Private Spa Retreat

Sweeny Residence

This Leaside home has had a complete makeover – front and back. The front yard required a fairly detailed and complex retaining wall and staircase system due to the descending driveway. As always with these driveways, drainage was of utmost importance and required a strip drain at the base of the driveway. Precast concrete wall components and pavers were selected to match, and compliment the house. Natural sandstone coping added an elegant finishing touch.

Low maintenance of the finished landscape was an important issue for the homeowners, so artificial turf was installed for the small lawn areas, along with simple shrub plantings that do not require much pruning or care.

The backyard is really the heart of this family’s outdoor space. A upper level deck and staircase constructed of Trex composite wood in contemporary grey provides a lounge area and an apron for the state of the art fiberglass resistance pool. The railing is also constructed from Trex for a seamless and contemporary look to the deck. From the deck you can see the balance of the yard, filtered through the canopy of a specimen ‘Bloodgood’ Japanese Maple. The fabric of the site furnishings gives the yard a real pop of colour with it’s vibrant blue hue. The dining area is on the lower level, on a terrace constructed of precast concrete pavers, that is joined to a walkway that provides access to the front of the house.

The pool equipment is contained and hidden below the deck, saving space in the backyard. A custom garden shed is another focal point for the yard, tucked into a corner. Saw-cut flagstone pavers provide a pathway to it, from the artificial turf lawn area. Simple, mostly linear plantings anchor the different components of the backyard, but all were picked to provide leaf colour and texture, as well as lots of blooms at varying times of the season.

This outdoor space is not large, but every inch of space has been thoughtfully designed and utilized to provide a wonderful outdoor space for family and friends, for lounging, swimming, dining and entertaining.