What we stand
behind, in writing.

The short version.

Three separate things carry three separate warranties, and confusing them is the source of most disputes in this trade. Our labor is warranted by us. Manufactured products are warranted by whoever made them, for whatever period they set. Living material is warranted differently again, because it depends on care we do not control after handover.

Workmanship coverage.

Workmanship means the way it was built, as distinct from what it was built out of. Where a failure traces to how we installed something rather than to the product itself, to how it has been used, or to ground movement outside our control, it is ours to put right.

• Settlement of a pavement section beyond normal tolerance, where the base was ours to build.
• Paving that has become loose or has migrated because edge restraint failed.
• Retaining wall movement attributable to our construction rather than to an engineered design or a changed load above it.
• Drainage that does not carry water to the outlet as designed.
• Irrigation leaks at joints and fittings we made.
• Lighting connections that have failed at our splices.

Where the fix is ours, it is ours completely — including the cost of taking up and reinstating finished work to reach the problem. A warranty that covers the repair but not the access to it is not a warranty.

Manufacturer warranties.

Products carry their own warranties, frequently longer than any labor warranty, and they are yours rather than ours. At handover you receive the documentation, the model and series information for anything replaceable, and the registration details where a manufacturer requires registration to activate coverage.

Where a manufactured product fails inside its own warranty period, we handle the claim with the manufacturer on your behalf. Labor to remove and refit a warranted product is treated separately from the product itself — manufacturers generally replace the unit, not the cost of installing it, and your contract states how that labor is handled.

Plants & living material.

Plants are the one part of the build whose survival depends almost entirely on what happens after we leave. Any contractor offering a long unconditional plant warranty is pricing the replacements into the job, and you are paying for them whether or not you need them.

What we warrant

That material was healthy and correctly planted at handover, at the correct depth, in prepared soil, with irrigation delivering to it.

Conditional replacement

A defined establishment period on trees and shrubs, conditional on the irrigation running as programmed and the establishment schedule being followed.

Not covered

Drought stress from a controller that was switched off or reprogrammed, damage from pets or wildlife, storm damage, disease introduced after handover, or relocation by anyone other than us.

Annuals, sod and seed

Not warranted beyond condition at handover. Their outcome is entirely a function of watering in the first weeks.

What is not covered.

Read this section twice. It is the honest part of any warranty.

Hairline cracking in concrete

Concrete shrinks as it cures and it cracks. Control joints decide where; they do not prevent it. Hairline cracking is a characteristic of the material, not a defect, and no contractor who understands concrete will warrant against it. Cracking with vertical displacement, or wide enough to catch a fingernail and growing, is a different matter and we want to look at it.

Efflorescence

The white bloom that appears on new masonry and pavers as salts migrate to the surface. It is normal, it is temporary, and it weathers off.

Natural variation and weathering

Color variation in stone and pavers, grain and knots in timber, silvering of untreated wood, and the fading of any pigment in full sun.

Ground movement beyond the design

The expansive clay in this region moves seasonally. Designs account for normal movement. Earthquake, flood, landslip, or a neighbor's regrading changing where water goes are outside it.

Changes made by others

Work altered, extended, repaired or connected to by another contractor or by the owner. This includes cutting into a drainage system, adding zones to irrigation, and loading a wall or slab beyond its design.

Deferred maintenance

Joint sand not topped up, drains not cleared, sealer not renewed, controllers not adjusted seasonally. The handover pack tells you what needs doing and when.

Water we did not put there

A downspout redirected after handover, a pool backwash, a neighbor's irrigation, or a failed service line upstream of our work.

Cosmetic wear

Scratches, chips and stains from use. Barbecue grease, planter rust marks and tyre scuffing are not defects.

What we need you to do.

Coverage is conditional on the thing being looked after, and the requirements are short. All of it is written into the handover pack with dates.

• Follow the establishment watering schedule for the first two seasons. It is different from the long-term program and it is the single biggest factor in whether planting survives.
• Keep drains clear. Grates and channels collect leaves. Clearing them is a five-minute job and the alternative is a flooded patio.
• Top up joint sand on paving as it settles in the first year.
• Adjust the irrigation controller seasonally — or leave a weather-based controller connected and let it do it.
• Tell us early. A drainage problem reported in October is a service call. The same problem reported in March, after a winter of saturation, may be a rebuild.
• Keep the paperwork. Contract, handover pack, permit numbers, concrete tickets, manufacturer registrations.

Making a claim.

Transferring on sale.

Whether the workmanship warranty transfers to a buyer is stated in your contract. Where it does, the buyer gets the remaining period and the handover pack goes with the house — which is a genuine selling point, because a documented, permitted, warranted outdoor build with the paperwork intact is a materially easier disclosure than one without.

If you are selling and need the permit record, the specification or a copy of the handover pack reissued, ask. We keep project records and there is no charge for a copy.