Has it really been 4 months since my last blog post?! I apologize for being absent lately but I had to take a break to handle “life”. Our kids are back in school now, I am feeling better and our backyard project is winding down so I will have more time to focus on my blog which makes me happy 🙂
What Have I Been up to for the Last Four Months?
I lost both my parents this year, which has been incredibly difficult for me. Taking time to deal with the loss has helped me through the mourning process. I am feeling much better these days, more positive and look forward to the future and spending time with those closest to me. In an upcoming post, I will detail some things I did to help me deal with my grief…if you are interested in hearing about it, let me know in the comments below.
Another stressful and very time consuming area of my life has been trying to finalize our backyard project. As many of you know, we started Our Backyard Project (Phase 2) Planning to Build a Pool and Pool House, two years ago. To say this was a challenging project would be a massive understatement. There was nothing easy about this process. Building during a Pandemic complicated matters further due to lack of labor and shortages of supplies. Time lines went way longer than anticipated and costs increased dramatically.
But when all is said and done, I am happy to report that we are so close to the finish line and LOVE our new backyard space!
We have a beautiful pool and pool house to enjoy with family and friends. Spending time outdoors this summer has been a blessing for both my body and mind. Granted, much of the time I spent outside has been working…but my efforts are well worth it.
After a year and a half, our pool is finally done! What a complicated process it has been. Building a pool house simultaneously made everything more difficult but I do believe building the two together yielded a better result in the end.
Of course, this isn’t always possible to do for many people and for numerous reasons, but in hindsight I am happy we made the decision to incorporate building the pool with the pool house. So many decisions depend on one another, and to be able to think of the project collectively helped me create a more cohesive space.
The first big decision we made for the pool was orientation. Where in the yard would the pool be best situated? Luckily, we have a big enough space and had several options. Many different views were presented to me, and in the end..we decided on a perpendicular orientation to the house. This opinion was brought about by a landscape designer I hired. We had a simple drawing created for the yard that optimized views, space, and aesthetic design.
The landscape designer suggested to situate the pool to line up with the back door entrance, as you can see in the photo below.
This option did bring about other complications with grading and water issues, as the pool house is located very close to a hill. But, I still believe the location was the best option for our yard to optimize everything we wanted in our outdoor space.
Sitting in the hot tub and enjoying the mountain views and the changing colors of the sky is simply fabulous.
We opted for a raised hot tub that connects directly to the pool house. The hot tub is independently operated from the pool so it can be heated and controlled all year long.
I get asked often, where I get my bistro lights HERE that I attached to our fence. The warm glow at night is so pretty and calming.
Waterline Tile Choices for a Swimming Pool
I get so many questions regarding waterline tiles. You may be interested in Things to Consider When Choosing the Waterline Tile for a Pool. I selected a black porcelain tile with white veining. The tile is textured and raised in areas, it is not a perfectly flat tile.
My tile choice is not a color that pops but rather blends into the pool and background. We have a lot going on in our yard so I don’t want the waterline tile to stand out but rather compliment the pool…if that makes sense?
As you can see from the above picture, when you look at the pool, your eye is not drawn to the waterline tile…which was my intent.
This particular evening was so lovely, watching the moon, the clouds and the sky change colors with my family.
Goodnight Moon….
Another treat was to see a beautiful rainbow over our yard on my son’s birthday! So much to be grateful for…and we are 🙂
When I posted this pic on my Instagram stories, I had a lot of questions about the floats. Check out these inexpensive floats HERE,HERE and HERE.
Is it Worth the Cost to Build a Pool?
I know many of you are building pools right now and probably running into many frustrations as well. The process is not easy but do your homework and research well. Pool builders these days are backed up, some as many as two years as more home owners are investing into their houses and are now able to spend more time at home. The lack of materials is a huge problem too right now, you may have to settle on products you don’t like to get the job complete. Prices are increasing, for just about everything it seems, pools as well.
