Consultation, Design, Permits, Installations. A one stop shop for getting a legal parking pad in your front yard.

Front Yard Parking Pads in the City of Toronto. Front Pad Parking

High Park North Front Pad Parking

Challenging. This front yard parking pad was not our usual situation. 

First, the grade of the existing mutual driveway was very steep. The client needed a solution that would allow them to get out of their car and walk up some steps instead of walking up the mutual driveway, which in the winter is treacherous to get up. 

Add to this problem, the client needed a parking pad that was fairly level, again for safety reasons. 

In order to accomplish both the above goals it required a curb cut extension which the city was only allowing if we could show that we were not eliminating a parking spot on the street. Fortunately, when the city came out to measure, they allowed us a 1.47 meter extension which now gave us access enough to enter the parking pad.

Our first design had to be amended in order to give the have the parking pad match the grade of the mutual for the first roughly 8 feet to give the required space to enter the mutual driveway and then angle over into the parking pad given the miminal curb cut extension that was allowed.

All these intricacies were accomplished and the city allowed the application to proceed. 

The complex grades however do give an interesting tiered design that enhances the curb appeal of the home. 

All in all, form and function were achieved.

High Park North Front Yard Parking Pad

Central Toronto Front Yard Makeover

Having convenient parking on your property in the City of Toronto is a privilege that many Torontonians are without. We were hired to design and make an application for legal front yard parking and if granted permission, to install it.

This is a modern design with smooth-faced precast retaining walls, granite copings and slab steps, smooth modern interlocking brick pavers, and lush plantings. 





Central Toronto Front Yard Parking Pad

Front Yard Parking Makeover Contemporary Modern

This modern styled architectural home in the Upper Beach area had an existing illegal asphalt "parking lot" in front. It was also sloping towards the house creating flooding in the basement. 

This design incorporated monolithic precast concrete blocks to build up the grade of most of the front yard creating a basement walkout area close to the house. 

A steel mesh stair case navigates up to the second story front door and also a second steel staircase leads to the basement walkout entry. 

Inlaid dark flagstones in the interlocking brick paving highlight the walkway. 

Tall Beech tree planting on the left block an unsightly view of a rundown house next door. 

Ornamental grasses and boxwood hedges emphasize the modern styling. 

Upper Beach Front Yard Parking Pad

Lawrence Park South Front Yard Parking Pad

This Lawrence Park South home did not have parking on the property. Like many older properties in Toronto, the mutual driveway was too narrow to safely navigate to the backyard. 

The client asked for us to design a front yard parking pad and help them to get a permit for it. 

The porch needed to be redesigned so that it could come down to meet the new grade of the parking pad that would be cut into the elevated front yard. 

A contemporary look was chosen and a second set of steps were designed to make it easier to maintain the garden areas. 

The planting was designed with a variety of modern grasses, boxwood, and hydrangea for some flowering. 

The concrete pavers chosen were a bit more traditional to bring a bit of old world charm to the design.

High Park Front Yard Parking Pad

This recently renovated older home had a parking pad with a small walkway but no other landscaping. We were asked initially to prepare a design for the lawn area and convert it into planting. 

We ended up redesigning the whole front yard adding in a grander entrance with multi-level planting beds.  

Bloor West Village Front Yard Parking Pad

Beach Front Yard Parking Pad Makeover

Award Of Excellence Winner/Landscape Ontario

- Having convenient parking on your property in the City of Toronto is a privilege that many Torontonians are without. 

- We were hired to design and make an application for legal front yard parking and if granted permission, to install it.

- One of the requirements for getting approval is using a permeable paver for the parking pad. We used Unilock Town Hall pavers which gave the design a rich old world appearance while meeting the City’s rule.

- To bring a bit of modern to this project we introduced Eramosa polished flagstones for the walkway and the copings on the small planter walls. The intricate veining of this stone adds interest and is a conversation piece.

- The existing mature Japanese Maple’s red tones were repeated with the burgundy of the Coral Bells on the opposite side of the property. They also provide dramatic contrast with the lime green foliage of the Golden Variegated Hakonechloa. Repeated Bergenia and perennial Geranium’s add a cohesive and colourful complement.

