This compact backyard in uptown Toronto is home to two busy professionals with a young family. They wanted to maximize their enjoyment of the space available, so they worked with Betz to create a low maintenance backyard where premium quality materials were distilled into a balance of practicality...

The pool’s blue granite liner enhances the water colour to lend a refreshing burst of cobalt blue to the backyard palette. The premium Indus Grey sandblasted limestone coping has a straight smooth edge to support the modern feel while matching limestone on concrete deck pleasingly extends the look.

Tall glass railings were installed around the deck to maintain the backyard views from the home. Backyard access was very restricted requiring excavation removals to travel via a Betz conveyor system. All materials including substrates, concrete, limestone, mortar, plantings, etc. were...

After dark the view from the upper deck springs to life thanks to the strategically placed array of garden lights. Uplighting on the right and down lighting on the left brings out the colours and textures of the plantings. The Jandy control system enables control of lighting and equipment from a...

Toronto is filled with compact backyards, but few are so thoughtfully utilized for maximum enjoyment. On warm summer evenings it’s hard to resist the allure of outdoors, so why not enjoy it with the amenities that help to add simple pleasures to an increasingly hectic world.