I am constantly asked, would I do it again? The answer is yes. I would do it differently, many lessons learned from this process but yes I would.
Hope you enjoyed the post and pictures. I have a lot more info on my blog regarding the pool build, so check them out!
It’s so good to be back, I missed you all! Talk again soon
Denise xox
Please Subscribe to Happy Haute Home
For more posts about home design and decor, please subscribe to Happy Haute Home and follow along on Pinterest HERE, and feel free to pin your favorite pics from Happy Haute Home.
You can also follow along on my Instagram HERE and check out my daily stories HERE. Please also check out my YouTube Channel HERE. All these links can be accessed from my home page on the social media menu
22 thoughts on “Backyard Project “Swimming Pool” Reveal”
How beautiful and awesome. Loved that rainbow.
Are the tile marble? They look like they would be slippery.
Hi Crystal, thank you! The tiles are travertine. They aren’t too slippery but I do ask everyone not to run and be careful on the tiles…just in case.
Hi Denise. Your pool and house are just stunning. As a former competitive swimmer I approve and would live out there doing laps. You’d have to drag me out of it! 😊 Also my sincere condolences on losing both your parents. I lost both mine within a year of each other and it is so very difficult. You feel untethered and lost. For a long time. It’s been 8 years for me and you never really quite get over it, you just learn to live with it. I would love to hear whatever you are comfortable sharing about your journey and glad you are back on your blog. 🤗
Hi Laurie, how very sweet of you. Thank you for your condolences. I think you are right, adjusting is about as good as it gets. Coming to terms with realizing you will never see them again is hard. They have been with me my entire life…it’s a big adjustment. Thank you for the sweet comments about my pool and house! We are loving the space…a lot. I wish mom and dad could have seen it… but I’m sure they are looking down and smiling 🙂
Hi! It is beautiful! Bravo 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 But am I missing the pool house?lol Is it attached to your home? I bet you can relax now and just breathe and enjoy the fruits of your labor! I bet the children love it too! That is sweet that there was a rainbow on his birthday too! Like nature was celebrating him too! 🌈 Again I am so sorry for the loss of your parents. It is hard enough to lose one, but two near each other is just too much. I am glad you are feeling better now! Here is to better days again, and best wishes for a fun, safe time at your new pool, building new memories! ❤️Xo
Hi Kelly, I am so happy to be back blogging and reconnecting with my readers. The pool house is on my Instagram, but haven’t revealed yet on the blog. Thank you for your condolences, the past few months have been difficult..so appreciate all the support I get from you all. We are enjoying the space tremendously! So nice to be spending time outdoors in nature and appreciating moments like the sky changing and a beautiful rainbow over our yard. Life is good 🙂 Hope you are doing well too my friend!
So glad to have your blog back, Denise. I have missed it & you. So sorry to hear about your parents & know how hard it has been for you. I hope you find comfort in knowing that they are together again as they had been while still on this earth. And I know they are smiling down at your beautiful pool and the wonderful job you have done. I have been waiting for your pool reveal & it is everything I had expected especially with all the research you did. It is absolutely beautiful & know the kids are enjoying it. I can just see John now doing a big “bomb” into the pool!!!
Hi Donna! Thank you so much for your sweet words, they mean a lot to me. I do find comfort in knowing Mom and Dad are together again 🙂 We are enjoying the pool a lot! So funny you mentioning Jon doing a bomb into the pool! He was just doing them on Sunday 🤣.
Good to see you back Denise! And my condolences on losing both of your parents. The last time you posted I believe your dad had just died. What a difficult year for you. I would be interested in hearing how you dealt with your grief if you feel up to sharing sometime. Maybe your parents are smiling down on you in the moon and especially the rainbow? Your pool looks gorgeous!
