Three entertaining zones in Evergreen, built across one seamless multi-level backyard.
After another landscaper abandoned the project mid-excavation, this client found Taz — who saw the grade challenges not as obstacles, but as the foundation for something special.
Zones
Rescued from a failed excavation. Reimagined as a three-zone backyard.
This client came to Taz after her first landscaping company walked away mid-excavation — no design, no plan, just a torn-up yard. She needed someone who could take over, make sense of the grade, and deliver the entertaining space she'd envisioned: a spot to BBQ, a place to dine, and a firepit area big enough for a crowd.
Taz assessed the entire yard and recognized the natural grades weren't a problem — they were an opportunity. The yard was broken into three distinct levels, each structurally self-contained and connected by an integrated step system. No space was wasted.
The journey begins at the walkout with a TimberTech composite deck — the BBQ zone — sheltered by a louvered roof pergola so it's usable even in a Calgary snowfall or rainstorm. Glass railing wraps the deck, keeping the sleek, modern lines of the home flowing directly into the backyard.
Descending the steps, the dining patio sits on a paving stone surface, supported by retaining walls that do double duty as both structural elements and the visual edges of the space. Further down, the firepit lounge occupies a depressed section of the yard, surrounded by its own retaining walls — creating an intimate, enclosed feel. Trees planted throughout soften the hardscape-heavy build and bring colour, height and enclosure to every level.
Drag the handle to reveal the transformation.
Specified products, every one of them named.
What was needed — and how we approached it.
An abandoned excavation with significant grade challenges and no design.
When the previous landscaper walked off the job, the client was left with a torn-up backyard, no plan, and no path forward. The natural grade presented real structural complexity — multiple level changes that needed to be carefully engineered, not just dug.
She had a clear vision: a BBQ zone, a dining space, and a large firepit area for entertaining. The challenge was making three distinct spaces feel intentional and connected — not just separate flat pads on a hillside.
- Existing excavation left without a design or structural plan
- Significant grade changes requiring multi-level engineering
- Three separate entertaining functions needed in one backyard
- Modern aesthetic of the home had to carry through into the yard
Work with the grade. Let the levels become the design.
Rather than fighting the grade, Taz used it. The backyard was divided into three distinct levels — each anchored by retaining walls that serve both a structural role and as the visual boundaries between zones. The step systems built into those walls create the transitions, ensuring no space is wasted and movement through the yard feels natural.
The TimberTech composite deck off the walkout became the BBQ hub, capped with a louvered pergola for all-season use. Glass railing kept sightlines open and the modern aesthetic intact. Paving stones define the dining and firepit levels below, with trees completing the composition.
- Three-level design engineered to match the natural grade
- Retaining walls do double duty — structural support and zone definition
- Integrated step systems built into walls for seamless transitions
- Louvered pergola + glass railing for year-round modern outdoor living
The 2D plan we walked through before breaking ground.
The full project, one frame at a time.
I am over the moon happy with Tazscapes! I had the great fortune to use Tazscapes for my backyard last year in Evergreen SW and this year I had Taz come and provide me a landscape design for the front yard — and his work was stunning!
Everything we brought to this project.
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Whether your lot is half a city plot or a full acreage, we start with the same conversation — a free on-site consultation, a measured 2D plan, and a transparent budget envelope before any ground moves.