Backyard Project Buying Guide

Note that none of the content below is sponsored by or in partnership with any of the companies mentioned.

By popular demand, I’m sharing the information on everything for our backyard project. I mentioned in my last post why we chose the suppliers we did for the pools, but just as a refresher, we used:

• Pool and Stone Contractor (GMA): Pavage & Piscine Vision
• Pool: Groupe Paramount
• Stone: Permacon

Since everything else was done by us, here’s the scoop on some of the major items from the project.

Gazebo

This gazebo is out of stock almost everywhere – and where I can find it, its over $1000 more than what we paid. We paid under $2000 including taxes on sale from the Costco Canada website. It is no longer even listed but I remember shortly after it went on sale it was out of stock. I think due to its popularity, it is out of stock in most places. And for good reason, its high quality, sturdy and stylish. It’s definitely a project for a good sized group of people (it recommends at least 4 and I agree) and will take a full day. We made the mistake of not believing the recommendations and my husband, my friend Audrey and I set it up in a day – but it was not the easiest or safest installation ever.

If you like this, and are NOT in a rush, I recommend waiting until the new year to see what Costco releases on it site from the Yardistry brand. They will likely have the same or something similar available. This brand is great – we had their pergola at our previous home and they also have accessories available for their different structures.

I did see that Canadian Tire has one similar, I’ve linked it here. However, I’m not sure of the quality as I have no experience with their shelters. It does get very good reviews on their site though so it would be worth a look.

Lounge Furniture

When we were looking for patio furniture, we wanted something stylish and comfortable. We also didn’t want a sectional as we felt that it actually gave less seating (unless you go huge – and expensive). We also didn’t want to spend a TON of money.

Canadian Tire actually pulled through on this one – so much so that we actually also bought 2 additional chairs for our front porch! They are super comfortable and have a modern look that is not overly clunky. We were not able to find a table that we were super in love with, so we decided to just use something we had in the basement (from our old home) since the space is covered – and it ended up working well enough. It’s a bit small for the space, but for the time being its perfect.

Composite Decking & Railing

When planning the deck, we hummed and hawed about whether to use pressure treated or composite decking. While composite is a bit more slippery when wet, and we were planning to use this deck all year as it leads to our back entrance/mudroom, it is MUCH more durable and less maintenance. So while the price tag is quite high, its worth it in the long run. Just be ready to shell out a good chunk of change.

We had originally planned to use Trex, I had picked the perfect colour and everything, but when we went to order it, we found out that they were having some supply issues, and we weren’t okay with the uncertainty of delivery as we had workers (my dad) coming from Manitoba to help. So we used the Veranda brand, which is Home Depot’s house composite brand. The colour was a bit of a different shade of grey, but now that its installed, I very much like the tone and think it works well with everything else.

The railing is a true DIY. We used mostly cedar wood for the posts and rails, but some pressure treated – purchase wherever we were picking up other building materials. We had the cedar already, otherwise we would have used all pressure treated, because we knew we were staining it white anyways. For the balusters, we used products from Nuvo Iron at Reno-Depot/Rona. We used 36″ balusters for the deck and 32″ for the stairs as we would have gates at the top. In Laval, the rules are you need to have a 4′ barrier between all access points to the pool. And since we didn’t want a fence around just the pool, it meant 4′ high railing around the decks – with gates.

Decor Items

Most of the decor used is actually NOT new. I always try to purchase things that have longevity – in terms of style and durability. For those things that are urgent – then I try to go simple and inexpensive – like the side tables shown above that are from JYSK. The lanterns and vase is from Home Sense, along with the cushions, high table and planters. The white lantern is from Canadian Tire but was a last chance item.

I did purchase all new turkish towels and throws from Olive & Linen that will be used more next year (as I forgot to take the towels out this year).

Landscaping

For our landscaping, which we also did completely ourselves, we used two main companies.

For soil and gavel for fill, we used Les Jardins Trepanier, for the sod and all of our vegetation (trees, shrubs, flowers) we used Jardins Zellinger. We used these due companies due to their price, selection and availability. Especially Trepanier, who was often able to deliver the same day or next day (including long weekends). These are both companies in our general area, which we love to support.

Another local greenhouse we typically use but didn’t for this project is Serres Cleroux who were sadly impacted by a major fire earlier in the year. While we didn’t find exactly what we needed this time, we do often go back to see them for various plants and trees.

So there you have it. While we have a few final touches to complete, like closing off the bottom of the decks with some lattice and the fencing (to which we are still getting estimates), we are now past the big projects and able to enjoy a bit more…just as summer comes to a close…

If you have any more specific questions or comments, don’t hesitate to leave them in the comments section below!