Backyard Design With Pool

Ok here we go again! We’re moving on outside to discuss the backyard design that included a pool!  Since we had the inside of our home completed it was time to move outdoors. Now remember I told you in my previous post that when we first looked at the house the backyard was huge, well by Southern California standards, and completely unfinished. The house was ten years old when we bought it so the poor backyard sat un touched and neglected for a long time! So like I said the back yard was gigantic! Ok, Ok maybe I’m exaggerating but for us born and raised So Cal kids the yard was pretty impressive in size. Approx 17,000 sq. ft. so not too shabby. But big unfinished yard also meant big money.

Here’s what our backyard looked like when we purchased the home. Those little plants all over the ground were so annoying too! They had this cotton stuff that blew everywhere!

Luckily, since we did most everything inside with my cousin and uncle, we still had some money left over from the sale of our previous home to use towards the backyard design. With a yard this big we knew it had to have a pool. I mean what else would you do out here a TON of grass! I was so excited to be able to put a pool in for the kids and still have a enough space left over for a playset and grass area. It had been a long time dream of ours to be able to have a pool and grass area. In Southern California its usually one or the other, not both.

So after meeting with countless pool builders we decided to move forward with Majestic Pool Construction  and the digging got under way! It was so exciting seeing the pool start to come to life.

I got to say it was a pretty exciting and interesting process to watch. Its’s amazing how fast the pool building process goes.

So after the pool is dug in goes the rebar. The the plumbing and electrical. Excuse the dog photo bomb!

After the rebar, plumbing and electrical are all in place and have passed inspection they spray on shotcrete or gunite. They spray it on with a giant gun and I mean it is powerful! The guy holding the gun has to be very strong.

Once you pass yet another inspection, there are a lot of inspections when you build a pool or do any construction in your yard. You move onto the stone, tile and coping. We went with a concrete coping and sprayed an aggregate on it to expose the the top layer. I love how it turned out. It has great texture and you don’t slip!

If you’re putting in a pool you have to have decking so in went the concrete. We chose natural concrete color and sprayed an aggregate on it again. Don’t worry the pretty pictures are coming soon I promise.

Now its starting to look like a pool! We went with pebble tech for the floor of the pool. We really liked how it looked and its supposed to hold up better than plaster. We went with aqua blue to help make the water appear more blue when filled. During this time we were also putting in a retaining wall and outdoor kitchen.

This is the start of the outdoor kitchen. We have a fire pit area further down towards the house that looks just like it but with a fire pit in the middle.

In front of the kitchen we decided to put 4×4 concrete squares. I thought it would be a good transition from the pavers and the concrete around the pool. It turned out to be my favorite part of the yard!

We also decided to do concrete countertops in the outdoor kitchen. It was the cheapest most practical choice and plus I love the look of concrete countertops.

Since we already had a bobcat digging up our yard for the pool we figured why not dig some more! So they dug us a big hole for the trampoline to go in. I’ve always loved the look of an in ground trampoline plus they’re safer.

So with the trampoline came the playset. We also had to prepare the dirt for grass and pick a lot of plants, and I mean a lot. The yard is really starting to take shape at this point.

The best part was that I had pavers all around the house so that helped cut down on the amount of dirt in the house. But the kids clothes were another story. They were constantly covered in dirt! I used so much Shout during this time!

This is our fire pit. Its filled with navy glass and is beautiful at night. We roast s’mores and have lots of fun around this space. It has concrete seating all around, which I’m not going to lie does hurt your butt after a while!

We put artificial turf between the concrete squares. That was a process. One in which we did completely wrong the first time. It was a lot of work but you just can’t beat the look. This is another fire pit area. The large concrete bowl was actually for a fountain but we had other plans for it.

The absolute best part of the backyard project, in my opinion, was getting to decorate it! You can’t have a pool without some really fabulous chaise lounges right?! These beauties are from Ajna Living. They honestly make me feel like I’m at a resort. The quality of these lounges are so impressive. I get so many compliments on them and when people lay on them they always say how comfortable they are.

The best part about the Ajna Living chaise lounges is that they are on wheels so moving them around the pool, say for a photo shoot lol, is a breeze! I seriously can’t say enough about these babies. Swim Suit

I continued my navy theme onto the patio as well.  Ajna Living has a similar set. The outdoor rug was a fab find. I put two 8×10 together to fit the space.

The outdoor kitchen has been great. The trellis alumawood cover helped define the space and finish it off. We recently had the girls double birthday party and this kitchen came in handy. It has several outlets so I was able to plug in multiple crockpots. It has been a game changer for sure. I just recently bought the barstools and they look great in the space.

The playset and in ground trampoline have been a big hit with my kids and their friends.

And so has been the outdoor shower that my cousin put in for us! We love this thing. It only has cold water but its ok, plus I have a place to hang the kids towels to dry. Turkish towel Beach Bag

Here she is!! The pool is beautiful during the day but she really shines at night, literally lol!! We put in LED changing color lights. We also did a large Baja reef with little water pop ups and two small waterfalls. The spa is raised and has a spill over that makes the most lovely sound. My husband and I like to sit out there in the morning and just relax and listen to the water.

We also added two fire bowls on either side of the pool. People always ask why we have so much fire in our yard and I always say why not! We also added low voltage lighting through out the yard. It’s amazing how lighting can make any outdoor space come to life.

Two planters flank the front of the pool with Sago Palms. Im not a big palm person per say, they are seriously everywhere in Southern California, but I needed something that wouldn’t loose leaves or make a make and these fit the bill, plus I think they look good.

Well there you have it our second big project on the house! Phew I can’t tell you how happy I am to be done out there. Between the dirt and dust and mud I just about lost my mind. I hope you enjoyed learning a little more about went into the backyard design and seeing more pictures of the space. Thank you for stopping by and be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss a thing!