We finally finished the pool and back yard of my dreams! I’m so incredibly happy with how it turned out. We’ve had loads of questions about the size, deck details, furniture and more. Grab a cup of coffee my friends and join me for our pool reveal tour.
I was lucky enough to grow up with a pool in our backyard; living in the Okanagan, we turned into fishes in the summertime! Our wrinkled toes were evidence of hours well spent in the pool with underwater tea parties, endless flips and giggles (especially when our granny was in the pool – she was the best sport, diving for pucks that we would throw in the shallow end for her – some of my favourite memories).
Fast forward to now, where I live a stone’s throw from this same house that I grew up in (I can see my parent’s house from mine). With all the time we spend at home coupled with the fact that our backyard is large and flat, we decided to take the plunge to put in a pool of our own.
Pool Details
Our friend Owen at Sunquest Pools (on the coast) worked his magic to design our pool. Our property is 1/2 an acre, and our pool is 16×36′. Our pool has a set of three lounging stairs (called a sun pad). The shallow end is 10 feet long with a deep end that is 7′ deep. We chose to have no diving board for safety reasons: you know, two boys and all.
Pool Deck
The pool deck is concrete with widely spaced expansion joints (the cuts in the concrete) so that it didn’t look too busy. The concrete was tinted a “light grey” before poured (I think it looks a bit darker than light grey but ultimately loved how it turned out). The most important feature to highlight is the finish of the deck. Pool decks can get extremely slippery, which of course is dangerous. We went with a Top Cast finish that gives it a bit of grit to make it non-slip, even once sealed. Highly recommend.
The pool deck has a 5′ wide walkway on the sides with a 10×20 foot area at the deep end. The lounger area is 12×20′. The sitting area is 16×26′.
Pedestal Planters
Our pedestal concrete planters are from Better Earth Gardens – and I LOVE them! They are from Henry Studios and are made to last. They have such a timeless feel and are such great quality.
Pool Liner
We ended up choosing a vinyl pool liner after deliberating over a drop-in pool. The liner we chose is called Reef by Latham Pools, no border.
Pool Cover
There was no question that if we were getting a pool, it would have a safety cover on it to prevent the risk of anyone drowning in it. While expensive (around $15k), the thought of something happening was just too much for us. This is a retractable cover with a pin pad and code to operate it. While I love the look of an open pool, at this stage it is covered anytime it isn’t being used. Ours is from Coverstar in light grey.
Sitting Area
We entertain a lot, and wanted the space to be a place where people could spend the afternoon soaking up the sun and visiting for hours on end. Here are the details of our poolside spaces.
Furniture
We carved out a section of the previous landscaping to create a cozy space where people could sit and visit while watching the kids play their hearts out. I was worried that putting in a pool would make our yard feel smaller, but the addition of this little area really expanded the yard. We chose two Abaco Outdoor Sofas and two matching chairs with White Sand Sunbrella Cushions from Crate & Barrel.
The square outdoor fire table was custom made by our friend Ernie at Canada Outdoor Kitchens. The pit is made out of a Cosentino material called Dekton that is basically indestructible.
I found the side tables at Homesense and loved them (I had to paint two of the bases black to match each other, but it was worth the effort).
Pool Loungers
I fell in love with our pool loungers from Hauser, which together with the matching two-tone umbrellas, completely made the space. The umbrellas have a heavy duty base in a pewter finish to keep them from flying away should a gust of wind come up. The lounger covers are removable and washable (thank goodness!).
Landscaping
Our landscaping was done by Lakeshore Landscapes, a small family-run business who wowed me with their friendliness, quality and work ethic! Our traditional landscaping is layered with Green Gem boxwoods, white Incrediball hydrangeas and lilacs in the back (these will take awhile to grow). The other spruce trees and cedars were there before we moved in.
Thank you to Crate & Barrel, Hauser Furniture and Canada Outdoor Kitchens for contributing product for this project.
