In 1990, Marcus bought the property, and with the help of David Stark of Ancestral Restoration Consultants Ltd. In Aurora, Ontario, and R. Moore Construction in Lindsay, Ontario, she built a one-bedroom studio. In August 1991, Marcus turned her attention to the neglected half-acre (.2-hectare) garden.

Responding to a highway ad for topsoil, she met Harry Kamstra a landscape designer / contractor from Taunton, Ontario, who helped her redesign the lay of the land.

The studio sits on the highest point of the property, with a narrow parcel of land on one side and a wider parcel on the other. On the narrow side, the ground slopes steeply down toward the waterfall; on the wide side, it slopes down to a large meadow area. Kamstra demolished all old gradations and built distinct new tiers, clearly defining terraces with stone borders. Together they refilled the garden with fresh topsoil.