The backyard living space

At the tail end of 2009, Jason from Pool Craft came to me with this project. The customer had a small list of things they wanted in the yard (pool, patio and hot tub). Jason was asking me to do my best to lay out everything within the given backyard area. The end result was as follows in the pictures below....

As Spring of 2010 approached, a couple more things were added to the list of what to fit into the backyard space. There was an idea for a pergola sitting over a bar area and a lounge area with a gas fireplace feature...


Granted that the yard was not very big to begin with... I wrestled with the spacial limits in my head...then plugged away at the plan on my computer... I like a challenge where the design restraints must conform to what the customer wants... Sometimes the answer absolutely has to be "No" but in most cases I try to find a way around the "No" and look for alternatives that will make my client happy...


The end result was a yard without grass... (which conforms to my dream to not push a lawnmower around!) ... the end result is a yard that is now part of the home... a backyard living space that can be enjoyed for many months of the year. The addition of the fire pit can take the chill out of a cool September evening... the hot tub can be used year round due to it's proximity to the back door of the home.


The Pergola Bar... a place for the "adults" of the pool party to sit while enjoying drinks, conversation and shade! On a hot summer afternoon, while the kids are playing in the pool, this sort of space allows you to be out in the backyard and keep dry from both the pool splashing and summer heat...


Lastly, the most important part of the backyard, the pool! When you are considering a pool, most often the ideal design includes an entertainment space. Having a small strip of concrete around a pool with grass clippings and grass areas is not always fun when you come out of a pool soaking wet. You want a good sized patio to place chairs and allow time to dry off before going in the home... if the yard is large enough and budget is big enough... a Cabana house is always a welcome sight!


But as in most cases, the pool itself is a big investment for most families. So budgets are taken into very strict consideration as to what can be done with a backyard space. My advice to the potential pool owner... when getting estimates and quotes for a backyard pool installation, have someone plan it out for you first!

A proper pool company (like Jason's company) will do this for you... understanding that there is a budget for the project and leaving room for expansion in the future is the key to a successful backyard living space. I often make sure that my plans take into consideration the patio space and structures that may come into play... be it a tool shed, cabana, or even an addition put on a home. If it is a phased project over a set number of years, the plan is a key factor to the backyard success.
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All photos used in this blog post are the sole property of Pool Craft. Pool Craft can be reached at:
Telephone: 905 884 2720
Toll free: 1-877-469-6649

Water Proofing Your Foundation

Often times you will get a damp feeling in your basement...or even more drastically, there is water seeping in from outside... As foundations settle they may incur cracks along masonry joints or cracks within a poured in place foundation wall.

When such an occurrence happens where you find your basement leaking, you are forced to call up a contractor and have them come in to dig up the foundation walls for proper waterproofing repair. Sometimes things can get messy where the waterproofing repair entails having to rip apart existing landscapes like planting beds of walkways around the home.


If you are living in an older home and considering investing your money into a landscape project, check the conditions of your foundation walls before hand... if a repair is needed in the near future, it may make sense to have that done before you call in someone like myself to design and build your project...

Outdoor Furniture

Okay, so you've had the patio installed and now it is time to find that perfect piece of furniture to add to your new backyard makeover....

Last summer I was out and about in cottage country near Burk's Falls, Ontario... I happened upon a quaint little wood furniture store that had this gem of a patio table on display....


This table set was made with fine craftsmanship by the Mennonites here in Ontario. I sat there and examined it's construction and attention to detail... everything was well put together and properly stained for maximum protection against the elements. Granted that anything made from wood will need upkeep... maybe and extra layer of stain every so often to keep it looking fresh and new...



But it's look and feel is something that can't be replaced by the generic (and dare I say it, cheaply constructed) tables being shipped in from overseas... The price tag on this table with the 4 chairs was a little steep at $2000.00 for the set... but steep when compared to what?


As I mentioned, your typical choices on a lower budget are things with the stamp or tag that says "Made in China" Usually they are fabricated out of metals that are not quite refined enough and end up breaking where air pockets exist inside the metal... or the welds are applied with "just enough" tack to hold things together...but not enough to withstand snow and heavy winds...or a BBQ dinner for 20 people... The next time I see a patio table sagging under the weight of the food on it...I am snapping a picture to update this blog post!

With a properly designed and crafted furniture piece you get things like the little detail you see in the above photo where there is a chair hook cleverly crafted into the table... a place for the chair to sit securely during a windy day...or even a spot to hold all 4 while you shift the table around for patio cleaning...

In my experience, some of the cheaper sets of patio furniture ends up being replaced after a few years because it was designed on a computer without any thought given to what Mother Nature can throw at it... Spending that extra bit for a good quality piece will stretch your dollars a lot further. The good thing about this set is that when it rains, it won't hold and store water within so it can start to rust the structure from the inside out and cause the paint to start flaking off to create a nice rust-orange stain on your patio or the piece itself.


Oh yes!!...and for those of you wondering why there is a trap door in the middle of the table... it is my most favorite detail of all (in the above photo). Not many of the "Made in China" sets come with this much thought put into them.... a place to put beer and or other drinks on ice... as you sit and chat with your guests you can help yourself to a "cold one"...or simply instruct your guests to please do the same... without either of you having to travel very far!!