Landscape construction. Mortdale based, Sydney wide.
Landscape Construction Sydney — site preparation, retaining walls, turf and planting
Site clearing, levelling, retaining walls, turf and planting, usually straight after the tree work and with the same crew. Fixed-price quotes for homeowners and builders. We build outdoor spaces; we do not mow them.
★ 5.0 from 66 Google reviewsAQF Level 5 arboristsISO 9001 certified$20M public liability
We build the outside of the house. We don’t mow it.
True Roots is an arborist-led landscape construction crew based in Mortdale. We clear and level sites, build retaining walls, lay turf, plant advanced trees and install root barriers — usually straight after the tree work, on the same job, with the same machinery. St George, the Sutherland Shire, Bayside, the Inner West and the North Shore.
Most of our landscape work starts with a tree. A gum comes out and leaves a crater and a bare slope; a hedge is removed for a build and the boundary needs screening again; a block is cleared for a duplex and has to be levelled, retained and turfed before handover; a council consent says a 75-litre tree must be in the ground before the occupation certificate. Because we run our own loader, chipper, stump grinder and tip trucks, we do the clearing, the earthworks and the finish in one run instead of three contractors and three invoices. The crew carries NSW landscape contractor licences and the arborists carry AQF Level 5, so the same company is accountable for the trees, the earthworks and the wall.
What we are not: an upkeep service. We build the site once, properly — drainage, levels, retaining, soil, turf, trees — hand it over finished and move to the next job. If yours is a small tidy-up rather than a build, we will tell you straight and point you to someone good.
Six things we do well, and quote as one fixed price.
Site clearing & excavation
Trees, stumps and root plates out, grubbing, cut and fill, levelling and spoil removal. The block handed to the builder clean or ready for the new lawn. Site preparation & retaining walls →
Retaining walls & drainage
Timber sleeper, block and sandstone retaining walls with ag drainage and geofabric behind them, built to the levels on the plan. Walls over 600 mm are engineered and certified. Retaining walls →
Turf & lawn construction
Old lawn stripped, sub-base graded, underlay spread and levelled, turf laid and rolled. A lawn that drains and holds, not a green rug on clay.
Advanced tree planting & screening
75–400 litre trees selected by an AQF Level 5 arborist for the soil, the aspect and the council’s conditions, planted to AS 2303 stock standards with compliance photos for the certifier. Tree planting →
Paving, driveways & paths
Concrete driveway extensions, paver lifting and relaying on new bedding, garden edging, steps and paths. Done after the trees and roots are dealt with, so it stays flat.
Root barriers & tree protection
Root barrier installation to protect slabs, paving, pools and pipes with the tree kept where possible; AS 4970 tree protection on building sites. Root barriers →
Real sites, our own photos.
No stock images. Suburb and scope shown; clients and addresses kept private.
Crew-days plus materials, quoted fixed.
Landscape construction is priced on how many crew-days it takes and what goes into the ground. A two-person crew with machinery is $4,000 a day ex GST; a larger crew with the loader, chipper and trucks runs $5,500–$9,000 a day depending on size. Retaining timber, turf, soil, plants and drainage are itemised on top so you can see exactly what you are paying for. After a site visit you get one fixed price, with any optional extras as their own lines.
Recent quotes and jobs, ex GST, to give you a feel: concrete driveway modification and extension $15,400; lifting, cleaning and relaying an existing paved area on new bedding $5,500; supply and planting of a 75 L advanced Blueberry Ash $3,350; site clean-up, selective clearing and levelling of a whole property $17,900; clearing around 50 trees at 3–10 m on one block $24,200. See the cost guide for the tree side.
Planned, built and handed back clean.
1. Site visit & fixed quote
We walk the site with you or the builder, check access, levels, drainage and any council tree controls, and quote the whole job as one fixed price.
2. Trees, clearing & earthworks
Tree removal or pruning, stumps and root plates out, clearing, excavation and levelling with our own machinery and a hired excavator where the cut needs it. Council permits handled where a tree is protected.
3. Structure, soil & turf
Retaining, drainage, edging, soil and underlay, then turf, planting and mulch — in the right order so nothing gets wrecked by the next step.
4. Clean handover
Green waste and spoil removed, paths and driveway swept, watering instructions for new turf and trees, compliance photos or certificates where a consent condition needs them.
Homeowners after tree work, and builders who need the site finished.
Homeowners
The tree is gone and the yard is a mess. We put it back: level, retain, turf, plant. One crew, one quote, one clean-up. Get a quote.
Builders & developers
Site clearing before the build, tree protection to AS 4970 during it, the external works at the end and the replacement planting the consent asks for. Project Arborist and landscape crew from the same company. See commercial tree services.
Strata & councils
Common-property rebuilds after removals, root barriers along paths and car parks, replacement planting and scheduled vegetation works with SWMS and certificates supplied. See strata tree management.
Good to know.
Do you come back for ongoing upkeep after the build?
No. We build and rebuild outdoor spaces; we don’t run upkeep rounds. If a job is purely a tidy-up we will say so and recommend someone local.
Can you do the tree work and the landscaping in one job?
Yes, and it is usually cheaper that way. The same crew and machinery that remove the tree do the clearing, levelling and turf, so there is no second mobilisation and no gap between trades. One fixed quote for the lot.
Do I need council approval?
Not for turf, garden beds or retaining walls up to 600 mm that are clear of boundaries and services. Removing or pruning a protected tree does need approval in most Sydney councils, and we handle that. Taller walls, excavation near boundaries and works inside a tree protection zone can need a certifier, an engineer or an arborist report — we tell you at the quote stage. See our council guides.
Can you plant the replacement tree my DA condition requires?
Yes. Most consents ask for an advanced tree of a set container size and mature height, planted by a qualified arborist and photographed for the certifier. We supply the tree to AS 2303, plant it and give you the documentation. See tree planting.
How long does a typical job take?
A post-removal yard rebuild (stump, levels, turf) is usually one to two days. A cleared and retained block for a builder is three to five days depending on the cut and the wall. We give you the days in the quote.
Which areas do you cover?
Mortdale and the St George area (Oatley, Penshurst, Lugarno, Peakhurst, Hurstville), the Sutherland Shire, Bayside and the Inner West, plus North Shore and Hills District jobs where the tree work takes us.
More from True Roots.
Qualified, insured and accountable
- AQF Level 5 arboristDiploma of Arboriculture (TAFE NSW). Reports accepted by Sydney councils.
- ISO 9001 certifiedQuality management system, audited. SWMS and risk assessments with every quote.
- $20M public liabilityPlus icare workers compensation. Certificates of currency sent on request.
- Australian StandardsPruning to AS 4373, tree protection on building sites to AS 4970.
- Indigenous-ownedTender-ready for councils, strata and builders: certificates of currency and site documentation supplied with every quote.
- 5.0 on Google66 reviews, every one from a real job. Read them.
Need a site cleared, levelled or rebuilt?
Send a few photos and your suburb, or book a site visit. One fixed price for the trees, the earthworks and the finish.
Get a free quote
Tell us what you need done and we will call you back to arrange a look. Every job is assessed individually - no two trees are the same.
Urgent or unsafe tree? Call 0422 023 242 - we answer 24 hours.