Hi Joni! Thank you for your condolences. I do very much appreciate the kind words. Yes I believe you’re right. Mom was doing well but took a sudden turn and progressed downhill very slowly over a 2 week period. It was a very difficult time for us. But I take comfort in knowing they are together again, smiling down on us and sending us rainbows 🙂 Thank you my friend…it’s wonderful to hear from you! 😘
So sorry to hear of you losing both parents this year. Yes, I would like to know how you coped. I lost my parents 2 years apart and still get sad thinking they are no longer with me. Your house, pool, and pool house is just stunning! You are a blessed lady! I’ve just started getting your blog, so interesting to see you blogging more.
Hi Nancy, welcome! Appreciate your condolences, and all your kind words…thank you! I am happy to share more of my experience with grief and depression in a future post! Stay tuned!
You have stunning taste and your thoughtful planning sure paid off. Thanks so much for sharing your journey!
Hi Antonia, you are very kind, thank you for commenting! Glad you enjoyed the reveal 🙂
Denise your gorgous pool was so worth the wait! What a glorious place to be, remembering your parents and celebrating life’s joys! i would love to hear about your grieving process, as I’m still working on some of that too. So glad to have you back my friend!
Barbara, your comments always make me smile. It’s good to be back my friend 🙂 I hope you are doing well too, taking it day by day seems to be the best way to live in these trying times. 😘
You have done a beautiful job with your pool and pool house! I appreciate all of the thought that went into it. I’m starting the same, long process, and your pictures and blog posts have been very useful. Can I ask for some dimensions? I believe you said the pool was 20×50. If that is correct, is that just the water area? Does that include the spa, and if it doesn’t what size is the spa? Could you also tell me the width of the walkways on the sides of the pool as well as the dimensions of the poolhouse? (I believe the total width of the poolhouse is the same as the enlarged seating areas at the ends of the walkways.) Really, any dimensions you could offer would be helpful. It is just so nice to be able to “see” what that size looks like.
Hi Alisa, so glad you are finding it helpful. The pool itself is 20×50 and does not include the spa which is 8×8. The width of the walkways is 8 ft on each side and the pool house is 26×30. My youtube videos provide a lot of insight too. Hope this helps!
Thank you so much! I have been looking at a lot of your information. Again, it has been very helpful!
I’m so glad. Good luck with your project Alisa! It is an enormous undertaking.
Did you use a black grout in between the tiles for the waterline? Love your taste as we too are going with the same waterline tile 😍
Yes I believe the grout was darker in color similar to black
How beautiful and awesome. Loved that rainbow.
Are the tile marble? They look like they would be slippery.
Hi Crystal, thank you! The tiles are travertine. They aren’t too slippery but I do ask everyone not to run and be careful on the tiles…just in case.
Hi Denise. Your pool and house are just stunning. As a former competitive swimmer I approve and would live out there doing laps. You’d have to drag me out of it! 😊 Also my sincere condolences on losing both your parents. I lost both mine within a year of each other and it is so very difficult. You feel untethered and lost. For a long time. It’s been 8 years for me and you never really quite get over it, you just learn to live with it. I would love to hear whatever you are comfortable sharing about your journey and glad you are back on your blog. 🤗
Hi Laurie, how very sweet of you. Thank you for your condolences. I think you are right, adjusting is about as good as it gets. Coming to terms with realizing you will never see them again is hard. They have been with me my entire life…it’s a big adjustment. Thank you for the sweet comments about my pool and house! We are loving the space…a lot. I wish mom and dad could have seen it… but I’m sure they are looking down and smiling 🙂
Hi! It is beautiful! Bravo 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 But am I missing the pool house?lol Is it attached to your home? I bet you can relax now and just breathe and enjoy the fruits of your labor! I bet the children love it too! That is sweet that there was a rainbow on his birthday too! Like nature was celebrating him too! 🌈 Again I am so sorry for the loss of your parents. It is hard enough to lose one, but two near each other is just too much. I am glad you are feeling better now! Here is to better days again, and best wishes for a fun, safe time at your new pool, building new memories! ❤️Xo
Hi Kelly, I am so happy to be back blogging and reconnecting with my readers. The pool house is on my Instagram, but haven’t revealed yet on the blog. Thank you for your condolences, the past few months have been difficult..so appreciate all the support I get from you all. We are enjoying the space tremendously! So nice to be spending time outdoors in nature and appreciating moments like the sky changing and a beautiful rainbow over our yard. Life is good 🙂 Hope you are doing well too my friend!
