Backyard Makeover Series: Pool Transformation

A brand-new patio and some vibrant furniture had our backyard beginning to feel like the perfect little oasis—at least, until your eyes landed on the pool. Oh dear. Let’s just say, it wasn’t exactly sparkling. I’ve always loved the size and shape of our pool, but those dated 80s tiles and the worn-out surface were impossible to ignore. And since the pool is the centerpiece of the backyard, it meant that no matter how nice everything else looked, the pool stole the show—and not in a good way.

Now, while my husband dreamed of tackling new floors inside (which I’d love to), I couldn’t get past the pool. A few years later, fate—or maybe gravity—gave us a nudge when some tiles simply gave up and fell off. That was it. Time to take action.

So, right in the middle of a pandemic (when apparently everyone had the same idea to renovate), we started gathering quotes. The first one? Nearly $13,000. My heart sank—I was certain the dream was over before it began. But then, thanks to one of my husband’s work connections in the pool industry, we got a second quote. This time, for just a little over half the cost. Suddenly, our “someday” dream became a reality, and we were on our way to a gorgeous new pool.

Before – 80’s Ugly Tile Pool

Big design decisions always send me into a spiral of second-guessing. There are no do-overs with something like this—you can’t have it installed and then suddenly say, “Hmm… maybe the lighter color was better.” From the very beginning, I knew one thing for certain: I wanted my pool to be blue.

The old surface had tiny brown flecks in it, which made the water look clear, but on sunny days it always carried the slightest green tint. Pat from Anything Wet, the company redoing our pool, suggested stacked stone instead of full tile. I’ll admit, I wasn’t sure at first. I didn’t even know stacked stone was an option, but my husband immediately liked the idea. So, naturally, I went into full research mode.

Even after hours of reading and scrolling, I still couldn’t decide. Was stacked stone really the right choice? It did look beautiful in photos. In the end, my husband was confident, and I figured it would probably look lovely once finished—so we took the leap. Then came the hard part: choosing the stone and the tile. The stress was real. Even after we made our selections, I kept second-guessing myself.

Once we finally decided on the stacked stone, tile, and a set of sleek new LED lights (shockingly pricey, by the way), we were officially on the schedule. But just as installation time rolled around, we got the dreaded call: the stacked stone we’d chosen was out of stock. Our options were to wait or to pick a “similar” substitute. I went to see the alternate choice, but it just didn’t have the same shimmer. Our original stone sparkled in the sunlight, and I couldn’t bring myself to settle. For a project this big, it felt important to get exactly what we wanted—so we waited another week.

It turns out that I am absolutely in love with stacked stone—it was the perfect choice! Our pool has a large backsplash area, and while it used to be covered entirely in tile, I always felt like it was a bit too much. Now, the stacked stone breaks it up beautifully, adding texture and interest. We still kept a small row of tile at the waterline and around the spa, which ties everything together perfectly. For the water color, we went with the bluest blue available without upgrading, and it turned out just right. The lighter shade of blue makes the whole backyard feel bright, fresh, and full of life!

New Amazing Pool

Is there really any doubt that the new pool is spectacular? One of our favorite upgrades is the LED color-changing lights—because if you’re going to make improvements, why not go all out? The only downside is that we don’t use them as often as we’d like, since you have to step outside to switch them on. That’s why my next little project is installing a timer, so the lights will glow every evening and switch off on their own.