Recent summer weather conditions have made me nostalgic for the backyard reno that we enjoyed only for a year and a bit before moving. We wanted a backyard space that had it all… a small pool, an outdoor gourmet kitchen, an Ipe deck, a tool shed, grass, and a play area, catering not only to my 5 and 3 1/2-year-old boys' needs as well as my husband's BBQ'ing obsession, but also to the modern aesthetics that I love.
The idea was that we would stay-cation in the summer months instead of investing in a cottage. In hindsight, a cottage would have been a better choice, financially, as we moved at the end of summer in 2011 and only got to enjoy the space for 2 half summers. Still, I remember our time in that beautiful outdoor space fondly. It was incredible in that it 'fit' me and my family so perfectly.
Thanks for sharing, Cynthia!
(Images: reader Cynthia)
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Nicely designed space! It's obvious you put a great deal of thought into the execution.
It's perfect!! What a shame you couldn't enjoy it for more seasons!
And a high-five from Woodstock, ON... :)
love the pool and the pool wall ........ great job!
from mtl qc!
I live in Waterloo too and find that most people don't really care about their garden (only as location to place the barbecue). So this is a really nice exception-to-the-rule example. I wish my garden has the size of yours!
What a lovely backyard!
How did you like your Ipe deck?
(we used to live in Galt, in an 1847 stone house, and I hated moving away! I love that part of the world!)
Beautiful.
What a dream!
such a treat to have a grand backyard in the city. beautiful
@mschatelaine, the Ipe deck was awesome. The kids ran around in bare feet and didn't get splinters. We decided to not stain the deck and let the wood weather into a grey patina which I love but staining to keep the warm coppery colour would have looked lovely too. I wavered back and fort for a long time.
Beautiful! What is the pool wall made from. Would love and try and do this in my yard. Thanks for sharing.
@twoods, it's a 12' x 24' concrete pool with a depth of 4' to 5' 6". We chose light grey tiles (I think they were 1" but don't quote me on that) for the body of the pool with black tiles creating a band across the full width of the walk-in steps for greater visibility. The pool coping is made out of limestone.
@twoods, I think I may have misread your question. By "pool wall", did you mean the privacy screen next to the pool? If so, it's made out of 6mm frosted tempered glass framed with cedar posts. The posts are also capped with aluminum (or was it copper... I can't remember)
Really beautiful. Curious to know what the exterior paint color of the house is?
This is great, I live in Ontario as well (outside of Toronto) and am finding it hard to find a landscaper with more modern work, did you use a company or did you plan it all yourself? It looks amazing!