< PreviousSeveral years ago, a Toronto couple fed-up with the cottage commute was featured in the Globe and Mail newspaper after investing $250,000 to transform their backyard into a “Japanese paradise” complete with katsura trees, sauna/guesthouse, waterfall, and a pagoda cabana with doors of sandblasted glass to look like rice paper.From zen-inspired tranquillity spaces to infinity pools, man-made waterfalls, dramatic theatrical lighting effects, and outdoor fireplaces, luxurious resort-style backyards are becoming increasingly popular as more homeowners seek the ‘vacation experience’ just steps away from their back doors. For ideas and inspiration, photo-heavy social media sites like Instagram and Pinterest are full of countless pages of beautiful backyards with landscaping and amenities so striking that they almost seem unreal.As with any home improvement project, budgeting is impor-tant for most of us. While glossy magazines showing off the estates of the outrageously rich and famous are stunning, these sprawling properties are out of reach for many. When it comes to luxury, however, there are various shades depending on taste, and even homeowners with modest backyards can create a backyard oasis for themselves.Years ago, backyard beautification usually meant planting some flowers, adding a couple of shrubs, and laying down a few patio stones to create a small deck. Outdoor furniture – if you could truly call it ‘furniture’ – usually com-prised a picnic table and aluminum lawn chairs with uncom-fortable, sticky plastic mesh seats and backs. Barbecuing was still somewhat exotic, and most outdoor grillers used folding barbecues or tiny rectangular hibachis. Unless among the wealthy, in-ground pools were few, with above-ground corru-gated steel or plastic versions more likely.Today, spending tens of thousands of dollars or more on luxurious landscaping is becoming the norm rather than the exception. Relaxing outdoor spaces serve as idyllic settings for romantic candlelit dinners and gathering places for family functions while adding curb appeal and value to properties.Apart from homeowners wanting to boost the worth of their lots, another reason for the upsurge in backyard beautification is frustration over the high cost and inconvenience of owning a cottage. Although great for escaping the big city, some cottage owners – tiring of the Friday evening driving exodus, insurance, maintenance, and paying for a second home – are turning to transforming their backyards at home.Written by Robert HoshowskyJULY 201910Much like home interior renovations, exterior projects are about making a splash. For those on a backyard budget, this can include decorating with relatively inexpensive items, such as light-catching orbs, an array of solar lights, a fire pit with rainbow crystals, and pretty pillows. For handy homeowners with more funds available, there is the do-it-yourself route, which can take the form of everything from planting to construction. With a bit of know-how, cedar or pressure-treated wooden decks, stone walkways, and concrete patios can be designed and installed for maximum visual and practical impact. For those with more expertise – or who are lucky enough to have skilled friends – carpentry projects range from simple wooden fences or metal trellises to a pergolas, in-ground plant and tree lighting, stone fountains and fish-ponds or outdoor kitchens complete with a bar and seating.Where money is no object, luxurious outdoor living spaces often start with the building material itself. One example is ipe (pronounced ‘ee-pay’), a type of Brazilian walnut. Ipe’s incred-ible durability, resistance to rot, insects, and every environmen-tal condition, even fire, has made it highly desirable for indoor and outdoor projects. Ipe is three times stronger than cedar, dense, and comes in colours ranging from tan to dark brown, making it ideal for stairs and decks. Although Ipe has many advantages, it is costly and requires experienced contractors to cut and install.Far beyond of the old days of charcoal grills and folding tables, today’s outdoor kitchens rival those on the inside of the house. For homeowners eager for summer, there is no feeling like cooking outside under the open skies.“Spending tens of thousands of dollars and more on luxurious landscaping is becoming the norm rather than the exception.”11CONSTRUCTION IN FOCUS Much like indoor kitchens, outdoor cooking, dining, and bar areas are designed to accommodate the space and provide maximum functionality. Designs range from ultra-modern to more timeless looks. Because they are being used outdoors and must withstand rain, snow, sun, salt water, and other elements, cabinets are often powder coated in custom colours before installation, preventing rust and extending their lifespan. Easy-to-clean powder coating is also available in a range of finishes, from sleek and industrial-looking metals to dark colours and finishes resembling natural wood grain.