Landscape design and outdoor living
Bring the architecture and garden together with considered landscape, pool, entertaining and outdoor living design.
A garden should feel like part of your home
Your outdoor spaces should do more than look good from the window. They should give you room to gather, play, relax, entertain and enjoy everyday life.
At Orterra Home, we design gardens and outdoor living spaces that feel like a natural extension of the home. Rather than treating the landscape as something to be added once everything else is finished, we consider how your indoor and outdoor spaces connect, how you want to use them and how the entire property can work as one cohesive place.
Landscape architecture is where Orterra began, and it remains one of our greatest strengths. Our Brisbane landscape designers bring together thoughtful planning, practical experience and a deep understanding of how people live outdoors in South East Queensland.
Whether you are creating a new garden, renovating an existing home, adding a pool or completely rethinking your backyard, we can help you turn the possibilities into a clear and achievable design.
Landscape design shaped around your life
Every household uses its outdoor spaces differently.
You might want a generous entertaining area where everyone can gather. You may need a safe garden where children can play and explore. Perhaps you want a quiet retreat, a productive garden or a pool area that feels connected to the rest of the home.
We begin by understanding what matters to you. That includes what is working now, what is frustrating you, how you imagine using the space and what you want the garden to give your family over time. From there, we develop a design that brings your needs, ideas, budget and property together.
Your landscape design may include
- Outdoor entertaining areas
- Pools and pool surrounds
- Outdoor kitchens and barbecue areas
- Patios, decks and garden rooms
- Planting design
- Privacy screening
- Shade structures and tree planting
- Lawns and open play areas
- Nature play and children’s spaces
- Productive gardens
- Retaining walls and level changes
- Paths, steps and property circulation
- Fencing and gates
- Driveways and front entries
- Drainage and water sensitive design
- Lighting concepts
- Complete front and backyard transformations
Making the most of difficult sites
Not every property begins with an easy, level backyard.
Many of the homes we work with have steep slopes, awkward boundaries, overlooking neighbours, poor drainage, limited access or spaces that have evolved without an overall plan. These constraints do not have to limit the outcome. Often, they are what make a thoughtful design particularly valuable.
By looking at the whole property, we can find opportunities that may not be obvious when you consider each issue separately.
We can help resolve
- Sloping sites and retaining requirements
- Poor connections between the house and garden
- Small or unusually shaped outdoor spaces
- Privacy and overlooking
- Drainage and overland flow
- Hot, exposed areas
- Existing pools that feel disconnected
- Gardens with no clear purpose or structure
- Conflicting levels, paths and access points
- Outdoor areas that are rarely used
A clear plan before construction begins
Landscaping can involve many different elements and trades. Pools, retaining walls, drainage, paving, structures, lighting, fencing and planting all need to work together.
Without an overall design, decisions are often made one at a time. This can lead to conflicting levels, missed opportunities, repeated work and unexpected costs.
A considered landscape design gives you a clear direction before construction begins. A good design does not remove every surprise, but it gives you a much stronger foundation for making decisions and managing your project.
Depending on the package you choose, your design can help you
- Understand what is possible
- Establish the layout and priorities
- Make informed decisions about materials and planting
- Communicate the design clearly to contractors
- Seek accurate and comparable construction pricing
- Plan the work in practical stages
- Reduce expensive changes during construction
5 Reasons to Choose Orterra
Landscape design is at the heart of what we do
Orterra began as a landscape architecture studio. We bring extensive design experience, technical understanding and a genuine love of outdoor spaces to every residential project.
We design for real life
We create spaces that respond to the way you actually live.
We consider the whole property
The strongest results come from understanding the relationships between the house, interiors, garden and surrounding environment. Our integrated approach allows us to see the complete picture.
We balance creativity with practicality
We want your garden to feel special, but it also needs to be buildable, maintainable, and appropriate for your budget.
We listen before we design
Your home is personal. Our role is not to impose a particular style, but to understand what matters to you and translate it into a thoughtful, cohesive design.
Frequently asked questions
What does a residential landscape designer do?
A residential landscape designer plans how the outdoor areas of your property will look, function and connect. This can include the layout of entertaining areas, pools, planting, lawns, paths, retaining walls, screening, shade and other landscape elements. At Orterra Home, we also consider how the garden relates to the architecture and interiors of your home.
When should I engage a landscape designer?
Ideally, you should engage a landscape designer before major decisions are made about the house, pool, retaining walls or outdoor structures. Early involvement gives us more opportunity to improve connections, resolve levels and coordinate the different parts of the property. We can also help if construction has started or you are renovating an established garden.
Can you design both our home renovation and garden?
Yes. Orterra Home can consider architecture, interior design and landscape design as one connected project. This creates a more cohesive result and allows important relationships between indoor and outdoor spaces to be resolved from the beginning.
Can you help with a small backyard?
Yes. Small gardens often benefit enormously from professional design because every part of the space needs to work hard. Careful planning can improve privacy, circulation, storage, planting and usability without making the garden feel crowded.
Can you incorporate a pool into the landscape design?
Yes. We can help position the pool and design its relationship with the house, entertaining areas, planting, fencing and the rest of the garden. Pool engineering, certification and construction are completed by appropriately qualified consultants and contractors.
Can the garden be built in stages?
Yes. We can develop a landscape plan that identifies priorities and allows the project to be completed over time. Planning the whole garden first helps ensure that early work does not restrict or conflict with future stages.
Do you only work in Brisbane?
Orterra Home is based in Brisbane and works with homeowners between Hervey Bay in the north, Kingscliff in the south and Toowoomba in the west, as well as across Brisbane, Logan, Redlands, Ipswich and surrounding areas of South East Queensland. Contact us to discuss your property and whether it is within our service area.