This post has been a very long time coming! After many months of planning/designing and more than six months of construction, I can finally share our new outdoor kitchen, patio and pool project with you guys!
***Updated: I have shared all of my outdoor furniture and decor sources on this post here.
Yes, I have been holding out from you guys and not sharing or even talking about this project on the blog like I normally do with all of my projects. The truth is, we had a lot of issues to overcome going into the project, two hurricanes during construction and for several months all we had was a big mound of dirt. Not very exciting stuff to share!
I decided that it would be best (and more inspiring for all us) to wait until the end of this big project and then over the next few weeks, take you back through each step of the process, go more in-depth about our design work/planning and all the other components. I want to share as much as I can to help those of you who may be planning an outdoor project yourselves.
So let’s go back to the beginning for a moment and let me show you how our backyard looked before the construction started.
Here are a couple construction shots during the building process (our builder was Southern Builders in Lufkin, Texas):
And after more than 15 years of staring at our backyard and wishing/dreaming, here’s the after!! Ahhhhhh….
So today I am mainly just going to show you a lot of pictures and as I mentioned, in the nest few weeks I will go more in-depth on each aspect of the project. However, there are a couple things I wanted to point out as you look through the images today. Because our upper level was more than four feet higher than our pool level, the whole backside of this project had to be a retaining wall. So all the stucco that you see on the sides,inside the pool house itself and fireplace is a retaining wall with French drainage behind the wall with a moisture sealed barrier. It was quite a challenge to build this while trying to alleviate any drainage issues that we could have.
One of the biggest challenges that we had going into this project was that there was so much dirt that needed to be excavated and removed to level the yard (one step up) from the pool level. The dirt excavating alone took over four weeks to complete and that was daily excavating for eight hours and hauling off dirt through this little opening through our small gate.
By the way, this was the only way to get into our backyard so this whole project was constructed through this gate and a road that was made through our front yard.
While I wanted the pool itself and pool house to both be on the same level, for drainage purposes, we opted to have the pool house one step up from the pool level.
I wanted the pool house and the whole area to feel a little more modern than a traditional rustic type outdoor kitchen, so I did this by choosing lighter/airy paint colors like PPG Timeless Exterior Crystal Clear White on the house interior ceiling and a gorgeous light warm gray called Burmese Beige (PPG Timeless Exterior) as the main color that you see on the house and stucco wall. PPG Timeless Exterior is the most durable exterior paint I could find for this project and I will be sharing more about why I love this paint so much in the next couple of weeks.
The house structure itself is 26′ x 26′ (from beam to beam) and that was as wide as I could have it without having to have a beam in the middle. I wanted to utilize the rest of the yard so we extended the foundation to make a side patio as well.
I spent months in the planning stage laying out the design for entertainment purposes and easy flow for when we entertain. I wanted plenty of seating around the bars and islands and really comfortable seating in the open areas around the fireplace.
The base of the pool house, bars and fireplace are all limestone, which I really love! I had my contractor only use the whitest side of the stone to keep things light and airy because limestone can be orangy-yellow from the iron.
I wanted lots of covered space for comfy seating and if you saw my post last week here, I shared a sneak peek of these areas and all of the furniture/decor sources. I am so excited with how it turned out and how cozy it is.
Next week, I will go more into detail about the outdoor kitchen part of this project because there is so much I learned and found that I wanted to share for those of you planning any size outdoor kitchen.
One of the most important things that I wanted in our outdoor kitchen was to have an oversized large kitchen island for sitting around, entertaining and cooking. I loved how it turned out and we decided to keep things cohesive and we used the same beautiful color of the pool house (PPG Timeless Burmese Beige) on all the cabinetry.
If you want to see all of the product sources that I used for our outdoor kitchen, you can see them all here.
I can’t wait to share more of this project with you guys in the next few weeks. I plan to share everything from the planning, to the construction to even some of the smaller details that we incorporated in our outdoor dream space.
