Full Backyard Transformation

The backyard had been left to go: patchy dead grass, waist-high weeds and compacted soil that turned to mud after every storm. There was nowhere to sit and nowhere for the kids to play, and standing water pooled against the foundation for days on end. The owners loved the house but had written off the yard entirely. They wanted a space they could genuinely live in, and one that would not quietly fail again after a couple of seasons like the patchwork fixes before it.

We started on paper, not with a shovel. A full site survey mapped the low points and the way water actually moved, then we corrected the grading and built in surface and subsurface drainage to carry water away from the house for good. On a properly engineered, compacted base we laid a natural stone patio sized for both dining and lounging, wrapped it in layered planting beds for year-round interest, and finished with fresh sod, crisp steel edging and low-voltage lighting so the space keeps working long after sunset.

What was an eyesore is now the family’s favourite room, and it happens to be outdoors. The patio has stayed dead level through two freeze-thaw winters, the drainage problem is simply gone, and the planting has filled in exactly as designed. Upkeep is minimal and there have been no surprises, which is the whole point of a landscape that is planned before it is built.