Backyard Transformation

In 2018, our backyard flooded because it was the lowest point in the neighbourhood. Wealthy neighbours were redoing their backyards and building up their sites, and all that water needed somewhere to go. It chose us.

After a rain shower in 2018

So before the water level reached the house (it was getting dangerously close), I decided that instead of fighting the water, I welcomed it in. I dug a large hole in the centre of the yard to capture it. Aquablocks were installed to hold the excess water, then the top was filled with rocks and gravel. Thus, the reason for my now “rock garden.”

Of course, that meant the backyard design became my next challenge. For years it had been unattended; a swath of weedy grass with something that looked like flowers growing along the border. Now I had a giant engineered hole, a pile of rocks, and a chance to rethink the whole thing from the ground up.

I thought about all the activities I wanted to be able to do in the backyard; of course, BBQ‑ing and dining al fresco, but also yoga, cooking weenies over a fire, and relaxing in a hammock. If the inside of the house could shape‑shift to meet my needs, the outside should be able to do the same.

The real challenge was designing the wood deck. It had to transform from a dining area to a yoga area, and the criteria was that this transformation had to be doable by one person. No elaborate furniture‑moving choreography, no calling in reinforcements. Just a simple shift from “let’s eat outside” to “let’s roll out the mats.”

So, the solution? Part of the deck rises out of the floor and becomes the table.

Yes, literally. The dining surface is built into the deck itself. When I need a place to eat, it lifts up. When I need space for yoga, it disappears back into the floor. One person, one motion, zero drama.

Levitating table - with an electric car jack

So the design carried us through the hardest stretch of Covid; hosting friends and family around the table and fire pit for birthdays, small celebrations, and the simple relief of being together. It became a place for gathering and a place for reflection; a backyard that held us. At least, until Utopia came along.

Looking back at the rock garden