Landscaping Portfolio

RENAISSANCE — Re-Defining Your Landscape

From multi-million-dollar properties, to commercial buildings, condos, and community projects,
Renaissance Landscapes approaches from every angle, with expert knowledge for every situation,
and completely re-invents what you know to be possible in a landscaping project.

View our past, current, and on-going project below to get inspired.

Calterra Acreage

This was a new build for a client in Calterra. Their wishlist included a small fire pit area in the back and weeds mowed down as they were currently a bylaw infraction.

We got to work coming up with a plan that would not only deal with the weeds and fire pit request, but ensure the end result was visual pleasing and low maintenance. We wanted to place stones for front beds, drainage for downspouts and create a dry creek bed. Our goal in creating a creek bed was two fold:
1. To divert the downspout water along back of the house so it did not corrupt the retaining wall they built.

2. To address the dynamic load behind the wall due to constant water and soil shifting.

3. To deal with the well and septic area in an aesthetically pleasing manner.

Many acreage owners are aware of the unsightly septic tanks and fields that typically come with the territory. We took a unique approach. Instead of it standing out as an eyesore, we decided to hide it in plain site. We used design to draw your eye to a dry creek bed, not a septic tank.

The end result was a great success.

Dry Creek Rehab for Lake Louise Inn

Renaissance Landscapes was contracted to work with Graham Construction on a dry creek rehab for Lake Louise Inn.

Previous red mulch beds had been damaged during the winter construction of balconies. Our goal was to create something more visually pleasing while adhering to strict environmental and wildlife policies set forth by Parks Canada.

We used our years of expertise to draw on natural elements and incorporate them into a functional design, completing the job in just two days.

Permanent Solution to an Ongoing Problem at Lake Bonaventura

This an extension of a job we did 3 years ago. The client had invested in an elegantly lit pathway. For some reason, the grass kept dying off midway, likely due to a combination of cumulated runoff and not enough sun.
We solved the problem by laying angular stones in such a way that we didn’t have sand running off into Lake if a storm hit. Because this backs into a lake we built it as a semi-permeable paver system, meaning the sub-grade is layers of 40mm and 20mm angular drain rock that compacts.
All the paver work on the pathway was fabric covered in Gator Base (a thin commercial product as a substitute for road crush) and then the stones.
So far it is proving to be a great, low-maintenance solution. The clients are budding with excitement and can enjoy their pathway again!

Blueridge Rise

WATERMARK CUSTOM PUTTING & CHIPPING GREEN

In Calgary’s luxurious Watermark community, we worked with a client to create something truly unique to go below his upper outdoor deck – his wishes were to avoid any “hardscaping” and so we took a softer approach to our design. Our custom designed focused on maximizing space and delivering a sleek aesthetic on top of being highly functional and useable. We employed a purple colour scheme, using appropriate plant materials and planting Muscari, as well as Allium, and Ohio Buckeye. We installed custom lighting above the green, and chose the ideal stones to contour the property effectively, and with the most aesthetic value.

14th STREET CUSTOM FLOOD MITIGATION DESIGN

Our team recently completed work on a project along 14th street in central Calgary. The property owner had been dealing with annual flooding, and was continually spending money to remediate damage caused by this unfortunate circumstance. Our custom solution incorporated the science of landscaping as well as the aesthetics to not only improve the property, but prevent this issue from occuring again.

The lower unit of the building was below-grade, and had suffered the most from water intrusion. Our team created a permeable pathway with weeping tile, which diverts water away from the property, as well as installing a drain that would direct severe water flow past the the area entirely. We also planted several willow trees, known for their ability to absorb and store water – which not only works to alleviate damage, but adds natural beauty to the property.

CONSTRUCTION

COMPLETION

HAWKWOOD BACKYARD REDESIGN & CUSTOM PUTTING GREEN

In the Calgary-based community of Hawkwood, the Renaissance team broke ground on a custom backyard re-design, which included the installation of a personal putting green. We began by re-bedding the backyard, including mulch, and concrete curbing as well as the installation of an Alan-block retaining wall. We also tore down two former retaining walls in order to re-direct water flow away from sensitive areas of the landscape. Once the structural re-working of the landscape was finished, we installed a beautiful custom putting green for the homeowner to enjoy at their leisure with brand-new outdoor stairs for ease of access.

SPRING BANK LARGE ACREAGE

When planning for large grass expanses that are broken up with installs and features, proper edging and attention to detail while designing can make for easier long term maintenance. We know an impeccable, manicured finish is key to your enjoyment of the space – so we take the time to build it right.