- It is rare that a front yard parking design adds both function and a much better curb appeal to a property. One would have thought that adding all this paving would have turned the streetscape into a inner city parking lot but instead our design has given this front yard a WOW factor!

Beach Front Yard Parking Pad

•	The client needed a front yard parking pad as there is seldom permit parking spots left on the street when they arrive home at the end of the day. 

•	The challenge, as always with front yard parking in the City of Toronto, is designing something functional and aesthetic while meeting the very restrictive rules that the city has governing front yard parking pads and the fact that we can’t put a walkway in sometimes otherwise it puts us over on soft landscaping.

•	The existing front steps were an older style with poured concrete “wings”. The client wanted these changed to match the new landscape materials.

•	Client also wanted to face the existing concrete slab on the porch.

•	We chose a modern style for this curb appeal makeover.

•	Permacon Melville Tandem wall with a smooth face was chosen for the walls and steps. We even used the veneer unit for the riser of the new porch steps.

•	All the copings and tread pieces used were the same – Banas Kota Black to give a cohesive look to the design.

•	Overall a great makeover was achieved for this City front yard – both functional and beautiful to look at. 


Junction Front Yard Parking Pad

- The lengths people go to add a parking pad in the City of Toronto. This client had to go further than most. In order to fit a parking pad in this front yard, the traditional front porch on this older Victorian styled home had to be demolished, as did the traditional hedge surrounding it. 

- This new style landscape uses a traditional black cobblestone look for the parking pad as the client requested, along with a more modern smooth contrasting interlocking brick paver laid in a random pattern for the front walkway. 

- This walkway ties into the natural stone slab steps used for the new porch steps into the house. 

- The horizontal cedar board screen was introduced to block the view of the neighbours garbage/recycle bins as you can see in one of the pictures. It also adds some architectural appeal. 

- The planting re-introduces some hedges using Yews up at the house foundation along with boxwoods around the main garden. This gives it a more formal appearance and some structure to the planting. Dwarf Lilacs and Bloody Cranesbill add seasonal colour to the darker green backdrops. 

- The client now has a more functional front yard that added incredible value to the home along with great curb appeal. 



Beach Parking Pad

- This client was thrilled to have been told on their first call to us that we could get them a legal parking pad. 

- There were some obstacles, namely, there were some weed trees existing that when I called Forestry was told that they wanted to come and inspect if they met their criteria for protected trees. Luckily, the inspector came out quickly and cleared them for removal. 

- We installed permeable pavers for the parking pad, with a black paver banding and front walkway. The deep contrast gave some definition and made the design more modern. 

- The plantings were a lush modern spin using more traditional plants such as Daylillies, Hosta, Bergenia, Sedge, Salvia, Yews, and Cedars.

- The existing porch, shed, and fence panel was retained and we added a matching screen on the opposite side of the yard to tie into the other fence panel. 

- The client now has legal front yard parking along with an appealing landscape.

Beach Pad Parking

Bloor West Village Front Yard Makeover

- The client needed a front yard parking pad as there is seldom permit parking spots left on the street when they arrive home at the end of the day.

- The problem was that there was not enough space between the back of the city sidewalk and the front porch steps.

- By relocating the porch steps to the side of the porch and adding a walkway to it we were not only able to get the car in but I think it created a much nicer approach to the house. 

- Permeable pavers were used for the parking pad as per City of Toronto rules. Banas Indian flagstones were used for the walkway, and the same for the slab steps up from the drive to the walk and up to the porch. 

- A lush planting was done to complement the hardscape.

Bloor West Village Front Yard Parking Makeover

Beach Front Yard Parking Makeover

We designed and obtained a front yard parking permit for this client in the Beach district of Toronto. 

The design incorporated traditional flagstone for the walkway and curbing, a rustic cobblestone permeable interlocking brick paver for the parking pad, and a modern planting scheme.

The client had the idea that since their were limitations to the length of the parking pad it might be a good idea to rebuild the railing on the front porch to have a double gate on it so that they could back their car up to the porch and unload groceries from the trunk. We agreed it was a good idea and made the changes.

The client now has a legal front yard parking pad in Toronto which added about $100,000 to the value of the home.  

