Case Study · Vaughan
A sloped, unusable backyard — rebuilt as a resort
The grade was the problem and the opportunity. Here's how this Vaughan property went from a 3D concept to a finished pool environment in nine weeks.
Last updated: June 16, 2026
Location
Vaughan, Ontario
Scope
Full backyard design-build
Timeline
9 weeks on site
Investment band
$150,000 – $250,000
The Brief
“We have a big yard we never use.”
The family had lived here six years and used maybe a third of the yard. A steady slope ran from the house to the rear fence, so the usable flat area stopped about four metres from the back door. Water collected against the foundation after every storm. Two contractors had quoted a pool and simply ignored the grade.
The brief was straightforward to say and hard to deliver: a pool, somewhere to cook and sit, privacy from the neighbours, and no more water against the house — all on a lot that fought back.
Scope of work
- Photoreal 3D design & material palette
- Engineered retaining wall to hold the grade
- Porcelain pool deck & coping
- Frameless glass railing
- Masonry fire lounge
- Low-voltage landscape lighting
- Privacy planting & sod
Design First
Approved in 3D, then built exactly that
Nothing was excavated until the family had walked through the finished yard on screen and signed off on every material.
The finished build
Before a shovel moved, we surveyed the lot and modelled it — the wall heights, the deck elevations, the sight lines from the kitchen window. The family compared porcelain against natural stone side by side, moved the fire lounge twice, and only then approved the layout.
That is the whole point of designing in 3D: changes are free on screen and expensive in the ground. It is also why the finished yard looks like the concept rather than an approximation of it.
Every project we quote includes the same step — you see your yard before you commit to it. See how it works on our landscape design-build service.
The Build
Nine weeks, one crew, no handoffs
Grade & drainage
We cut the slope back and engineered a retaining wall with drain rock and weeping tile — so water leaves the property instead of pooling at the foundation.
Structure
Geogrid-reinforced wall and a load-rated base under every square metre of deck. The part nobody sees is the part that decides whether it lasts.
Surfaces
Porcelain pool deck and coping, laid on a compacted base with joints swept and locked, then frameless glass railing set to keep the sight lines open.
Finishes
Masonry fire lounge, privacy planting, sod and low-voltage lighting tuned on site after dark — the step most builds skip.
The Result
A yard they now use from May to October
“The 3D design was exactly what we got. The crew treated our home like their own, and the yard we never used is now the reason people come over.”
Homeowner · Vaughan
Last updated: June 1, 2026
The Services Behind This Build
What went into it
Your yard, designed in 3D — free.
Book a free on-site visit. You'll see the finished space before you commit to anything.