The Best Laid Plans.....

We moved to this house in 1982, and the pool was here, but the lack of decking around it was pitiful. The man who last lived in this house put in the pool, the pump house and a fence during the summer that he had no job. His company was bought out by a new firm and they canned all the former employees (as so often happens), and he needed something to do. I almost wish he hadn't bothered, because he botched it up quite a bit and we had to build a new deck and retaining wall to make it acceptable. Before that, every time it rained, there was nothing but mud in the concrete area surrounding the pool.

He built a short, wooden fence that loosely followed the contours of the pool, about 18" out. Their plan was to plant flowers and ground cover, but it was always very hot near that concrete and the plants they chose couldn't stand up to the heat. They moved to California, and pretty soon it looked like a vacant lot in the slums (red clay dirt and weeds), This house was empty and on the market for almost 2 years.

I drew this plan, and except for minor changes, it is what we had built the second summer we lived here. One of the larger changes was the exclusion of a jacuzzi, much to my dismay. The reason for that is a loooooonnnng story, involving my MIL.....a tale for another day!

The red line to the rear and right of the decking was meant to be a brick retaining wall, with built-in planters. When we got the cost estimate for that, we nearly fainted. That brick wall would have cost more than the 1500 sq. feet of decking we added. We had to be content with 6x6" posts forming the retaining wall, and considering how ivy has grown all over it in the last 24 years, we were probably smart to use wood instead of brick.

As pump houses go, this one remains a sore spot with me. He built it as small as possible (so as to save money on materials, I guess), and inside the space is so tight that you can hardly wedge yourself in there if the pump needs repairs or simple maintenance. We should have concentrated our efforts on enlarging that, but foresight then was not as good as hindsight is now, and there is less motivation and/or money, to do it right. Sometimes I see small potting sheds or tool sheds in magazines, and they are so charming and creatively tricked out they make me drool. There was great potential for that in this pump house, but the vision was not there at the time.

When I found this drawing recently, it brought back all the excitement we felt back then. There is nothing like being young, buying a new home and deciding how you will make it your own. Sometimes the excitement even overshadows the frustrations....LOL!

We had to have a few boards replaced last week, and there are many more that need it. Truth be told, we need a whole new deck. And the cycle continues...

Scroll down for a hand update......