THORNLEIGH 2120
Artist’s impression of the proposed garden
A cosy native fire pit area and garden.
Jasper Green
An unused corner of a terraced backyard, turned into a fire pit and seating area the whole family helped build.
Status: patio built by the owners; native planting and seating under way, October 2026.
Project facts
- Location: Thornleigh, North Shore, backing onto bushland
- Garden: the back corner of an L-shaped lawn, on the middle of three terraced levels (garden bed above, pool below) – approximately 40 m²
- Services: concept and working plans
- Built by: The homeowners
- Year: 2026
The brief
The owners wanted somewhere to sit around a fire. The back of their lawn was barely used: an old fence, broken paving that had become a makeshift fire pit area, and a surface that was neither safe nor pleasant to sit on.
What shaped it
- The pool fence: the area runs beside the pool barrier, and pool safety rules limit what can be built or planted near it. This was the main constraint on the layout.
- Bushland and afternoon shade: the property backs onto bushland, and its trees shade the area in the afternoon.
- Budget and a DIY build: the owners were building it themselves, so every element had to be affordable and buildable without a trade crew.
Key decisions
1. Materials the family could build. The first concept used sandstone crazy paving for the patio and a sandstone-clad seat. Both were replaced: the patio with decomposed granite, and the seat with sandstone-filled gabions topped with timber. The change lowered the cost and the complexity, and meant the whole family could take part in building it. The trade-off is a softer, less formal finish than sandstone, which equally works with the selected native species.
2. Planting that belongs to the bushland edge. Natives suit a garden that backs onto bush and copes with afternoon shade. The existing Syzygium hedge was extended rather than replaced, screening the old fence and tying the new area into the rest of the garden. Within the ‘no climb zone’ of the pool fence, planting is kept to low groundcovers, with no seating or other fixtures that could be climbed and effectively reduce the height of the pool fence.
3. One space, two uses. The fire pit can be moved aside so a table and chairs fit on the patio, turning it into an outdoor dining area on spring and summer evenings. This means that the space could be used all year round.
Progress
The patio area is built and seating is next on the agenda. The owners are now sourcing and planting the natives, and this page will be updated as the planting establishes.
Unused area at rear of a Thornleigh backyard:
Concept Plan of the fire pit and seating area.
Artist’s impression of the proposed garden.
Construction work in progress:
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