Garden Makeover: Pool Party

A Creative Update Has Turned a Bland and Boring Backyard Into a Resort-like Oasis
 

- Tamara Simoneau

SERIAL RENOVATORS

Tim and Robyn are blessed with the enviable gift of being able to imagine what could be, and then turn it into reality. Nothing is more exciting for this clever couple than a blank canvas, and that’s exactly what they had when they bought a home on an estate in a Queensland town. The backyard, not much more than a pool and an expanse of tired-looking lawn overlooked by a road and neighbouring properties, was in desperate need of a revamp. “There was no garden, just a row of pencil pines along the back, tiny murrayas down the pool side and a row of agapanthus out the front,” recalls Robyn. Five years later, Tim, a builder and expert handyman, and Robyn, a green thumb with an eye for landscape design, have pulled off an amazing transformation.

Triple Threat

Tim and Robyn (pictured) bought three Bunnings mirrors for just $40 each, and Tim hung them on the outdoor wall by the poolside table. They create an interesting window effect, reflecting the serene green surrounds.

THE DETAILS

Location: Toowoomba, Queensland.

Who lives here? Tim and Robyn, owners of a boutique building company specialising in the renovation of period homes.

Why the reno? “There was no fencing, privacy or birds,” says Robyn of the backyard, pre-makeover. “Neighbours called it the fishbowl house when we moved in. There was no hiding anything!”