This luxurious backyard is located in East St. Paul, Manitoba, and was designed by Studio b. Our Project Manager, Doug, coordinated construction with Value Builders, which was responsible constructing the exterior facade of the house. The key suppliers were: Barkman Concrete, Square Prairie, Reimer Soils, Expocrete, and Gillis Quarry. This project featured a wealth of customization, as our client had some very specific needs.
One of the main issues needing to be addressed in the backyard was drainage; the yard’s existing grade sloped towards the house. We designed yard to have multiple levels, which include areas for cooking, dining, and lounging.
Design features for this project include:
- Wooden deck
- Outdoor kitchen counter
- Two-level patio area
- Dry creek bed
- Fireplace
- Privacy screens
- Pergola with retractable awning
The deck is level with the main floor of the house, with a sunken area for a hot tub. The cladding was done with Sandstone slabs, which were imported from India specifically for this project. An outdoor kitchen was installed on the deck, with granite countertops and stone veneer.
The pergola features a custom, retractable awning, which allows for incremental control of shade levels. The steps leading down from the deck to the patio are built on a concrete pad with screw piles, and were also cladded with Sandstone.
Further down is a landing and an outdoor dining area, which includes a built-in cedar bench. Two steps below the dining area is the lounge area. The patio tapers down to the dried creek bed to address the drainage issues. The fireplace was built on the lounge area so that our client and their guests can relax in front of the fire. It is made of tyndall stone (from Gillis Quarry), with a special stainless steel backing to allow better air flow.
On the south side of the house is a Sandstone walkway, which was raised by two steps to give the backyard a sunken, courtyard feel. The rest of the yard was xeriscaped, so there is no lawn to maintain. We planted Karl Foerster grasses and Russian Sage along the rock garden that surrounds the patio and walkway.
This phase of the project was completed before we started work on the front yard, which you can check out here!