Jennifer Coppola At Home
This is the first post in the official Summer Series of blog posts on all plans and projects for the outdoor areas. Now that the weather has warmed up in New Jersey, I have been completely unmotivated to do any projects indoors. So I'm going to focus on the great outdoors and the yard surrounding the house.
Once we closed on the house, John and I were very excited to make plans for the backyard design. Our property is just under 2 acres, which meant we could plan out what we wanted in the yard without having to worry too much about lack of space. We wanted the backyard to be an oasis and a place we would want to spend hours in. There were three main things we decided to build and any landscaping details would be added around each one.
The Backyard Design Anchor: Pool
This was a big one and we wanted a pool for a few different reasons. First, a pool is a great way to enjoy the summer weather without having to pack up the car and go to a community pool or beach. Second, a pool is an easy way to entertain guests during summer parties since people can choose to relax inside it or kids can play in it. Third, our backyard is going to be hot for at least the next decade since that’s how long the trees need to grow in and provide some shade. It’s this third reason why we decided to go with the next part of the plan.
When we met with Seasonal World, the company that built our pool, one of their designers drew up an entire plan for the backyard design with the covered pavilion and detached garage included. Seasonal World isn't building these two structures but the plan was what we ran with for the rest of the yard.
The pool was completed last fall and is currently in use!
Covered Pavilion
This was one we went back and forth on for a few months because of all of the options and the costs associated with it. I am happy to report that we are moving forward with it because shade is desperately needed in the back and the pavilion will allow us to expand the number of solar panels currently on the house. Once it’s complete, we will be able to spend more time outside without having to worry about sunburn or the occasional rainstorm that cycles through.
The pavilion work has not started yet but the permit was approved and work will begin soon.
Detached Workshop
This last one will be helpful for the tools, pool items that need storage in the cold months. We thought about getting a yard shed at first but some of the pool skimmers, extra hoses, and scrap wood that has accumulated over the last year made us change our minds. The detached workshop will be a double garage with a storage loft above so we won’t run out of storage space…at least I hope!
The garage has not started yet but the permit has been approved so will begin soon.
