If y’all know your Robert Preston/Shirley Jones musicals then you already know that “P” stands for

POOL!

That’s right. We took the plunge (sorry) and got a pool.

After interviewing with about 30 pool companies, (No lie. The ones that bothered to return emails and phone calls anyway,) we finally met with Pools123.

We knew we wanted a pool… but weren’t really sure what kind of pool we wanted.

Apparently it was a “plunge” pool – that means it’s too small for diving but just the right size for a couple of old dudes to cool off in.

And Pools123 had just that. We choose the Harmony model; 10′ X 20′ X 5′ deep – just the right scale for the size of our humble yard.

This is the pic of the Harmony from the Pools123 catalog.

Beautiful, right?

Since their pools are all fiberglass the installation is so fast and even better yet economical.

Two details we’re always looking for.

Let’s start at the very beginning, here’s the plan that Pools123 did for us…

and the actual space we were working with…

(Please ignore the curious boxer in the pic – it’s nearly impossible to take any pictures without a dog, or even two dogs, insisting on being into the shot.)

When we returned from Puerto Rico last July, this pile was waiting for us.

Hard to believe that this was all the equipment they needed. But it was.

It was a warm Monday morning in late July when the crew arrived and marked off the digging spot in blue.

Clearly we got to keep the tree, the solitary tree in our backyard, but the post for the hammock wasn’t quite so lucky.

When the backhoe arrived, I sat on the deck and watched the entire dig.

Honestly, I think it took about 45 minutes.

He would scoop and then twirl the backhoe to unload into a dump truck waiting behind him in the alley.

When the guys were satisfied with the size and shape of the hole, they filled it with a layer of pea gravel to level off the bottom.

That little ledge on the right is where the bench part of the form will rest.

They then used the same backhoe to “crane” the pool through our alley, into the backyard, and lowered ever-so-gently into place.

Here’s an interesting fact about fiberglass pools, they fill them with water before backfilling the ground around them to keep them from warping. Those struts in the middle of the pool are part of that structure system too.

Who knew?

Here’s where we landed at the end of day two.

The next step was clay.

Lots and lots of beautiful red clay to lay the foundation for the concrete deck.

So, this is where we went slightly off script…

and kind of expanded the concrete deck…

just a little.

Ok, maybe we extended the concrete deck A LOT.

If you scroll back up and check the original plan you’ll see there was only supposed to be a 3 foot border of concrete around the pool.

And, you know, I was going to build “something” to extend the deck.

But this just seemed right.

I have to admit that I was a little nervous about turning our entire backyard into a sea of concrete

Jamie had the concrete guys stamp our initials into one of the corners with a branding iron.

After the crew trenched and ran electricity for the pool pump, it was my responsibility to replace my pea gravel and concrete paver pathway to the tool shed/potting bench.

Of course, there was also sprinkler repair and new sod laid. We have two big dogs that need a place to run, play and (ahem) poop. Even though they both prefer to poop in the pea gravel.

I also replaced the missing fence sections and re-stained the entire fence with a coat of Russet stain so everything looks fresh.

Ohhh, and I built a smaller version of our fence to hide the pool equipment, with a completely removable front panel for easy access.

Huge improvement, I know.

We can’t thank Pool123 enough for the ease, and speed, of making our humble backyard into the oasis we always knew it could be.

As a quick reminder, here’s what the backyard looks like just about 12 years ago…

and the relaxing space that we’ve created since….

No comparison, right?

I know which yard I’d rather spend my time in.

As always, there’s still a few more projects to finish the space; like a little landscaping, maybe a few new furniture pieces, a kegerator would be nice, or even French doors installed off the living room and master bedroom.

Stay tuned.

But, in the meantime…

“POOL PARTY AT THE CAVENDER HOUSE!”

It’s going to be a great summer.