Case Study: Full Backyard Transformation in Laval

A complete backyard renovation is the most involved residential landscaping project we take on. It touches grading, drainage, hardscaping, softscaping, and design coordination all at once. This project in Laval's Duvernay neighborhood illustrates how all those elements come together when starting from bare soil.

Project: Laval Backyard Upgrade Location: Laval, Duvernay Duration: 8 working days Services: Lawn installation, garden design, walkway installation, drainage solutions

The starting point

The homeowners were a young family who had recently moved in and inherited a backyard neglected for years. An above-ground pool had been removed, leaving behind bare soil, compacted clay, and an uneven surface. Overgrown weeds and struggling shrubs lined the property edges. Nobody wanted to spend time out there.

Beyond the cosmetic issues, the property had a serious grading problem. The ground sloped slightly toward the house foundation rather than away from it. Combined with heavy clay soil that drains poorly, this created conditions for basement moisture problems. Water from the neighboring uphill lot made the situation worse, adding runoff volume that the yard could not handle.

The plan

The family wanted a safe outdoor space for their kids, room for entertaining, and a yard that felt like a real extension of their home. Our design addressed every functional need while resolving the underlying drainage issues.

Phase 1: Grading and drainage

Before any surface work could begin, the entire backyard needed to be regraded. We established a consistent 2% slope away from the foundation across the full width of the yard. This required moving a significant volume of soil, bringing in fill in some areas and removing excess in others.

Along the rear property line, we installed a French drain to intercept water flowing from the uphill neighboring lot. The French drain consists of a perforated pipe set in a gravel-filled trench, wrapped in filter fabric to prevent clay from clogging the perforations. This captures subsurface water before it reaches the yard and redirects it to a discharge point away from the foundation.

Phase 2: Soil preparation

The existing clay soil was compacted and nutrient-poor from years of neglect and the weight of the former pool. We imported 4 inches of premium screened topsoil and spread it across the lawn area. The topsoil provides the organic matter, drainage, and root zone depth that grass and plants need to establish.

In the planting beds, we amended the soil further with compost to improve structure and fertility.

Phase 3: Hardscaping

The hardscape element was a Techo-Bloc Borealis paver walkway that connects the back door to a circular gathering area in the center of the yard. The gathering area provides a defined space for a fire pit, outdoor seating, or children's activities, depending on how the family wants to use it on any given day.

The walkway base follows the same standard we use on every project: geotextile membrane over the subsoil, compacted crushed limestone in lifts, and polymeric sand in the joints. Permacon Villagio stone borders define the edges of the planting beds adjacent to the walkway.

Phase 4: Lawn installation

We installed Kentucky bluegrass sod from a Quebec farm across the main lawn area. Kentucky bluegrass is the standard choice for Montreal-area lawns: it tolerates foot traffic, handles Zone 5 winters, and recovers from moderate damage through its rhizome spreading habit.

Sod was laid directly onto the prepared topsoil, rolled for soil contact, and watered immediately. The homeowners followed our post-installation watering schedule (daily for the first two weeks, then gradually reducing) to ensure establishment.

Phase 5: Planting

The planting plan created defined garden beds along the property edges and around the gathering area:

• Perennials: Hostas, daylilies, and ornamental grasses in the shaded areas along the north-facing fence line. These are low-maintenance, reliable performers in Zone 5.
• Shrubs: Compact hydrangea varieties for summer bloom and columnar cedar trees for year-round privacy screening along the side boundaries.
• Borders: Permacon Villagio stone bed borders give each planting area a clean, defined edge that separates garden from lawn and prevents grass creep.

Challenges and solutions

Clay soil

Laval's clay-heavy soil is the most common and most frustrating soil type in the greater Montreal area. Clay holds water, compacts easily, and swells when wet. Our solution was two-fold: French drain for subsurface water management, and imported topsoil to create a viable root zone above the clay layer.

Uphill runoff

The neighboring lot sits slightly higher, and water naturally flows downhill onto the project property. The French drain along the rear property line intercepts this flow before it reaches the lawn or foundation. Without this infrastructure, the new lawn and plantings would have been chronically waterlogged.

Wide lot design

The lot is wider than average for the area, which can make a backyard feel flat and undefined. The circular gathering area and the curving walkway create visual structure that breaks the space into distinct zones: the lawn area for children, the gathering area for adults, and the garden beds for visual interest.

The result

The family said the transformation "completely changed how they use their home." The kids spend hours outside daily on the lawn. The gathering space hosts evening meals and weekend hangouts. The garden beds provide seasonal color and pull in butterflies and birds.

The drainage system was tested by the first major rainstorm and performed as designed. Water moved away from the foundation, the French drain handled the uphill runoff, and no pooling occurred in the yard.

What this project illustrates

A complete backyard transformation isn't just about choosing pavers and plants. This project worked because of the invisible stuff: regrading, drainage infrastructure, soil preparation, and a coordinated design that handles every functional need at once.

Homeowners who tackle these problems piecemeal (a patio one year, drainage the next, plants the year after) often spend more and get a less cohesive result. One planned transformation covers everything at once, and the elements work together from day one.

View the full project

See the complete project details on our Laval Backyard Upgrade project page.

For a backyard transformation of your own, call Montreal Paysagement Pro at 514-900-3867. We provide estimates by phone, photo, or video.