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Design & build
From bare clay to a backyard you actually use.
New-build yards handed over as graded dirt, or tired yards that have been added to one season at a time. Either way it is one plan, one crew and one finish date.
How a build runs
Four stages, and you know where you are in all of them
Site visit and layout
We walk the yard, take levels, find where water goes and mark out what fits. You get a layout you can picture, not a mood board.
Itemised quote
Line by line: excavation and disposal, base, stone, walls, steps, drainage, planting, lighting. Cut or phase anything you want.
Build
Excavation, grading, base, hardscape, then planting and finishes. One crew on site until it is done rather than three trades taking turns.
Walk-through
We go through it with you, fix anything on the list, and tell you exactly how to look after what we just built.
Where most yards go wrong
Grade and drainage, decided first
Almost every backyard problem in the GTA is a water problem wearing a disguise. A patio that heaves, a wall that leans, a lawn that will not grow in one corner, a damp basement wall — all the same root cause. It gets sorted before a single stone is laid.
- Levels taken across the whole yard, not just the patio area
- Grade set to move water away from the house and off hard surfaces
- Drainage installed where grade alone cannot do it
- Downspouts and sump discharge routed somewhere sensible
What goes in
Built as one structure, not a collection of features
A patio that meets a wall that meets a set of steps has to be planned together — heights, coursing, where the stone changes and where water runs between them. That is the difference between a yard that looks designed and one that looks assembled.
- Interlock patios, walkways and driveways
- Retaining walls, seat walls and garden steps
- Pool decking, coping and surrounds
- Outdoor kitchens, fire-pit areas and pergolas
- Planting, sod, garden stone and mulch
- Landscape lighting and low-voltage runs
Common questions
Build questions
Can the project be split across two years?
Yes, and it is common. We build the structure — grade, drainage, patio, walls — in year one, and the planting, lighting and finishes in year two. The plan is drawn for the whole thing so nothing has to be undone later.
Do we need permits?
Most patios, walkways and planting do not. Retaining walls above a certain height, pool enclosures and anything affecting drainage between properties can. We tell you before the quote, not after.
What happens to the old patio or driveway?
Demolition and disposal are a line in the quote. Old stone in good condition can sometimes be reused at the back of the property if you want it.
Can you work with our pool contractor?
Yes. The order matters — pool shell, then grade and deck, then fence and planting. We coordinate so nobody is standing on somebody else's fresh work.
Free estimate
Tell us what the yard should do.
Free itemised quote, seven days a week.