Tim and D'arcy's backyard makeover is a great example to keep in the back of your mind when buying a house without landscaping. It is a case of turning "nothing into something" illustrating looking beyond what's there and the potential of an outdoor space...

We took a tour of the inside of Tim & D'Arcy's Modern Eclectic in The Junction and now we're back to see what they've done with their backyard.
Tim and D'arcy took an empty, awkward, and narrow outdoor space and created a stunning garden haven. I love how they broke up sections for different needs thus increasing its flow visually and functionally. The use of textures, walkways, plant heights, and garden boxes have really tuned this once plain jane backyard into something very inviting and dynamic.
I know that when faced with this kind of task it can be overwhelming and hard to see the potential, but kudos to Tim and D'arcy for seeing it through and sharing their vision and inspiration.
See more: Studio G.
Originally posted April 5, 2012
(Images: Studio G)


White Enamel Four-P...
Truly stunning... bravo!
Adding the garden dog was the best decision :)
Great job!!!!!!!! Love it.
Wow! What a great job! I really like it. You should keep your eye out for a bird bath or a feeder. I think it would be a good addition to the garden bed to the right. :)
swoon.
i like this a lot! did they add a new fence on one side too?
What a beautiful job! It's truly a place you can enjoy now.
WOW!!!!!!
So beautiful! Well done. You must be so thrilled to return home at the end of the day to enjoy this space. Enjoy! :)
The Before back yard would not put me off. I would have been happy that there is a solid fence (that doesn't need to be redone) on at least one side. I would have planted at least one tree but that's just me, I love trees & shade.
Well done, and I hope the owners (and the pooch) get to spend lots of time in their lovely garden.
If I were to compile a dictionary, I'd use the "after" photo to illustrate the meaning of OASIS.
Like chesterandtrudy, I'd be interested to know the time lapse between photos, and an idea of budget if possible (neither question is addressed in the link).
Awesome! I love the pavers in the grass, so neat.
So nice! I wish I had a backyard. There's only so much you can do with a balcony. :-/
This is absolutely wonderful! Definitely gives me some ideas on how to make a smaller yard work well when we buy!
If you look at where the door was before, and is now, it looks like they dug down in the yard to make the space tiered? How do you do something like that? Also, they didn't leave any untouched space for the dog to do his business, poor guy. :)
I'd really love to see more pictures of this transformation. It's hard to see what's going on closer to the house. Are those trellises? Is that a fence of some sort? More details, please!
Really beautiful work. I like the lush over-grown grass a lot actually. The geometry of the pavers keeps it looking neat enough.
Gorgeous. Fabulous job - it clearly took quite a bit of sweat and cash. But boy, was it worth it! People who turn urban back yards into urban back yard oasis make the city a better place to live.
OH she has a pot-bellied pig!!! I love those!!
thanks for the great inspiration. Beds are definitely a great way to make up for a lack of acreage.
Nicely done, love the two levels really makes a difference. This is inspiring I would just see the before and could not get past that.
Is that really a pot bellied pig or a dog with a gerth? If that is a pig I am bumming there were no close ups!
It's nice they did a good job but it seem a little overdone to me no room for the pet.
Some say it's a dog one said pig I can't tell it still needs room to move.
Beautiful transformation! PLEASE give more details and photos? My money is on dog vs. pig...
Very nice! What a big change up. This is the kind of things that really adds value to a property.
I love this transformation. But I'm a crazy dog lady, and I'd feel bad that my dog has less space to run :-/
Yes! Beautiful and emphatic work! And using the same (little) scale as found in the environment, makes the whole creation perfectly fit. (US-design often creates things too big for life.)
I would have tried integrating the charming red old fence on the left, but of course its also worth creating some intimacy.
Love it!
Just beautiful. So lush and inviting. The only thing I would add is a few pops of color here and there. Maybe a pot or two of some colorful flowering plants on the bench, or a couple of baskets of bright colored blossoms hanging from the edge of the fence. Great job.
Love everything about the garden re-design (dog included!).
The house reno is similarly well-done -- especially the photo wall, and the storage wall in the master bedroom.
Great job!
Lovely, really lovely!
Truly inspiring and well worth the effort! Well done!!
As a city dweller, I am truly envious of this green space! What I wouldn't give to throw summer dinner parties in that garden...
thejadoreblog.blogspot.com
Love this! What a lot of work and boy did it pay off!
Wow, very, very well done!
Perfect.
im sad the red is gone... make that umbrella red! and plant a tree and then its perfect. great job!
that is super!
LOVE!!
It's amazing, but.... I agree with tootsie, it's a bit overstuffed. I would leave a little blank grass, myself, especially with a pet.
Very nice!
They had some advantages. If you look at the before photo, there was grass growing. The problem backyards I've dealt with are dark and shaded such that even if you dug everything up and re-planted the new stuff won't grow either.
I used the larger pavers to create a patio grid in my own backyard, but I think the smaller pavers, featured above, would actually look better in my backyard. Ugh!
holy crap..lol... what an amazing transformation? I can't even imagine how many hours you guys poured into that green covered relaxing yard. great job!
Love it!! Great use of the space!!
The before pic looks like my backyard - except my backyard is much longer. I plan on using the back 1/3 as a vegetable garden, the rest will be VERY similar to the after pic. Cutting grass SUCKS!
Wow! How do you keep everything alive?
I thought this looked familiar. Why are you recycling old posts?
I prefer the "before", it was so rustic and neglected looking.
A big improvement, it looks like a great space to enjoy.
just curious... do you still have to mow the grass where it comes up between the cement tiles?
I'm often super jealous of people with small yards. So easy to make something of it. My yard is large for a city lot and my budget is non-existent.
That's a fantastic transformation! You can tell a lot of planning and hard work went into it. They really turned nothing into a lovely garden space.
I'm definitely learning to keep my imagination open as we go house-hunting and often, the yards we see are small.
This is stunning. I would love to know how to do the cement squares with grass growing between, I've always loved that look. I'm with some of the other readers though, the dog probably liked it the way it was before! :)
LOVE LOVE LOVE it. Appreciate the creativity and planning that makes this a workable space! http://wellletsgoforit.blogspot.com/
Most people love it so I am the odd man out. It is too busy & cluttered for me and I feel sad for the dog/pig who lost his green space.