Thanks so much for stopping by today friends!
Cheers!
Cyndy
Lisa says
What is your flooring? It’s beautiful. We have just moved in to a new house we have been building about 2 months ago. We are beginning the process of building a pool TODAY. Your timing is perfect.
Thank you!
Cyndy says
Thank you so much Lisa! The tile is Montouk black slate tile 18 x 24. It is GORGEOUS and we love it so much. Slate is great for patios because it’s porous and not slippery and it also doesn’t get hot like other tile. Good luck on your project. 🙂
Alex says
What color grout did you use?
Nancy says
That is besutiful !! Great job!!
Best out door space I’ve seen .
Creativity at its best .
Enjoy !!
Cyndy says
Awe., thank you so much Nancy!! You made my morning! 🙂
Rebekah {A Blissful Nest} says
This looks absolutely amazing and I have been waiting for this reveal! You are going to live in this space and never leave!
Cyndy says
Thank you sweet friend!! BTW, obsessed with your new living room girl! xo
Karen says
It looks so awesome. We are putting in a pool as we speak too & just love your outdoor kitchen.. Great job!
Cyndy says
Thank you Karen!! Good luck on your fun pool project! 🙂
Mindy Mazzei says
what kind of wood (and where did you get it) did you use for your mantle? This is exactly what I want for our indoor fireplace. We are in FL and out fireplace is white coral. This would be perfect. Thanks.
Cyndy says
The wood mantle is a very large solid piece of cedar that my contractor actually had on hand. Talk with your contractor or local wood supplier for a solid cedar beam like this. 🙂
Marie Paint It White says
This is absolutely stunning… I’m a bit speechless… It’s so gorgeous. I want to be your neighbor now lol…
Cyndy says
Awe, thank you!! Such a sweet note! Thanks! 🙂
rktrixy Ruth Vallejos says
What a beautiful, relaxing space. I could see it as a party for 100, as well as a small cocktail party with the girls. In addition to the new building, it looked like you resurfaced your existing exposed aggregate concrete walkway around the pool – what did you use? It’s so pretty!
Since you live in hurricane country, and hurricanes blow sideways – do you have any emergency covers for the TV? It seems strange that the water could reach that far into a covered structure but….
Cyndy says
Thank you! You said exactly what I hoped to achieve by creating a really versatile and comfy outdoor space either for a large gathering, small group or just the three of us! 😉
The tv is actually inside the fireplace. As the fireplace was being stoned, a box was made for the tv so it would be protected. However, in hurricane weather, you’re right, we could potentially have some damage. We were told that most people here in East Texas do not buy the expensive outdoor tv’s but just get the cheapest ones on sale at Walmart and if it’s damaged, it’s not as bad as replacing the $2,500 outdoor ones, so that’s what we did. We actually just had a very severe storm last week and it rained sideways for hours and I was shocked that the tv was not damaged! I just knew after that storm that it would be ruined but it wasn’t. Even the Bose Soundbar was fine!
As far as the pool decking, we actually just power washed the pebble-crete around the pool after the construction and it looked like new. Our pool was built in the 80’s and we were told recently that we were very lucky that they did the pebble-crete back then because it has become way too expensive to do it and basically non-existent today. Pebble-crete are tiny pebbles mixed with concrete that stay cool and looks so pretty. Thanks for your note! 🙂
Glenda Shepherd says
Cyndy?it’s fantastic!!!! Can’t wait to come enjoy a drink ? in you new awesome space. W will bring the food to grill?. You hit a home run, so proud of you!!❤️You guys
MaryBeth says
Amazing! Enjoy!
Jenny says
Absolutely stunning. Can you please share the stone you used on the counter tops. Thanks!
Cyndy says
Thank you! We actually used granite white ice. I wanted quartz but my island was wider than a quartz slab, which is smaller than granite and I didn’t want a seam down the island. I really didn’t want granite but LOVED this particular slab with white and black. 🙂
Audrey Ross says
love these countertops! just came to ask the same question as we are currently putting in a pool and outdoor kitchen. thank you for sharing!! it’s just beautiful!
