POOL
We are slowly creating the design for the pool. The first step was to create a rough finished blueprint for ourselves. I took the current survey and mocked up what the finished backyard could look like. I added the guesthouse and garage footprint as well so we make sure we have enough room for everything.
We know we want a spa and a sun shelf, and we think that a Roman-style pool will be an elegant fit for this backyard.
The second step is to scour the internet for inspiration. These are a few images that caught our eye.
We then forwarded our ideas and mockup to our pool designer. He created the first design to scale. We liked this design, but it wasn't quite right.
We made some more sketches and went back and forth with the designer and came up with a new design we're all happy with.
We moved the spa to the side of the pool in order to give more room for swimming. The fountain will come out of the spa and will make for a nice view from the guest house.
This is the working sketch for now. We have a couple months to finalize the design and make any changes.
Now that we've locked down the footprint, it's time to finalize the look. I created a design board of the elements we want.
We really love the stripe around the pool (Top Pic) made with the grey pavers. We think this will mimic the black cypress boards on the house, and frame the pool in. We also think it adds a touch of elegance to the already elegant pool shape.
We're going with a very simple 6"x6" charcoal tile for the water line. It will have charcoal grout and create another stripe around the inside of the pool and around the hot tub.
We're going old school with a "Salt & Pepper" pool finish and adding black tile flourishes on the steps.
The pavers will be in a 45 degree herringbone pattern and light. We don't want the pavers and the cedar house shingles to fight with each other and we think this is our best option.
GETTING STARTED
The first step is to place a wooden template as seen below.
Then the hole is dug and 2x4's are used to outline the depth of the pool.
Then the shape of the pool is created with rebar and screen.
The next step was to shape the pool with concrete and backfill around the pool.
The plumbing took a few days. We wanted the pool pump and the heater to be placed behind the shed. Eventually there will be a fence in front of it to block its view along with the propane tank.
The next step is the tile. We chose a charcoal tile with charcoal grout. The tile will frame in the pool in the same way the trim on the house frames in the shingles.
Now that the tile is finished the next step is the pavers. This is really when it starts to come together because the footprint is finalized. We chose a herringbone pattern set on a 45 degree angle. It takes a lot more cuts to do it that way, but it looks way better in our opinion.
Almost filled with water...
It took about 30 hours to fill up the pool. We're at around 14,000 gallons. Next up is to clean up the trash as seen in the video below. Then the backyard will get graded and sprayed with weed killer. Then we will be ready to put down grass seed.
The lawn area has been graded and seeded. The backyard has been a construction zone for such a long time. We're really looking forward to the grass growing in. I know the dogs are too.
