Stair repair: Patio makeover

Credit: Photos courtesy of Van de Poll Garden Design

Patio makeover and stair restoration

Restoring stairs for an astonishing patio makeover

If these stairs look familiar, you probably remember them from the early summer 2008 issue of GardenWise magazine. Unfortunately, the before and after images were printed beside the wrong text. Our apologies to Reinier Van de Poll for this error. Here they are again – this time with the right text. — GardenWise staff

The owners of this Deep Cove house knew they had a great view of the park from the front of their house, and they wanted to capitalize on it. They also needed to replace the house’s original front stairs: the wood had rotted, and the stairs had become very slippery.

Reinier Van de Poll, of Van de Poll Garden Design, replaced the stairs using concrete and an outdoor, non-slip tile.

The light grey of the new stairs reflects natural light and interacts with the hues of the heavenly bamboo, fountain grass and arbutus shrubs that he planted in the raised-bed gardens and in the granite planters on either side of the steps.

A small sunken patio lets the owners better enjoy their view and their revamped entranceway.