The owners of this Oak Bay home were looking for a modern, dynamic update for their large, sloping, south-facing back yard. Included on their wish list was a small jetted pool for exercise, as well as a hot tub, a shady place to rest, a new shed, a space for growing food, and a lawn large enough for kicking a ball around.

We created a plan that includes a large patio off the newly renovated lower floor rec room, which then steps down to a cedar deck, and steps down again to a large lawn area. Nestled between the patio and deck sits a built-in hot tub from which water falls softly down into the pool below.

In order to keep a modern look, but also have a vegetable patch, we built bottomless steel planters of various sizes, which sits one level lower than the lawn. In the opposite corner of the garden, we removed an old shed, which sat between two lovely but forgotten fruit trees, and installed a small lawn area with a hammock in the shade. This forgotten corner is now the perfect place to sit in the shade on a hot and sunny afternoon.

Now the homeowners can relax in the hot tub, enjoy meals with their friends, exercise and play in the pool, play family games on the lawn, and grow a good crop of vegetables and fruit, all in their own back garden.