Terms & Conditions

2. Quotes and pricing

Quoted prices are fixed for the scope described in the quote and valid for 30 days from issue. All prices are in Australian dollars and include GST. Online booking rates are published on this website and may change without notice; the price you pay at checkout is the price honoured for that booking. Travel-zone surcharges apply outside the Adelaide metro area as displayed at booking. After-hours work (outside our published operating hours) attracts a loading of 25% and is arranged by agreement only — it cannot be booked online.

3. Payment

Online bookings are paid in full (100%) at the time of booking to secure the slot, via Stripe secure checkout (card, Apple Pay, Google Pay). Quoted projects follow the payment schedule in the quote, typically a deposit on acceptance with progress payments at defined milestones. Variations must be paid before variation works proceed. Title in materials passes on payment in full; risk passes on delivery to site.

4. Cancellation and rescheduling

• 48 hours or more before the booked date: reschedule free of charge, or cancel for a full refund less any card processing fees we cannot recover.
• 24–48 hours before: reschedule free once; cancellation incurs a fee of 25% of the booking value to cover committed scheduling and plant.
• Less than 24 hours / on arrival: cancellation or inability to access the site incurs a fee of 50% of the booking value. If our team and machinery have mobilised, a call-out component may also apply.

To cancel or reschedule, reply to your confirmation email or use the contact form with your booking reference.

5. Weather delays and rain-affected sites

Some works cannot proceed safely or to standard in wet conditions (excavation in saturated ground, concrete pours in rain, compaction of wet clay). If we determine the site or weather is unsuitable, your booking is rescheduled to the next available date at no cost to you. Weather rescheduling initiated by us never incurs a fee. We may also pause in-progress works where continuing would compromise quality or safety; the schedule extends accordingly.

6. Site access requirements

You must provide, by the booked date:

• Clear machine access to the work area: minimum 990 mm clear gate/side access width for our smallest excavator (larger machines need more — confirmed at booking), with overhead clearance free of verandahs, carports, low branches and service wires along the access path;
• Vehicles, trailers, bins and obstructions moved from the access path and work area;
• Unlocked gates, restrained pets, and a contactable person on the day;
• Lawful parking or standing room for trucks/machinery reasonably near the site.

If access as described at booking is not available on arrival and works cannot proceed, the attendance is treated as a late cancellation under clause 4. Where access is materially harder than described (e.g. narrower gates, stairs, longer carry) we may re-price as a variation before starting.

7. Site readiness

Unless included in your scope, the work area must be clear of furniture, pots, play equipment, vehicles and personal property. Items you ask us to work around remain at your risk. Sprinkler heads, garden lighting and other fragile surface fittings in the work area should be flagged by you before we start.

8. Underground services — Before You Dig

We obtain Before You Dig Australia (BYDA) information for excavation works and take care around marked services. However, BYDA only records registered public utilities. You are responsible for declaring all private services — irrigation, garden lighting, private stormwater, unmarked conduits, septic, bores — before works commence. We are not liable for damage to unregistered or undeclared private services, or for services located other than where plans show them, except to the extent caused by our negligence.

9. Unexpected ground conditions

Quotes and published rates assume rippable natural ground. If we encounter hard rock, reef, mass concrete, old footings, buried structures, fill of unknown origin or groundwater that materially changes the work, we will stop, show you what we've found, and price the change as a variation (including any specialist plant such as rock breakers) before proceeding. You may elect not to proceed with the affected portion; completed works and costs incurred to that point remain payable.

10. Asbestos and contaminated material

We are not licensed asbestos removalists. If suspected asbestos-containing material or contaminated soil is identified, works in the affected area stop immediately and the material is left undisturbed. Removal must be completed by a licensed removalist engaged by you (we can refer one) before our works resume. Asbestos and contaminated material are excluded from all waste-removal scopes, including skip bins and trailer loads. Costs from delay or remobilisation are chargeable at published rates.

11. Waste acceptance restrictions

Skip bins and load-based removal accept general household/garden/construction waste unless otherwise agreed. Not accepted: asbestos or suspected ACM, liquid waste, paint, chemicals, fuels, oils, batteries, tyres, gas bottles, food waste, medical waste, and soil from sites with known contamination. Mattresses, e-waste and whitegoods only by prior arrangement (disposal surcharges apply). Bins loaded above the rim or with prohibited materials may incur re-sorting, disposal or transport surcharges at cost + 15%, and we may decline to transport an unsafe load.

12. Variations

Any change to scope — quantity, materials, access, design, discovered conditions — is documented as a variation with a price and, where relevant, schedule impact, at the rates published on this site or the rates in your quote. Variations proceed only after your approval and payment. Verbal instructions on site are confirmed in writing (SMS or email suffices) before being acted on.

13. Warranties and defects

Our workmanship is warranted for 12 months from practical completion, in addition to (not instead of) your rights under the Australian Consumer Law. Manufactured products (turf, Colorbond, hardware, plants where supplied with establishment care instructions) carry their manufacturers' warranties. Warranty excludes damage from misuse, third-party works, ground movement outside our designed scope, or failure to follow maintenance guidance (e.g. curing, oiling, establishment watering).

14. Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, our liability for any claim arising from the works is limited to, at our election, re-performing the affected works or refunding the amount paid for them, and we are not liable for indirect or consequential loss. Nothing in these terms excludes, restricts or modifies any consumer guarantee, right or remedy under the Australian Consumer Law that cannot lawfully be excluded. We hold public liability insurance of $20 million; certificates of currency are available on request.

15. Australian Consumer Law statement

Our services come with guarantees that cannot be excluded under the Australian Consumer Law. For major failures you are entitled to cancel the service and obtain a refund for the unperformed portion, or compensation for its reduced value. You are also entitled to have failures that are not major failures remedied within a reasonable time, and otherwise to cancel and obtain a refund for the unperformed portion.

16. Deposits and refunds

Deposits on quoted projects are held against materials, engineering and scheduling committed to your project. Refunds under clause 4 (or by law) are processed to the original payment method within 10 business days. Where materials have been custom-ordered for your project (e.g. cut-to-length sleepers, specific pavers), the deposit less those committed costs is refundable.

17. General

These terms are governed by the laws of South Australia. If any clause is found unenforceable, the remainder continue. These terms, your booking confirmation or accepted quote, and any documented variations form the entire agreement. Adelaide Outdoor Improvements.