“Today’s outdoor kitchens rival those on the inside of the house.”JULY 201912Owing to its durability, stainless steel appliances remain a timeless, popular choice for gas barbecues, wine chillers and fridges, warming drawers, griddles, sinks, and even deep fryers. The choice is vast with something for everyone from beginners to experienced cooks. For barbecue lovers, this area can include grills or smokers like the Big Green Egg. Invented in the mid-seventies and based on East Asian wood-fired clay ‘kamado’ ovens dating back over three thousand years, the Big Green Egg remains popular with chefs worldwide. Today’s Egg combines tradition with modern materials, including ceramics developed by NASA, and comes in sizes ranging from the portable Mini (perfect for picnics) to the massive 2XL, big enough to roast an entire suckling pig.Another popular item is the outdoor pizza oven. Although authentic wood-fired pizza ovens from Italy capable of reaching 800 degrees Fahrenheit (426 degree Celsius) and cooking a thin crust pizza in under two minutes can easily cost upwards of $25,000, as little as a few hundred dollars can get the pizza enthusiast a tabletop version.Of course, no outdoor entertainment space is complete without a bar and comfortable lounge area. Much like kitchens, designers create backyard bars reflecting the tastes of home-owners to resemble everything from a serene, family-friendly place to chic New York or L.A. nightclub settings, complete with LED lighting and even dance floors. For those preferring a more rustic, rugged look, there is the option of stone facing and granite bar tops. Want swings instead of barstools like your favourite bar in the Caribbean? No problem. How about a swim-up bar inside a pool? Anything is possible.The perfect backyard may have a manicured lawn, gazebo or pagoda, outdoor kitchen, and dining area, but what is a per-fectly landscaped backyard without a pool? In-ground pools can be created in any shape, however these features require ongoing maintenance and are a considerable investment, varying in price depending on size, depth, and other features, such as tanning ledges. Canadian-born actor and rapper Drake invested a fortune in his Hollywood Hills pool, which features an eighty-foot rock waterslide, swim-up bar, grotto, waterfalls, bridge to a sitting area, and gas fire pit.While not all of us have Drake’s bank account, investing in backyard beautification is never a bad idea, since it adds value to our homes while it provides us with years of outdoor enjoy-ment and plenty of great memories. 13CONSTRUCTION IN FOCUS A myriad of factors contribute to optimal plant operations and this is true across industries. From the design of the plant to the equipment and the workflow, operations require extensive planning, vision and management – and the place to go for those things and so much more is Turn-Key Processing Solutions (TPS). TURN-KEY PROCESSING SOLUTIONSJULY 201914Written by Jessica FerlainoTPS is an operations company through and through. Drawing on decades of expertise and in-house knowledge that surpasses the competition, it provides clients with cost-effective, budget-friendly and performance-capable solutions for their operations. “We take a look at things from an operations standpoint – what are the most efficient operations out there? It could be a low-cost producer; from there, we engineer the plant for that model, for a low-cost producer model,” explained Jason Gisel, Partner and Senior Project Manager. He added, “Most companies do it in a different direction: they engineer the plant and they’re not doing an evaluation of the operation right alongside the actual engineering of the plant.” Through its consultative operations approach of evaluating projects on a pass/fail basis, TPS can guarantee its work from the start. Through project feasibility studies on the front end, it can save its clients money and time, and can ensure project viability from the outset as the plant is built to suit the equipment and the operation’s end goal. TPS’ unique approach is derived from its founding and evolution, first as a consultant and later as a turn-key provider of an integrated suite of operations engineering, procurement, construc-tion and management (EPCM) services. It was the early success of TPS’ consultative approach that catalyzed new opportunities for the company to implement the changes and suggestions the team identified during the consultative stage. As increasing numbers of clients turned to the team for their rich expertise, the company added procurement, construction and manage-ment services to its skill set. 15CONSTRUCTION IN FOCUS It is the knowledge and expertise of its people that has made TPS a prime competitor in the market. The company’s consistent performance and unwavering commitment to client success has given it a reputation as a trusted partner that is dedicated to helping clients optimize the results of every decision. One has to look no further than TPS’ portfolio to see the caliber of work it delivers and the size and complexity of the projects it undertakes. Regardless of a project’s size and scope – whether the project at hand is a $10 to $15 million aggregate plant project, a $20 to $30 million gold mine project or a more complex $130 million frac sand plant – the goal of the company is to deliver on its promises. A broad skill setGisel explained that TPS takes a “Mayo Clinic approach,” whereby, “we have