The wife and I are on a tight budget but would like to do something to improve our backyard space. We have a good start I think. We have an above ground pool with attached deck off of the house and a hill in the end of the yard that has a clearing with picnic table and firepit, followed by woods.
We live in Northeast Ohio, so we only get to enjoy this a couple months out of the year. We have some outdoor speakers under the overhang, tropical paper lanterns, tiki torches and a lighted table umbrella (not pictured).
I really like it at night. During the day we get full sun on our pool from 9am till 8pm. The sun is nice to warm the pool, but I'm a shade guy. I hate how open the deck is so out in the open and don't enjoy sitting out there too much. The table umbrella helps shade a couple seats but that's it. Unfortunately with the low overhang, we can't do a retractable awning.
Some plants would be nice, but I don't know much about greenery and with the high deck, they wouldn't do much.
In one of the pictures below, you'll see a swing (which is gone) and empty space behind our garage off of the deck. I was thinking of putting in a 10x10 or 12x12 patio with "pop-up" metal gazebo, but I'm not sure. I'd imagine it should be stone, brick or concrete to avoid too much decking...
Anywhoo... what would you do to make this a more comforting oasis??
It would not need to be as big as these but the pergolas may give you an idea. Maybe a wooden screen or lattice? I am not too creative but these are a few ideas. You might have a clematis or climbing vine, or flower such as a mandevilla growing up. Just a few thoughts.
This message has been edited. Last edited by: Sara in Tn,
Sara's patio sun shades is what I initially thought would solve your extreme sun poolside dilemma too. They're the newest thing and will definitely solve your problem. BTW, we use multi umbrellas on our sun drenched deck. You can free stand some via a cast iron umbrella stand. Some umbrellas tilt to adjust to the sun's path too. Using outdoor area rugs makes it comfortable when walking in bare feet too. They also add color/pattern interest.
The extension of your deck via a small patio is a good one too. Varying the materials used will add textural interest to your hardscape as well. A pergula or gazebo would be ideal there as a shaded retreat. Go with your ideas. They are sound ones.
Posts: 6742 | Location: Right here, duh! ;) | Registered: Nov 03, 2005
i agree with the pergolas ideas. or you could just tact an abohor to your deck, a jasmine such as carolina is an evergreen so it will have color year round also clematis has a breed with white flowers it would be a good contrast to the yellow jasmine. also i would stain your deck..a stain with a little color will seal your wood and also add color this is a cheap fix-er-up. along the pool you could do a garden. garden wall is decently cheap and adds a different material and height to your yard. be sure so plant a mixture of ever greens and perennials/annuals flowers. theres a shrub called variegated privet. it has a green/yellowish/white leaf. will corespond with jasmine. also japanese maples are great to plant off the side of the pool, they can grow larger to provide shade/privacey/color. lay some pavers and make a patio area around what apppears to be a fire pit. great area for roasting marsh mellows as your little one gets old. you could make a kid area off to the side i see you have a swing just get some outdoor timber to box in an area and the reclcyed mulch is soft and kid resistant. hope this helps
oh had another idea for a lattice thats different go to an antique store get the tall doors with glass(squares) bust out glass you can use hinges to contect them
