throughout the process, they were very professional, friendly, accommodating and creative (without blowing the budget!). What was particularly exciting was the evolution of the project from the original conception to a really great outcome, as finetuning occurred all the way through to a brilliant result. Well done to you Jay and your team!

- Jackie and Kevin
A joy to work with

Jay and his team were a joy to work with – extremely professional, courteous, on time and always running every element of the (sometimes evolving) design by me. Also – their clean-up after every day was faultless! I have absolutely no hesitation in recommending these guys – there is nobody else around that has the passion, natural talent and skill set like Jay and his team at Moss Boss Studios.

- Donna M-B