backyard update: pool fence & brick patio completed

or should the title say "we're finally pool safe and can walk around without tripping over brick piles"?

seriously though, last time we spoke about the pool / yard, the pool was completed and ready for swimming. however, the brick patio was in shambles and we were nowhere close to allowing the kids in the yard because of the fully exposed pool. the boys are great swimmers, but my 3 year old isn't. even though the boys are swim safe, it gives me peace of mind knowing there is a fence with a lock and key (that i remove and keep inside the house when we aren't outside).

here is where we left off a few weeks ago...

pretty? yes!

child-safe? no!

while pool fences can be an eye-sore, they definitely give you an added sense of security. they aren't 100%, but they help you rest your mind a bit. and they're removable. personally, i'd much rather feel that security than take issue with aesthetics.

after a few measurements and deciding where the fence line would be, my pool fence peeps knocked out the job in 4 hours. they started by marking holes on the concrete and dirt, then started drilling...

the pool deck concrete cured 3 weeks before drilling occurred. the curing process prevents cracks...

as the driller finished the holes, his crew came up behind adding the fence panels...

i chose a 4-foot high black mesh panel. the gate is arched and adds a decorative touch to an otherwise boring fence. the gate was the last panel to be placed...

i decided to keep the back corner of the yard within the pool fence. you can see in this image where the fence attaches on the left side...

reason for not fencing just the pool? this means when we are inside the pool area, we can stay inside the pool area. was that redundant? seriously....there are long-term future plans for the area behind the pool (fire-pit), but as a temporary ground cover i'm adding sod. once the sod is in, we can lay out towels or lawn chairs so that when we are inside the pool area, there is no reason to leave when we want to sit down. the last thing i want to do is have the kids inside the pool fence while i go outside the pool fence to sit down and relax. kinda defeats the idea of being safe.

honestly, there isn't a whole lot of space between the fence and pool. as you can see, i kept the fence as close to the deck edge as was possible. there is a good 4-5' pool deck. while that is a generous sized space, putting lawn chairs and other items on the deck would only cause someone to fall into the pool while trying to walk around it. maybe a fully clothed someone. yes, i'm talking about me. *i* would absolutely be the clumsy person falling in.

bottom line, when we go into the pool area to swim, i will have everything set up inside that fence so there is no reason for me to walk away. or be the annoying mom that makes them get out of the pool to follow me.

from this image, you get an idea of the pool fence line on the right side. you can see the back corner has plenty of room for sod, chairs and for the kids to run around or have a picnic...

the fence makes a "u" shape around the pool front and attaches to the wood fence on either side.

for those wondering about the cost involved (i receive a lot of e-mails asking for costs after i share a completed home project), it was in the range of $2,000. the fence line is about 100' long. a 4-foot fence costs $17 per foot. add in the gate cost and you're in that $2k range. if you live in the bay area, you can find the company i worked with right here. had a perfect experience!

with the pool fence up, it was time to figure out exactly how to make our way outside to enjoy the pool. the brick patio between the house and pool took a severe beating during pool renovations...

the pool company had a great mason referral. he and his crew spent about 3 days getting the patio back in shape...

i truly hope this is the last time i'll see a parked car in my backyard...

finally, once again there is a flat walking surface...

this is the side heading toward the garage / swing set side yard area...

the concrete and brick come together nicely...

now that we have the patio and pool fence completed, i've started working on those temporary ground cover plans. beyond the patio and pool deck, everything else is dirt. this needs to be remedied before rainy season. since the immediate budget has been allocated to the front driveway, i'm going to remedy this backyard issue with grass and other ground cover.

this area of the yard, where a future BBQ will be located...

it may end up being covered in bark or another type of natural ground cover.

the back area of the pool, within the pool fence, as well as the entire left side of the yard (wrapping around to the front of the house) will be grass. i'm working on a sprinkler quote now for this area...

as well as a dirt quote. this area isn't level. you can see in the image above, there is a significant drop from the pool deck down to the ground. i'm more worried about the dirt quote as opposed to a sprinkler quote. dirt is expensive, people. which is crazy because - hellooooo - dirt is everywhere. why isn't it free?

as i work on ground cover plans for the backyard, i've started tearing apart the swing set area.

yup, because i always need more of a mess and a major home renovation job going on...with everything else i deal with. i'm crazy, people! that's the only logical answer i can think of.

here's a sneak peek of the mess up front. old grass has been torn up, sprinklers are now in the ground (previous owners had not one sprinkler on the property - i know, say what?!)...

am putting in a path from the garage / front driveway to the side gate...

and synthetic grass will be placed under the swing set, within the square border you see...

if you look closely, you see 3 areas of exposed dirt under the swings. this would be from the kids dragging their feet while swinging. after considering several options (i've done rocks before and we aren't ever going there again!), i found a great synthetic that looks so real...

fake grass has come a long way, right?

this area should be completed in the next 1-2 weeks. of course i'll share the before and after pics in here! until then, i'm knee deep in dirt and other varying home renovation projects. and though they occasionally cause me to pull my hair out, it's my happy place.

have a great day!