A complete five-month rebuild of a dated 1990s backyard into a fully integrated outdoor living space — gunite pool, full outdoor kitchen, louvered pergola, and integrated lighting, designed and constructed end-to-end under a single contract.
The Morrison property was a textbook example of a luxury Oakville home with a backyard that hadn't kept up. Beautiful 1990s build, mature landscaping out front, professional-grade interior renovations — but a backyard frozen in the era of the original construction. The clients had decided their next move was a complete rebuild, and they wanted one contractor handling everything from drainage to dishwasher.
The clients — empty-nesters in their early 60s who had owned the home for nearly two decades — described what they wanted in plain language during the first site walk: a backyard they could actually live in. Their adult children visit often with grandchildren. They host frequently. They love cooking for guests. And until now, every dinner party migrated indoors within twenty minutes because the existing backyard didn't support real outdoor entertaining.
Three priorities emerged from the discovery conversation:
The implicit brief — the one the clients didn't articulate but became clear over the design phase — was that the new backyard had to read as if it had always been part of the home. Not an addition. An integration.
The original backyard had several distinct problems that all had to be addressed before any new construction could begin:
The 1996 pool was structurally sound but visually dated — a kidney-shaped vinyl-liner pool with crumbling concrete coping and a deck only 4 feet wide on the rear side. Removal and replacement was clearly the right call given the scope of the broader rebuild.
Roughly 1,200 sq ft of poured concrete patio, all of it cracked, settled in multiple zones, and stained from years of barbecue oil and salt damage. Removing and disposing of this concrete became the largest single demolition task on the project.
The original lot grading sent runoff from the rear lawn toward the rear basement walkout — exactly the wrong direction. We confirmed visible water marks on the foundation wall during the first site visit, indicating the issue had been compounding for years.
Cedar hedging that hadn't been pruned in over a decade, mature spruce trees crowding the rear corner, and a dozen large shrubs blocking sightlines from the kitchen window. The planting needed selective removal rather than wholesale clearing — the mature trees worth keeping were extraordinarily valuable, but the wrong shrubs had to go.
A pressure-treated wood deck off the rear walkout door, 20+ years old, with visible rot at the joists and a non-code railing system. Removal was non-negotiable; the question was whether to replace with new decking or eliminate entirely in favour of integrated hardscape. We chose hardscape.
The design phase took eight weeks before any shovels hit the ground. That's longer than the average GTA project — but the scope justified the time, and the clients understood that a five-month construction phase deserved a design phase done at the same level of care.
The master plan divided the 8,500 sq ft backyard into five defined zones, each with its own function and atmosphere:
The clients gravitated toward a charcoal-and-warm-grey palette during material reviews — they specifically wanted the hardscape to read as architectural rather than decorative. We landed on Techo-Bloc Blu Slate in Onyx Black for the main field, with a single-tone Greyed Nickel banding detail at every transition zone. Pool coping in honed Indiana limestone for a slight tonal warmth against the cool paver palette.
The drainage redesign was treated as foundational scope. We re-graded the entire backyard to a minimum 2.5% slope away from the house, installed a French drain along the rear foundation, and routed two new catch basins through new buried 4" PVC to a daylight outlet at the property line. None of this work is visible in the finished installation, but it was the largest single decision driving the project's longevity.
"The clients were initially skeptical about spending $18,000 on drainage they'd never see. By the time they saw the foundation wall after one heavy spring storm — dry for the first time in years — they understood exactly what that line item bought."
— Reliable Hardscapes, Project ManagerThe lighting plan included 46 individual fixtures across the entire installation — uplighting on every mature tree we preserved, recessed step lights on every hardscape elevation change, integrated LED ribbons under the pergola rafters, underwater pool and spa lighting, and architectural wall washing on the home's rear facade. All tied to a single smart controller with three preset scenes ("Dinner," "Pool Evening," "Quiet"). Conduit was run during base prep, before any pavers went down.
| Element | Product / Specification |
|---|---|
| Main hardscape pavers | Techo-Bloc Blu Slate, 60mm, Onyx Black |
| Banding paver | Techo-Bloc Industria, 60mm, Greyed Nickel (soldier course) |
| Pool coping | Honed Indiana limestone, 12" × 24" × 2" |
| Pool waterline tile | Glass mosaic, Aegean Blue blend |
| Pool shell | Gunite (shotcrete), 18 × 40 ft with raised 8 × 8 ft spa |
| Pergola structure | Aluminum louvered, 18 × 22 ft, Matte Black powder coat |
| Outdoor kitchen counters | Honed Caesarstone Excava, 14 ft of counter run |
| Built-in grill | Napoleon Prestige Pro 825 natural gas, side burner integrated |
| Refrigeration | U-Line outdoor refrigerator and ice maker |
| Base material | 10" compacted granular A on geotextile fabric (clay soil) |
| Joint sand | Techniseal SmartSand polymeric, Beige |
| Drainage | French drain at foundation + 2 catch basins + 80 ft 4" PVC to daylight |
| Lighting controller | FX Luminaire LX series, smart scene control |
| Specimen plantings | 3× autumn blaze maple (80mm caliper), 6× serviceberry (50mm) |
The 22-week construction phase was organized into six sequential blocks. Each phase had its own crew lead, its own quality checkpoints, and its own client check-in.
