My husband and I created the pool and back yard of our dreams! We’ve had loads of questions about the size, deck details, furniture and more. Grab a cup of coffee my friends and join me for our pool reveal tour.
I was lucky enough to grow up with a pool in our backyard; living in the Okanagan, we turned into fishes in the summertime! Our wrinkled toes were evidence of hours well spent in the pool with underwater tea parties, endless flips and giggles (especially when our granny was in the pool – she was the best sport, diving for pucks that we would throw in the shallow end for her – some of my favourite memories).
Fast forward to now, where I live a stone’s throw from this same house that I grew up in (I can see my parent’s house from mine). With all the time we spend at home coupled with the fact that our backyard is large and flat, we decided to take the plunge to put in a pool of our own.
Pool Details
My dear husband Charles’ company Riviera Pool & Spa worked his magic to design our pool. To say it is my dream pool, would be an understatement. Our property is 1/2 an acre, and our pool is 16×36′. Our pool has a set of three lounging stairs (called a sun pad). The shallow end is 10 feet long with a deep end that is 7′ deep. We chose to have no diving board for safety reasons: you know, two boys and all.
Pool Deck
The pool deck is concrete with widely spaced expansion joints (the cuts in the concrete) so that it didn’t look too busy. The concrete was tinted a “light grey” before poured (I think it looks a bit darker than light grey but ultimately loved how it turned out). The most important feature to highlight is the finish of the deck. Pool decks can get extremely slippery, which of course is dangerous. We went with a Top Cast finish that gives it a bit of grit to make it non-slip, even once sealed. Highly recommend.
The pool deck has a 5′ wide walkway on the sides with a 10×20 foot area at the deep end. The lounger area is 12×20′. The sitting area is 16×26′.
Pedestal Planters
Our pedestal concrete planters are from Better Earth Gardens – and I LOVE them! They are from Henry Studios and are made to last. They have such a timeless feel and are such great quality.
Pool Liner
We ended up choosing a vinyl pool liner after deliberating over a drop-in pool. The liner we chose is called Reef by Latham Pools, no border.
Pool Cover
There was no question that if we were getting a pool, it would have a safety cover on it to prevent the risk of anyone drowning in it. While expensive (around $15k), the thought of something happening was just too much for us. This is a retractable cover with a pin pad and code to operate it. While I love the look of an open pool, at this stage it is covered anytime it isn’t being used. Ours is from Coverstar in light grey.
Sitting Area
We entertain a lot, and wanted the space to be a place where people could spend the afternoon soaking up the sun and visiting for hours on end. Here are the details of our poolside spaces.
Furniture
We carved out a section of the previous landscaping to create a cozy space where people could sit and visit while watching the kids play their hearts out. I was worried that putting in a pool would make our yard feel smaller, but the addition of this little area really expanded the yard. We chose two Abaco Outdoor Sofas and two matching chairs with White Sand Sunbrella Cushions from Crate & Barrel.
The square outdoor fire table was custom made by our friend Ernie at Canada Outdoor Kitchens. The pit is made out of a Cosentino material called Dekton that is basically indestructible.
I found the side tables at Homesense and loved them (I had to paint two of the bases black to match each other, but it was worth the effort).
Pool Loungers
I fell in love with our pool loungers from Hauser, which together with the matching two-tone umbrellas, completely made the space. The umbrellas have a heavy duty base in a pewter finish to keep them from flying away should a gust of wind come up. The lounger covers are removable and washable (thank goodness!).
Landscaping
Our landscaping was done by Lakeshore Landscapes, a small family-run business who wowed me with their friendliness, quality and work ethic! Our traditional landscaping is layered with Green Gem boxwoods, white Incrediball hydrangeas and lilacs in the back (these will take awhile to grow). The other spruce trees and cedars were there before we moved in.
Thank you to Crate & Barrel, Hauser Furniture and Canada Outdoor Kitchens for contributing product for this project.
It looks lovely. Did I miss seeing a fence around the pool or is a pool cover sufficient?
Perfection Tori! You and your family and friends are going to have many hours of enjoyment in your beautiful yard and pool, enjoy you deserve it!
STUNNING!!!!
THANK YOU!! XX Tori
Looks great! Now I want to see a short video showing it all for reference.
Congrats Tori and Charles!
Here’s hoping you get an Indian summer and can enjoy the pool a little longer! 👍🏻
Or perhaps start your cocktails down there. 🤷🏻♀️
Since the pool has that solid cover maybe you can add decor on top when it’s off season.
I still think your backyard could be a winter wonderland with lights on your trees!
We are hoping to attempt it ourselves this year if we can work around the High Desert winds. 🌵
Thanks so much Kristina! We have been able to enjoy it even with the leaves starting to fall!
I totally agree, it is a winter wonderland with the trees with some snow! Wishing you all the best, Tori.
Gorgeous, as expected, much like all your other design choices! Your taste is impeccable, Tori!
So beautiful & tastefully done!
I love all your picks! 🤍🤍🤍 I’ll have yours replicated one day😁
Oh those hydrangeas 🤩 💥 🙌🏼
Thank you so much! xx
It’s so beautiful and serene looking. If I had that backyard, I’d never need to go on vacation. That is a vacation paradise. Great job!
Your pool and outside space is just so beautiful, it’s so you Tori!
Thank you so much Linda!
Only, simply amazing. 👏👏👏
So elegant and also functional for the whole family to enjoy. Love it! The “light gray” tint mentioned, do you know if that’s from the Davis Colour Chart? Are you happy with the colour ?
So beautiful and timeless. Would you be able to share which Top Cast finish you used?
Hi Ashley I’m not totally sure to be honest it has a bit of a grit to it but isn’t shiny! Not sure if that helps – it is an anti slip top cast.
Your Hauser pool loungers are they the Driftwood Cove or the Coastal Chaise? I want to order them today! 😀
Hi Patti they are the Driftwood Cove! Enjoy!
We absolutely love your pool. Was it designed and constructed by Latham, too? I understand the Reef Liner is from Latham.
Many thanks!
Hi Cindy! No they didn’t design and construct it – but yes that is the liner!
Curious as to what the final cost of this was and a breakdown? Chris Loves Julia did their pool reveal and it was nice to see them be transparent with pricing so people can see what’s attainable/in their budget
Hi Lynne,
Thanks for the note. Our cost was a bit skewed since we did a lot of the work ourselves, which isn’t always doable for everyone. That said our pool ended up costing us about $80,000. I hope this helps!
Just curious where the pool equipment is kept?
Hi Lindsey it is in a nook in the house behind the pool heater! Not ideal but we are working on another solution!
Everything is so beautiful and airy where did you purchase the white outdoor umbrellas ? Also are the cages that you mentioned for your hydrangeas for sale to the public ?
Hi Shaun they are from Hauser! And the cages are sourced from a local company Margaret
Valley Landscaping
Thanks so much Shaun!
Yes, I buy mine from a local company https://www.margaretvalley.com/