Janice says
WOW!!! Just WOW! Beautiful job Cyndy!
Debbie says
It is beautiful, Cyndy and I know you and your family and friends will thoroughly enjoy it.
Cheryle says
This is the most beautiful outdoor space I have EVER seen – truly amazing! I have been pouring over these pics for the last 45 minutes! I am pinning EVERYTHING! The bar stools are just divine! Would you please be so kind as to provide some detail on those? I apologize if you’ve already mentioned it. Are they also by TK Classics? Thank you.
Sandra P says
Dang! Good job! What an amazing space!
Sarah says
This is simply amazing! Would you being willing to share where you purchased (or the brand) the bar stools, indoor sofa/sectional and round dining table and chairs? Love!!!
H Fab says
What are the dimensions of your pool house?
Jackie says
HI!
This space is perfect!!! I saw where you mentioned the tile source. Was this a Home Depot type purchase or a tile specialty store?
Thank you!
Cyndy says
Thanks Jackie! The tile is available at Home Depot and Build Direct. It’s Montauk slate. I hope that helps! 🙂
Jordan says
What a beautiful space!!! I am so happy to find these images because I am drawing plans now for our covered patio. The cabinetry is lovely. Where are they from? I presume they are designed for outdoor use? My husband thinks we have to do stainless steel cabinets outside and I would much prefer something like yours. Thank you so much!
Cyndy says
Thank you! The cabinetry is fiber-cement but the inserts of the cabinetry are stainless steel drawers and cabinets. I live in East Texas with extreme humidity and I knew that wood cabinetry would not last a year here. Also, I wanted to be able to spray off patio without worrying about the cabinets getting wet. So I had my builder use fiber-cement (Hardie Board) on the cabinets, which is used on exterior siding and is basically water-proof. I choose stainless steel inserts (the cabinets are built around them basically) because when closed, very little dust can get to them. They are not air proof but very close. I hope that helps! By the way, in the next couple of weeks, I’m going to be doing a post with all the kitchen details because i have had so many requests for what we did. So hopefully that will help you! 😉
Jonathan cantrell says
Do you have the plans available for this?
Mindi says
Gorgeous! I am looking for very similar couch. Whete is the furniture from?
Patty says
Absolutely stunning!! From the design to the furnishings! What a beautiful place to enjoy.
Brooke Samuelian says
Hello. Beautiful Ramada! Just curious what are the total dimensions (WxLxH)??
Marlin Navarro says
Hi Cyndy,
I love this patio and have been using it as inspiration for ours that is currently being built. I am wondering if you can share where you purchased your ceiling fans? Looking for some but not sure what I want? Do you have any suggestions?
Thanks so much!
Marlin
Nicole says
Gorgeous! Can you tell me what brand/where you got your cabinets? Constructing a pool house now and having the hardest time finding any I like.
I’d love to know where you got yours!
Thanks!
Cyndy says
Thank you so much Nicole! I had all of the cabinetry custom built with fiber cement boards (Hardy Board), which are basically water proof. I wanted to be able to spray off the patio and not worry about wood cabinets. Plus, I can’t imagine ever doing wood outdoor here in East Texas where the humidity is off the charts. The carpenter just built the cabinets to our plan and all of the appliances. On a side note, it wasn’t that much more expensive to have them built with Hardy vs. wood. I hope that helps and good luck with your project!
Wesley says
Beautiful! Where did you get your bar stools? Also, would you use the slate around your pool or would it get too hot?
Heidi Werner says
Can you tell me the brand of the bar stools you used in this project? I love them but I can’t find them mentioned in your outdoor furniture link. Thanks!
Linda says
Love your work! Where did you purchase the grey pendants over the outside island?