Phase 1 · Weeks 1–3
Removal of the 1996 pool (full deck and structural demolition), 1,200 sq ft of cracked concrete patio, the wood deck, and four overgrown shrub masses. Roughly 38 dump-truck loads of material left the site. The two specimen maples and existing rear-corner spruce trees were carefully protected throughout demolition with temporary tree-protection fencing per arborist consultation.
Phase 2 · Weeks 4–6
Bulk excavation for the new pool footprint and full backyard regrading to the new 2.5% drainage profile. The French drain was installed along the entire rear foundation in 1' × 2' aggregate trench wrapped in filter fabric. Two new catch basins set at the lowest points and connected via 4" SDR PVC to a daylight outlet at the rear property line. Geotextile fabric installed across the entire future hardscape footprint to separate clay subsoil from incoming base material.
Phase 3 · Weeks 7–11
Steel cage and rebar installed to engineered specifications, gunite shell sprayed in a single continuous pour, raised spa formed and integrated with shared plumbing. Equipment pad set adjacent to the side yard with full plumbing to pool, spa, and future water features. Three weeks of curing before tile and coping installation. The pool dictated the timeline of the entire project — every other phase had to align around the pool's structural milestones.
Phase 4 · Weeks 10–15
Base preparation in 2-inch compacted lifts of granular A, finishing at 10 inches total depth. Edge restraint set in compacted base. 1-inch bedding sand screeded to precise grade. Paver field laid in a 45° herringbone with the Greyed Nickel banding picking up every zone transition. Cuts for pool coping, equipment pad access, and lighting fixtures handled by a dedicated cutting crew working off detailed shop drawings. Polymeric sand swept into joints in two passes with light water activation.
Phase 5 · Weeks 15–19
Outdoor kitchen frame built with rigid foam and finished with manufactured stone veneer matching the home's existing accents. Counter installation, appliance integration, gas and water connections (all by our licensed gas fitter and plumber). Pergola assembly completed in five days — aluminum louvered system from Struxure, motorized blades with rain sensor, integrated dimmable LED rafters. Electrical rough-in for all 46 fixtures completed during this phase, with conduit run through the still-open base joints before final paver setting.
Phase 6 · Weeks 19–22
Three 80mm autumn blaze maples and six 50mm serviceberry trees installed at predetermined positions per the master plan. Layered perennial beds planted with switchgrass, Karl Foerster reed grass, black-eyed Susan, and Russian sage. New Kentucky bluegrass sod laid on properly amended subgrade across the remaining lawn area. All 46 lighting fixtures installed, aimed, and programmed to the three scene presets. Final clean of every paver surface, sealing application 90 days post-install (a separate Phase 7 return visit).
The Morrison area sits on dense clay subsoil that holds water and shifts seasonally. Our standard 8-inch base wouldn't have been adequate for a project of this scope. We increased base depth to 10 inches across the entire hardscape footprint and added geotextile fabric beneath the entire pad — a $4,200 line item that ensures the pavers won't show clay-driven settling 10 years from now.
Two mature 40-year-old sugar maples in the rear corner had to be preserved per the design — they were structurally part of the new lounging zone's shade strategy. We brought in an arborist for two consultations during construction to advise on root-protection zones. The hardscape edge in the lounging zone was held back 4 feet from each tree's trunk to protect the critical root zone, and any excavation within 8 feet of the trees was hand-dug rather than machine-excavated.
The original kidney pool sat 18 inches lower than the existing rear walkout door — workable for a 1996 build but visually awkward. We raised the new pool's coping elevation to within 8 inches of the walkout floor level, which required significant fill on the surrounding hardscape and a careful drainage redesign to maintain proper slope away from the house. The result is a far more integrated transition from indoor to outdoor space.
Our sun-path study identified that the planned pergola location would catch significant westerly afternoon wind in summer. We added integrated retractable side screens on the west-facing side of the pergola during the design revision — a $3,800 addition that the clients now consider essential for late-afternoon dining without wind interfering with table settings.
