The tree in Stéphane Ouellet’s backyard was ruining a good thing.
The yard, once an urban refuge, was now a place where only the tree was thriving. The roots of the 100-year-old poplar were turning the rubber tiles that covered the ground into small hills. There was no level surface for tables and chairs. What’s more, the holes in the rubber tiles were getting clogged with plant matter, impeding drainage and attracting insects because of moisture.
Stéphane was discouraged about gardening. The Plateau Mont Royal resident had tried for 10 years to grow various types of plants, only to witness the large tree hog their water.
The tree is an old urban survivor that offers shade to both Stéphane’s and his neighbour’s yard, and provides beauty as well as some insulation from noise on nearby St. Laurent Blvd. On the other hand, it’s a pushy polar that upstages Stéphane’s passion for outdoor dining.
For architect Francis Berthiaume of Atelier Tautem, there was no question that the tree should stay, and while he wanted to dial down its disruptiveness, it was important that it remain the star of the backyard.
He did just that. The tree is now at the centre of a yard that is level, where water gets directed to plants, and where unwanted animals are kept out. The space remains a private retreat in a bustling Montreal neighbourhood.
The work began last spring, when Berthiaume went to the root of the problem, so to speak. His plan involved installing 16 six-foot aluminum stakes in the ground of the 650-square-foot area. It provided a solid foundation for a ground-floor outdoor deck. He ensured the stakes did not touch the tree’s roots, and to improve drainage, put a four-foot-deep layer of gravel close to the house. He attached the stakes to the cedar deck so it is high enough above the ground to prevent interference from the roots.
On the deck, Berthiaume created an intimate space, defined by four vertical wooden columns that are braced at the top by horizontal galvanized steel beams. Inside the space sits the now-stable outdoor dining table and chairs. “I wanted it to be like an island in the middle of a lake,” says Berthiaume of the spot that’s discreetly lit by an oil lamp, which hangs at the table’s centre from a thin cable strung across the structure.
Berthiaume built a narrow rectangular Japanese-style border under one of the beams. The Montreal-based architect, who has revitalized park chalets and built green roofs, reversed Stéphane’s unlucky streak with plants through the use of another underground trick. This one involves an impermeable membrane and a separate irrigation system, which saves the plans from the tree’s insatiable thirst. Stéphane is pleased. “The best surprise is to see the plants grow,” he says.