clients who are troubleshooting problems and we’re trying to come up with the best solution for them. We actually have what we call a collaboration meeting where we take all of our top end process people and we all get together and we evaluate the problems from different outlooks to come up with the right solution.” Through collaboration TPS can, as Gisel noted, “Make sure we’re watching out for our clients on the front end. We don’t want them spending any money. We look at things as if it were our own business if we were starting it and we don’t want our clients going out and spending money that wouldn’t be a good business solution.” The strength of TPS lies in its ability to bring together cross-functional, knowledgeable professionals with extensive operations experience to collaborate on projects. These team members bring unique perspectives and thoughtful, highly innovative solutions to the table, ending in results that meet client-specific needs and requirements across diverse indus-tries and sectors. Serving a broad cross-section of industrial clients in the aggregate, bulk material handling, cement, frac sand, mining and material processing sectors, whether a client requires a complete EPC or EPCM solution or prefers a design-build approach, the goal is always to “make sure we are going to deliver on our promises and our commitments,” Gisel explained. For industries where minerals and resources are processed and material handling solutions are needed, for example, TPS is there providing fixed bid solutions, full accountability and the highest value for the lowest possible cost without compromis-ing quality, safety and performance. JULY 201916 TCI values our relationships with our clients throughout North AmericaTurner Contracting is a proven industry leader in Mass Excavation and Mining Services throughout the United States. TCI remains a family owned company that values highly skilled operating engineers and prioritizes the development of future generations of earth movers. TCI’s strong relationships with equipment dealers across the country allow our team members to utilize the newest equipment and cutting-edge technology that results in optimal production while minimizing downtime. Decades of experience in Turner’s leadership, combined with our hardworking crews, produce high production rates and quick problem resolution. TCI has partnered with TPS on numerous projects and values the strong relationship. If you are looking for a partner for you mass excavation, mining, land reclamation, site work and grading, landfill construction, or overburden removal project, TCI is the rock-solid choice.17CONSTRUCTION IN FOCUS A talented teamWith over 500 employees across five locations, engineer-ing locations in Utah, Kansas City and Tennessee, and two manufacturing operations in Wisconsin and Missouri (helping to control timelines from a manufacturing standpoint, in addition to providing construction support nationwide), TPS can ensure consistent results. The company wisely controls its workflow to deliver on timelines, budgets and desired opera-tional efficiencies.Achieving this level of success on project after project is only possible because of the top-level talent TPS has assembled. As Gisel noted, “The nucleus of the company started out as opera-tors, so we all come from the operating background,” and bring a deep level of expertise and experience to every project.The TPS team is composed of operations experts who under-stand the desired end results and have a system to ensure optimal results. They can confidently take clients from con-ception through to construction, offering added value and support through the management of commissioning, start-up, and operating and legacy costs. When multi-million capital projects are on the line, failure isn’t an option. “We have the top project managers out on the site to make sure they are the stop-all for the quality and the safety. We also have numerous safety staff, which isn’t different from most out there supporting projects, ensuring that safety training is done,” said Gisel. 18 He emphasized the importance of safety for TPS. “As a company, we put safety as our number one priority – our focus point. If you can do it safe, that means you’re doing it right,” and right in this case means that the resulting plants boast maximum product mix flexibility and product yields, doing so at the greatest level of productivity with less downtime, less mainte-nance and at the lowest operating costs. As a service provider supporting major clients in industries where reputation matters, TPS exemplifies integrity, reliabil-ity and excellence in management. From design through to start-up and commissioning, the company seeks to build part-nerships based on trust and a track record that speaks for itself.TPS wants to be the preferred resource for resource-based industries. Its team has the knowledge, expertise, experi-ence and demonstrated ability to deliver on every aspect of plant optimization by solving problems, mitigating risks, and formulating solutions that deliver unparalleled perfor-mance, profits and ultimately, the viability of its clients’ capital projects nationwide. 19CONSTRUCTION IN FOCUS Next >