Finishing the Week with a Stunning Poolside Landscape

Building a pool is one thing. Building the space around it - that's where the real work happens. A lot of homeowners put their entire budget into the pool itself and treat the surrounding area as an afterthought. What they end up with is a finished pool sitting in a half-done yard that never quite feels complete.

Here's what we were working with on this project: a raised rectangular pool that needed a surround worthy of the investment. We went with a stone veneer skirt along the raised walls and a full paver deck wrapping the entire perimeter. The combination does two things - it gives the structure a clean, finished look from ground level, and it creates a durable, non-slip surface right where you need it most.

The stone veneer ties the raised pool walls into the natural surroundings. With mature trees and open green space on all sides, we wanted materials that felt grounded in the landscape rather than fighting against it. The light-toned pavers on the deck keep the surface from absorbing too much heat, which matters a lot during a Tennessee summer.

The wooden posts you see are part of a pergola or shade structure still being framed out. That's the next layer of the build - overhead coverage that will pull the whole outdoor living space together. The plantings along the base of the pool wall are already in, giving the structure a soft edge and keeping it from looking like a bare concrete box sitting in the lawn.

Projects like this take coordination. Hardscape, masonry, plant installation, and structure framing all have to happen in the right sequence. Getting that order right is what keeps a job on track and keeps the finished product looking intentional rather than pieced together.