So glad to have your blog back, Denise. I have missed it & you. So sorry to hear about your parents & know how hard it has been for you. I hope you find comfort in knowing that they are together again as they had been while still on this earth. And I know they are smiling down at your beautiful pool and the wonderful job you have done. I have been waiting for your pool reveal & it is everything I had expected especially with all the research you did. It is absolutely beautiful & know the kids are enjoying it. I can just see John now doing a big “bomb” into the pool!!!
Hi Donna! Thank you so much for your sweet words, they mean a lot to me. I do find comfort in knowing Mom and Dad are together again 🙂 We are enjoying the pool a lot! So funny you mentioning Jon doing a bomb into the pool! He was just doing them on Sunday 🤣.
Good to see you back Denise! And my condolences on losing both of your parents. The last time you posted I believe your dad had just died. What a difficult year for you. I would be interested in hearing how you dealt with your grief if you feel up to sharing sometime. Maybe your parents are smiling down on you in the moon and especially the rainbow? Your pool looks gorgeous!
Hi Joni! Thank you for your condolences. I do very much appreciate the kind words. Yes I believe you’re right. Mom was doing well but took a sudden turn and progressed downhill very slowly over a 2 week period. It was a very difficult time for us. But I take comfort in knowing they are together again, smiling down on us and sending us rainbows 🙂 Thank you my friend…it’s wonderful to hear from you! 😘
So sorry to hear of you losing both parents this year. Yes, I would like to know how you coped. I lost my parents 2 years apart and still get sad thinking they are no longer with me. Your house, pool, and pool house is just stunning! You are a blessed lady! I’ve just started getting your blog, so interesting to see you blogging more.
Hi Nancy, welcome! Appreciate your condolences, and all your kind words…thank you! I am happy to share more of my experience with grief and depression in a future post! Stay tuned!
You have stunning taste and your thoughtful planning sure paid off. Thanks so much for sharing your journey!
Hi Antonia, you are very kind, thank you for commenting! Glad you enjoyed the reveal 🙂
Denise your gorgous pool was so worth the wait! What a glorious place to be, remembering your parents and celebrating life’s joys! i would love to hear about your grieving process, as I’m still working on some of that too. So glad to have you back my friend!
Barbara, your comments always make me smile. It’s good to be back my friend 🙂 I hope you are doing well too, taking it day by day seems to be the best way to live in these trying times. 😘
You have done a beautiful job with your pool and pool house! I appreciate all of the thought that went into it. I’m starting the same, long process, and your pictures and blog posts have been very useful. Can I ask for some dimensions? I believe you said the pool was 20×50. If that is correct, is that just the water area? Does that include the spa, and if it doesn’t what size is the spa? Could you also tell me the width of the walkways on the sides of the pool as well as the dimensions of the poolhouse? (I believe the total width of the poolhouse is the same as the enlarged seating areas at the ends of the walkways.) Really, any dimensions you could offer would be helpful. It is just so nice to be able to “see” what that size looks like.
Hi Alisa, so glad you are finding it helpful. The pool itself is 20×50 and does not include the spa which is 8×8. The width of the walkways is 8 ft on each side and the pool house is 26×30. My youtube videos provide a lot of insight too. Hope this helps!
Thank you so much! I have been looking at a lot of your information. Again, it has been very helpful!
I’m so glad. Good luck with your project Alisa! It is an enormous undertaking.
Did you use a black grout in between the tiles for the waterline? Love your taste as we too are going with the same waterline tile 😍
Yes I believe the grout was darker in color similar to black