Finding a Contractor, "Such Big Plans!"

First we had to select a contractor or, more realistically, they had to select us. Our existing backyard was in terrible shape. The rebar in the pool was staining the plaster, the decking was chipped, the tile was a mess. And, to top it off, there was this strange deck suspended between the main house and the yard area. Weird. All sorts of creatures would crawl under that deck including pack rats and even a skunk. We wanted to eliminate that deck by filling it with dirt and covering it with a normal patio.

Oh yeah, and I forgot to mention that we wanted to completely destroy and remove our existing pool and wall, haul it away, and start over.

We consulted several pool companies. I had no idea it would be so difficult to get someone to call us back. No one wanted to deal with our yard troubles.

Finally, we met with California Pools. Their designer was amazing. They visited our home. They called us back. And they provided us with an amazing notional plan. It's a good thing it was amazing, because so far, it's all we have to look at.

We love this new plan because it organizes the yard into various rooms. There's the pool, of course, complete with 4 waterfall features and a built-in spa. On the left-hand side of the drawing is the ramada. Attached to the ramada is an outdoor kitchen. Shane bought a huge new barbeque, a sink and faucet, a refrigerator, and storage doors. Up until last weekend. All these things were being stored in our formal dining room.

Back to the plan--down a few steps from the main area is a gas firepit with banco seating all the way around. And, slightly down from that is a grassy area with a built-in bench.

One of my favorite features is that atop the pillars designating the separate rooms are wok pots. These will be plumbed to the natural gas line and then shall be set aflame when we are outside at dusk or dark. I'm going to fill the wok pots and firepit with crushed glass eventually.

Shane's favorite feature will be the barbeque, I'm sure. He's been nursing our old one hoping it will hold out long enough for the new yard to be finished. I'm hoping we last long enough for our new yard to be finished.