Best of Houzz 2021

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I’ve always dreamed of having a clean, modernist home, and I’m happy to say that Alice and her team at Atelier Cohen led the way to making that dream a reality! I couldn’t be more happy with the project, my house looks like it could be featured in a Kinfolk magazine. I expressed my wishes of having a clean, natural interior aesthetic and they truly delivered – the natural light in my newly designed home is to die for. They also helped me turn my dated, drab living room into a spacious and cozy space in which I can’t wait to host a party. I couldn’t recommend Alice more, if you’re looking for easy collaboration and top-notch design, you have to reach out to them!

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Alice’s eye, advice, and service is extremely rare in this business. If you get the chance to work with them, don’t think twice about it!

I had the pleasure of working with Alice on redecorating my childhood home that hadn’t been touched up since I was a teen in the 80’s. I knew it needed a huge refresh aesthetically, but I wasn’t sure where to start. I had a consultation with Alice about my hazy ideas and she was able to understand my tastes and needs after just one chat! The whole design process was so streamlined and thorough that my fears of things going awry totally vanished after the first few meetings. She walked me through every step of the process, from sharing sketches and moodboards to purchasing the final pieces of furniture and decoration. Working with Alice at Atelier Cohen has got to be my greatest investment, I highly recommend their services.

I’ve always dreamed of having a clean, modern farmhouse kitchen, and I’m happy to say that Maison Kitchen and Bath led the way to making that dream a reality! I couldn’t be more happy with the project, our kitchen looks like it could be the envy of Pinterest. I expressed my wishes of having a light, airy feel with natural but polished finishes, and they truly delivered – the kitchen in my home is to die for. They also helped me turn my claustrophobic galley kitchen into a beautiful open-space plan that makes me actually want to cook and entertain in the kitchen. I couldn’t recommend Maison K&B more, if you’re looking for easy collaboration and top-notch design, you have to reach out to them!

I’ve worked with Maison Kitchen and Bath on a few renovation projects and am still floored by their dedication to design and construction. Never have I experienced a hiccup or missed communication with them, and home projects tend to create those sorts of problems! They are professional, approachable, and innovative in a way that anyone with any level of home renovating experience will feel like they are in good hands.

Their advice and service through all stages of any project large or small is extremely rare in this business. If you get the chance to work with them, don’t think twice about it!

I had the pleasure of working with Maison Kitchen and Bath on renovating my childhood home that hadn’t been touched up since it was built in the 50’s. I’m quite environmentally minded, so I knew the appliances and electrical elements needed an update. I also knew it needed a bit of a refresh aesthetically, but I wasn’t sure where to start. I had a consultation with them about my hazy ideas and they were able to understand my tastes and needs after just one chat! The whole renovation process was so streamlined and thorough that my fears of things going awry totally vanished after the first few weeks. Working with Maison Kitchen and Bath has got to be my greatest investment, I highly recommend their services.

I’ve always dreamed of having a clean, modernist home, and I’m happy to say that Haus Design + Build led the way to making that dream a reality! I couldn’t be more happy with the project, my house looks like it could be featured on Architecture Digest. I expressed my wishes of having high ceilings and large windows, and they truly delivered – the natural light in my new home is to die for. They also helped me turn my claustrophobic galley kitchen into a beautiful open-space plan that makes me actually want to cook and entertain in the kitchen. I couldn’t recommend Haus DB more, if you’re looking for easy collaboration and top-notch design, you have to reach out to them!

I’ve worked with Haus Design and Build on a few renovation projects and am still floored by their dedication to design and construction. Never have I experienced a hiccup or missed communication with them, and home projects tend to create those sorts of problems! They are professional, approachable, and innovative in a way that anyone with any level of home renovating experience will feel like they are in good hands.

Their advice and service through all stages of any project large or small is extremely rare in this business. If you get the chance to work with them, don’t think twice about it!

I had the pleasure of working with Haus Design + Build on renovating my childhood home that hadn’t been touched up since it was built in the 50’s. I’m quite environmentally minded, so I knew the appliances and electrical elements needed an update. I also knew it needed a bit of a refresh aesthetically, but I wasn’t sure where to start. I had a consultation with them about my hazy ideas and they were able to understand my tastes and needs after just one chat! The whole construction process was so streamlined and thorough that my fears of things going awry totally vanished after the first few weeks. Working with Haus DB has got to be my greatest investment, I highly recommend their services.

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