> REGAINING THEIR PRIVACY
When Tessa Steenstra and her husband Andy Saavedra moved into their Leslieville home, their backyard had a big maple tree that provided shade and privacy.
Then the tree had to come down and they found themselves feeling very exposed.
They tried desperately to keep things shady and private, putting up six umbrellas and even rigging sails from IKEA.
In the spring, Steenstra heard about MicroPro Sienna’s Ontario Reno Challenge, which would reward the winner with more backyard privacy. To enter, contestants had to share a photo of their backyard on Instagram or Twitter.
Steenstra’s Instagram photo immediately caught the attention of celebrity contractor Chris Palmer, who co-designed the contest with HGTV’s Home to Win landscape designer Carson Arthur. The duo decided the family’s six umbrellas were just too sad to ignore and declared them the winner.
“Their privacy was the big issue,” Palmer says. “It was right along a main sidewalk on a corner lot, so there’s two sidewalks around their property. People could just walk by and stare at their yard. There was no seclusion.”
Palmer and his cousin managed to transform the family’s uncomfortable backyard into a quiet sanctuary in just one day, erecting a sculptured privacy structure using MicroPro Sienna wood. “It’s a really dramatic change!” he says.
Steenstra was overjoyed when she found out they won, especially since the indoor renovations had already eaten up their budget. “It’s really become this intimate hangout spot and we love it,” she says