| 73 T T Sue Russell Award-winning end-to-end service Christchurch based Goom Landscapes offers a complete design, manage and construction service to clients. Goom Landscapes LANDSCAPING With a history that stems back to the days when his father, Chris, established Canterbury Landscapes, when Tim was just a year old, Goom Landscapes has evolved into a significant landscaping Design & Build business, employing qualified landscape designers and construction teams. Tim says having this history is something he is very proud of, taking over from his father owning the business in 2007/2008. “I was 25 when I first got involved in the business in 2004, having spent time overseas and gaining experience in landscape construction. I convinced Dad it was a good idea to expand beyond just doing design, to offering clients a complete end to end service,” Tim explains. Eventually Goom Landscapes evolved into a complete design, manage and construct landscaping company Using the latest design software technologies means that Goom Landscapes can create intricate, highly detailed 3D imagery to give clients a real feel for what a space can become. “Part of our ethos is that every design line on the paper has to be affordable and last the test of time. It has to work in a practical construction sense and it has to give our clients lasting enjoyment, fitting in with their lifestyle,” Tim says. He stresses that the popular perception of landscaping being mainly to do with all things growing and green couldn’t be further from the truth. “Landscaping for us can be anything; we’re fundamentally residential so our work is creating anything out of the house, it’s that broad.” Asked how he goes about the early discussions to get a sense of what a client wants from a space, Tim says it begins by eliciting information about how they live and what they want to do in the space. “Do they have a trampoline, do they like entertaining, just basic questions to get a good feel for their aspirations for the space we will create. We think about how the sunshine moves around the house during the day, where the wind generally comes from and how connected they want to be to the house.” This year, Goom Landscapes, performed admirably at the Registered Master Landscapes Awards, taking out the Premier Best Design Award for a Merivale, Christchurch project called ‘The Vibe’. Judges had much to say about the skilful use of white lines to create shelter without impacting the natural light. “Part of our ethos is that every design line on the paper has to be affordable and last the test of time.” ‘The crowning jewel is the bespoke louvre-style roof using glass and slats, to provide control over the amount of sunlight and shade. A cosy gas fire instantly transforms the outdoor area into a welcoming sanctuary during chilly evenings, for either relaxed solitude or socialising”, Judges said. Goom Landscapes also won the Judges Special Recognition Award for a Heritage project with ‘Mid-Century Cool’, in Fendalton, which they said thoroughly showed a clear appreciation and understanding of the Mid-Centry aesthetic. ‘Renovation of a circular staircase leading down from an upper deck and a new ground-level deck, sit perfectly in harmony with the architecture of the house’. It’s common for Goom Landscapes to have three or four projects on the go at any one time. “Right now we’re at a nice level. The market has contracted somewhat of late. We like to think we can do most things in-house except we don’t install pools and we don’t do electrical work but we have a very tight-knit sub-trade team. Ongoing maintenance is also a service they provide, particularly as soft landscape grows and forms. Tim says he’s been fortunate to have learnt on the tools and had some very good mentors in his formative years in the industry. “We have a very good team on board and its great to be involved in such creative work that brings so much happiness to our clients.”
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