While most of the build was handled by our in-house crews, the gunite pool installation required a specialized pool subcontractor on a three-week window. Coordinating their schedule with our hardscape and electrical phases — without losing days of overall project momentum — required careful sequencing. We pre-trenched all conduit runs that crossed the pool area before the pool crew arrived, so that our team could resume work immediately once the gunite cured.
The completed backyard is functionally and aesthetically unrecognizable from where it started. The five defined zones each have their own atmosphere — the dining zone has the formality of an indoor dining room, the lounging zone is genuinely tranquil under the maples, the pool zone is generously sized for both swimming and entertaining, the cooking zone is a working professional kitchen, and the perimeter garden reads as established planting rather than new installation.
At a functional level, the clients have reported what every successful transformation produces:
At an aesthetic level, the property now presents as one of the most polished homes on a street of polished homes. The backyard reads as if it was always part of the home's architecture — which was the implicit brief from day one.
The visual transformation across every angle of the property:
Before
Original 1996 kidney pool with cracked concrete deck and aging pressure-treated wood structures — visually frozen in the era of the original home construction.
After
New 18 × 40 ft gunite pool with raised spa, premium Techo-Bloc Blu Slate hardscape, honed Indiana limestone coping, and integrated low-voltage lighting.
Before
Crumbling 1,200 sq ft poured concrete patio, oil-stained and settled in multiple zones, with no shade structure or defined dining zone.
After
Aluminum louvered pergola over a defined 16 × 20 ft dining zone with retractable side screens, integrated heating, and dimmable rafter lighting.
Before
Rear lot grading flowing toward the basement walkout, with visible long-term moisture marks on the foundation wall after every heavy rain.
After
Re-engineered grading at 2.5% slope away from the foundation, French drain along the rear wall, and two new catch basins routed to daylight at the property line.
Hero photo opportunity
Wide-angle shot at golden hour with pool lit, pergola louvers half-open, outdoor kitchen counters set for a dinner — file: cs-oakville-hero.jpg
Three lessons from this project worth carrying into any luxury GTA backyard transformation:
This build took 22 weeks of construction and 8 weeks of design. The 8 weeks of design protected the 22 weeks of construction — every site-condition surprise was caught in design, every materials decision had time to be considered properly, and the clients had walked through every detail before any commitment was made. Skimping on design time is the most common reason transformations of this scale go off the rails.
The $18,000 we spent on drainage engineering is the line item that protects every other dollar in this project. If the original lot's drainage problems hadn't been addressed first, the new hardscape would have started showing failure modes within five winters. The clients now understand the value retroactively. The lesson: always engineer the drainage before the visible work.
Every element of this transformation — design, demolition, drainage, hardscape, pool, electrical, gas, plumbing, softscape, lighting — was coordinated under one contract. The seams between trades that usually compound on multi-contractor projects simply didn't exist. The finished installation reads as one cohesive space because it was conceived and built as one cohesive project. This is the single biggest reason we work as a design-build firm rather than a hardscape-only contractor.
Project FAQs
This was an estate-tier full-scope transformation including a new gunite pool, outdoor kitchen, louvered pergola, and complete hardscape and softscape rebuild. Projects at this scope in the GTA typically run $600,000–$850,000 depending on material selections, structure choices, and site complexity. Specific budget figures are confidential at the client's request, but we're happy to discuss realistic ranges for a comparable project during a consultation.
Eight weeks of design, eight weeks of permits and material orders, and twenty-two weeks of on-site construction — total roughly nine months from first phone call to handover. The pool installation drove the construction critical path. Projects without a pool typically run shorter; estate-scale projects with multiple structures and significant site work routinely take this kind of full-season window.
Absolutely, with appropriate scope adjustment. The Oakville project happened on a roughly 8,500 sq ft backyard with significant lot generosity. On a 4,000–5,000 sq ft suburban backyard, the same design principles — defined zones, integrated lighting, premium materials, single-contract delivery — apply equally. The features get right-sized: a smaller fibreglass pool instead of a gunite, a more compact outdoor kitchen, a smaller pergola. The result reads as equally finished.
Yes — pool removal was the largest single demolition task on this project. We handle the full process: structural demolition of the existing pool, liner removal, deck removal, debris disposal, and complete backfill engineering before any new pool excavation begins. For aging 1990s or earlier pools, removal and replacement is almost always the right call rather than refurbishment.
Coordinating the pool subcontractor's three-week schedule against our in-house hardscape and electrical phases without losing days of overall project momentum. We pre-trenched all conduit runs that crossed the pool zone before the pool crew arrived, so our team could resume work immediately once the gunite cured. That sequencing discipline is what kept the 22-week timeline from stretching to 28.
Free on-site consultation. We'll walk your property, listen to your goals, and give you a clear picture of what a transformation at this level would mean for your specific lot.
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