Photo by Michael Graydon
Styling by Catherine Therrien
Split Decision
Dividing a garage adds a multi-purpose entertaining space to a once-bare Toronto backyard
Like so many city properties in the heart of Toronto, the backyard of this traditional home, enjoyed for nearly 30 years by the same owners, was a blank canvas. “There was a two-car garage back there, but it was a ramshackle waste of space,” recalls the homeowner. “We never used it other than letting the dog out.” After discovering the beautiful overhaul of a friend’s garden by PLANT Architect, the homeowners met with PLANT partner Mary
Tremain to discuss the possibility of a garage makeover and overall backyard revival.
Though the homeowners were very open to suggestion, there were a few special considerations: keep a lovely old apple tree that was smack in the middle of the yard and preserve half of the garage’s concrete slab floor for a carport. The to-do list soon became clear: increase the size of the garden and create areas for dining and lounging,
while maintaining a space for the car. And it had to be low-maintenance.
Because the owners were a one-car family, Tremain decided to get creative with the garage space. Three sides of the garage were taken down, while one wall was left intact. Half of the garage space became a covered carport, the rest a dining area under a wooden framework covered with wisteria that provides lovely purple blooms in spring and shade in summer. Construction of the framework was managed by Bill Kelly, a friend of the homeowner. Low-key materials included pressure-treated lumber for the new posts, pea gravel and flagstone on the ground, and corrugated plastic for the ceiling of the carport and a half-wall between the carport and dining space. Inexpensive and hard-wearing, the plastic casts a warm glowing light on the garden.
“We use that dining area all summer. One rainy night, we put the car onto the street and moved the table under the carport. It was so amazing, like eating in a solarium and our guests loved it. We’ll do that again this summer,” the homeowner says.
Beyond the dining area, the yard is bisected by a custom 21-foot-long raised planter containing a low-maintenance selection of plants, including spring-flowering bulbs, stonecrop, purple coneflower and various ornamental grasses. Landscape architect Garth Armour selected the plantings for all-season appeal and the ability to grow well in
contained beds. A frost fence shared with neighbours was made taller and more attractive by adding a low-cost, sturdy copper pipe threaded with copper wire. Climbing roses and clematis scramble over this support, and cascading ferns add a lush accent.
The other side of the garden harbours the precious apple tree and a sitting area for reading, relaxing or enjoying a drink. This space was reorganized and spruced up by reusing existing flagstone and adding steps up to the house. A wood-storage wall not only separates the carport from the sitting area, but also creates a visually pleasing backdrop. “In the summer, the wood is beautifully stacked and acts as a focal point,” says Tremain.
The homeowners, both from the West Coast, love the look of all the natural wood used throughout the new backyard, saying, “It’s changed from a waste of space to a beautiful, multi-use area that we enjoy with our friends all spring, summer and fall. It’s too bad it took us 30 years to take the leap!”
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