A Cohesive Design Transforms a Tiny Toronto Backyard

From the pages of Fine Gardening Magazine

A Cohesive Design Transforms a Tiny Toronto Backyard

Repetition and layering visually connect home to deck to free-standing garage

by Virginia Small

When Mary Hughes bought a brick house in downtown Toronto, the back of the property was an eyesore. A lean-to mudroom dominated the space, and the yard consisted of concrete and turfgrass bordered by chain-link and wooden fencing. The only access from the house to the backyard was through the basement and out the mudroom.



Before the renovation, the backyard of this early-20th-century house was strictly functional. In the days of coal furnaces, deliveries were made through a doorway to a basement that was later covered by a mudroom (left). Now the deck and backyard serve as a comfortable extension of the living space (right).

To reinvent this 20-by-75-foot space, she enlisted Mary Tremain of Plant Architect, Inc., a Toronto design firm. The goals were to connect the house with a backyard garden and to create an interesting, visually unified space.

Site plan

(opens in new window)

The project's design relied on the repetition and layering of materials and patterns to create visual rhythm and depth of interest. Once the rear of the house was opened up with a large window and glass door leading from the kitchen, the strategy for defining the exterior space was simple. The rear façade of the house and the façade of a new free-standing garage at the other end of the yard would act as bookends enclosing the backyard space (see Site plan). A deck off the kitchen extends the living space of the house and serves as an intimate outdoor room. The deck is defined by a trellis wall on one side, a planter on the other side, and a pergola overhead.

To connect them visually, the deck, pergola, and fencing along the sides of the yard are all made of cedar. Although most decks rely on wide boards (2x6s), 2x2 boards were used here. "This gives the deck more delicacy and makes it seem more like an interior floor," Tremain explains. "Also, by repeating the same width of cedar in the planter and the fencing, there's visual continuity." The wall of the garage that faces the deck was also embellished with trelliswork -- again made of cedar -- to tie in with the linear patterning of the deck and pergola.



	The back wall of a new free-standing garage that faces the deck was embellished with a layer of cedar trelliswork. The design continues the theme used on the decking, where materials were layered to create visual texture.

Copper is another repeated material in the design. Standard plumbing pipe was used as alternating crossbars connecting the cedar slats of the pergola and again as spacers within the deck's cedar columns. Combining the copper and cedar adds a layered effect to the structure. Copper reappears on the house façade under the new kitchen window as a panel of copper sheeting.

To add yet another layer to the visual experience, a shade of red paint was used selectively on the house and deck. The exposed structural steel used in the renovation of the house was all painted red along with the exterior kitchen window sill.

Steps running the length of the deck create a flowing connection between the deck and the lawn and afford easy access between the two levels. Near the fence on one side, a gravel path connects the garage with the deck and a walkway leading to the front of the house. Vines and other plants grow in a narrow bed between the fence and the path.



Repeated materials provide continuity. Thin-width cedar boards were used for the decking and a box planter (left) as well as for the overhead beams of a pergola (right).

The strong lines and structural simplicity of this design provide a well-defined framework for the backyard space. A once-dreary area now feels intimate and inviting.

Virginia Small is senior editor at Fine Gardening.

"Before" photo: Courtesy of Plant Architect, Inc.; other photos: Chris Pommer; site plan: Mary Tremain

From Fine Gardening #85,
pp. 78-81
Purchase back issues

Garden Rooms
From Fine Gardening, 19 articles on transforming simple spaces into lush landscapes

Landscaping Your Home
More than 20 talented designers provide practical advice and innovative ideas for making the most of your property

The Landscape Makeover Book
How to bring new life to an old yard