Cyndy says
Thank you! They are from Ikea. They are the 19″ Hecklar. I hope that helps.
Vanessa Lavina says
Hi cyndy! Wondering if the Hellas pendants have held up since not for outdoor. Love the look and wanted to use for our pergola. Thanks in advance! Blessings!
james says
Very impressive project, can you tell me more about the limestone, size, style, availibility, location???
Cyndy says
I live in Texas and it’s very easy to get limestone from here. In Texas, we call it Austin limestone because it’s mined from Austin and very easy to get. I just met with a builder in Utah that used limestone in several different sizes and shapes for a large home and he did it through an Austin limestone company that drove all the limestone to Utah. I would check with your local stone supplier to see what the availability would be in your area. I hope that helps!
Shonda Clifton says
Hello! I live in East Texas also in Center and am right in the middle of starting a outdoor makeover, could you possibly tell me the height of your cabinets? It’s perfect! Are those just dining chairs not bar height chairs? Love all your choices just stunning you truly have a gift. Thanks Shonda
Isabel says
I just found your project on pinterest snd love everything. Really well thought of all inviting! Great job! My question is: where did you buy those gorgeous lamps??? Thanks
Kyle W says
Hi. I was wondering what the height of your structure was and the fireplace. Looks amazing!
Nubia Lira says
Hello I just love your outdoor oasis! I am starting to plan this project in our backyard and I wanted to get an idea of what size of the outdoor house Gazebo, not sure what to call it. what size did you build yours?
Cyndy says
Thank you for your kind words about our outdoor kitchen/pool house. Our structure is 26′ x 26′. It’s as wide as engineers told me I could go without have to have a center column in the front middle of structure. I hope that helps!
Michelle M. says
I love everything about your poolhouse! Gorgeous in every detail! Where did you purchase your fan? Thank you for your help!
Amelia says
Love your outdoor space! Can you share the height of the bar seating and the height of your chairs there? Thank you!
Jennie Ours says
Hi, I’m looking for pendant lights and love yours! Would you mind sharing the source – IKEA didn’t seem to have the exact ones – any information source would be great! Thank yoU!
Hannah says
Hi Cyndy! Love this gorgeous space! We are doing an outdoor patio and I want to use your exact floors- did you have them sealed and/or have you re-sealed them since installing? How have they held up so far? Thanks so much!
charlotte brooke says
I am having a horrible time getting a drawing done. Is it possible to buy a set of plans for your beautiful Summer Room?
George says
Hi Cyndy. My wife and I fell in love with this and modeling our pool house after yours. I hope you don’t mind. 🙂 Of course ours is more like a 35 by 15 rectangle. Thanks for answering everyone’s questions. You answered most of mine. Another question though is can you provide a link to your outdoor kitchen blog? I’m really struggling with how to do the cabinets. I know you used hardy board with stainless steel inserts. How is the steel holding up?
George
cherri urban says
This is absolutely beautiful. Thank you so much for sharing!
Edel Mena says
Hi Cindy
We are getting ready to start building our Pool in our house. Would you be able to provide us with the blueprints for this pavilion? Would love to have something like this.
Thanks in advance!
Edel
Rhonda says
Would you be willing to share the plans on pavillion? We can pay you also!!! We love it!
Rhonda &
Jenna says
Hi Cindy,
We are getting our covered patio built. Can you please share the details of the ceiling fan? Its size or may be provide a link to buy the same.
Thank you.
Ado says
Hi,
Could you please share plans? Willing to pay!
Thanks.
Nicole says
Where did you purchase the pendant lights?
Love them!
Cyndy says
So sorry for the MAJOR delay in responding! I took a long break from blogging but the pendants were purchased from Ikea several years ago. I think they may still sell them.
Tammy Rick says
What is the brand of your ceiling fan and where did you get them from?
Karina Mosier says
Hi! I love your outdoor pavilion. Do you have the blueprints they used to build this by any chance?