ELBOW VALLEY RESIDENTIAL HOME maintenance

Every piece of land is different, and every landscape presents new opportunities and challenges and must be properly maintained in order to preserve the value of the investment. Here, we have immaculately maintained a large backyard in the community of Elbow Valley, and kept it lush and extravagantly unique year-round. It even features a gorgeous pond and brook like you wouldn’t see anywhere else in Alberta. When it comes to maintaining a dream landscape, our team can handle any lawn or natural space – the sky’s the limit!

MILLARVILLE ACREAGE

As you might have heard us say – acreage landscapes are our specialty. Having a huge area of pristine land to work with opens the doors for almost limitless design possibilities. In this project, you can see how we’ve taken cues from the design of the home itself, and expanded those themes into the yard design, stonework, and woodworking. In the end you have an stunning view, and the perfect yard to make memories with family.

BACKYARD MAKEOVER - "Sticking with the yard that had water issues"

This home had water accumulating against the foundation unbeknownst to the homeowner. We were initially consulted on the project, which was to lift, add road crush, and replace the patio, as it had sunken up against the home. After lifting the patio, we noticed a slight damp spot where the back door is located. This area had sunken in after only a few years of living in the home.

Commencing with a basic tamping down of the existing area, our machine slowly sank down as though it were in quick sand. The neighbours’ yards on either side of this house’s sloped towards them, and as an area with a lot of water run off from the street, it created somewhat of an anomaly. We needed to excavate to the foundation to better assess the extent of the issue.

We came up with a plan to vacate the water from the premises. The home owner was obviously disappointed from having to do all this work, however, realized we could not ignore the issue, nor could we replace the patio as it was and simply walk away.

We stuck with the yard that had water issues, and this is how we solved the problem:

– Excavated down to the foundation at the back of the home
– Then excavated 100′ out from there
– From excavation to end of line the slope went from around 4’-6″ to 7’ in depth.
– Placed down landscape fabric in trench
– Layered washed drainage rock for 100′
– Layered 100′ socked perforated weeping tile
– Laid down another layer of washed drainage rock for 100’
– Then folded the landscape fabric over as a precaution
– Filled in the trench
– Replaced all saturated road crush with fresh 3/4″ crush
– Tamped down the patio area, now enlarged and more user-friendly
– Placed landscape fabric down
– Added layer of sand
– Start placing the bricks
– Build slight retaining wall
– Add soil/compost in new garden areas
– Plant new trees and shrubs
– Repaired any damage we created in doing the job and cleaned up the site

FRONT YARD MAKEOVER

They say to never judge a book by its cover, but with homes, this is a difficult ask. Reworking a simple front yard into a thoughtfully-designed entryway into one’s home is a task we’re always willing to undertake. (Nothing says great design has to simply exist inside the home!) Now this client’s front yard is both inviting and functional in a way that only our team knows how to implement.

TUSCANY COMMUNITY GARDEN

Renaissance Landscapes Inc loves a challenge, and loves the opportunity to build something that benefits the community at large! Here, we developed attractive, functional, and eye-catching community garden plots for the Tuscany community to use and grow into.

BOWNESS HIGH SCHOOl

Our expertise are not simply limited to homes and yards – Renaissance Landscapes can tackle almost any landscaping task you can imagine. For this job, Bowness Highschool was hoping to take some of the trampled, sloped grass from below their announcement board, and refine it into a space where students and faculty alike could congregate and wait for the bus without having to stand on anything that needed to grow.

ELBOW PARK BACKYARD MAKEOVER

This client was looking to turn their backyard from a simple grassy area where a barbecue sits rusting, and a ball might occasionally get kicked around, into a comfortable and specially-tailored area for outdoor entertaining. Now, when the weather allows, it’s basically a second family room.

Ranchland oasis — BEFORE & AFTER

Many people want to take advantage of their outdoor space to create a personal oasis. However, proper planning is key to such a design, or your oasis can quickly become an ongoing “make work” project. This custom space in Ranchlands was transormed by our team from a ho-hum backyard into a personal oasis where hummingbirds, children, and mythical creatures alike take solace.

BEFORE

AFTER

DOWNTOWN HIGHRISE — BEFORE & AFTER

Many condo boards and HOA’s are interested in beautifying the (often limited) natural space around their buildings’ sides and front entrance. Though often lacking in a traditional “yard” space, there is still plenty of opportunity to beautify and make useable space from dead and stomped-over natural areas. Here, we tackled one such problem, increasing the value of the homes in the unit without even touching them.

BEFORE

AFTER

Let's break ground

The only thing stopping you from transforming your property into a truly unique landscape is the time it takes to send us a message! Share some information about your project, and we’ll get the process going right away.