Now that we had finished setting up the pool, we needed to create a temporary seating area for the summer. Partly to enjoy sitting by the pool, but also partly to keep the dirt and weed debris from getting into the pool on our feet.

Kurt roughly levelled out the area, leaving it slightly sloped since that is how it will be in the final landscaping. It is where our path will meet the bottom of the yard, so we want it to transition nicely.

While Kurt worked on that, I used some of the mounds of soil that we dug out of the pool area, to backfill the stackstone walls. I wanted to get the fabric rolled out to the wall to stop the weeds that were already starting to grow behind the wall. Plus, we wanted to level and cover the bottom path beside the pool to make it a nicer area for the summer.

From there, we put down one of the larger tarp papers to stop any weeds from coming through and making an area that would be easy to sweep or spray off and keep clean. We butted it right up against the fence and the stackstone wall so that it was easy access to the pool area.

I purchased a few outdoor carpet/beach mats that were 8′ x 6′, so that the area was a little more comfortable. Although we could have just used the tarp paper, this made it feel a little more finished. Plus, we will likely use them on the deck once we build it in the spring.

I had an old outdoor furniture set that has been floating around the backyard for a few years now. I actually refinished the table and the bench back in 2020, but the chairs might need a little TLC. I purchased these from IKEA back in 2010, so they are actually doing pretty good for 14 years in the elements, never being covered for the winters. They are a simple set, but do the trick and are surprisingly quite comfortable.

We moved the set of furniture down to the temporary seating area so that we have a place to hang out in between swimming. The first few times we swam, then lounged in our little seating area, we realized that as it gets hotter, we will want some shade to sit in. We know we are going to buy a hardtop gazebo to sit on the floating deck, but didn’t want to purchase that right now in case our plans change in how we do the deck.

So instead, we bought a simple camping shade that we will use in the yard this year. Once we have our proper gazebo, we will use this temporary one for camping or other outdoor adventures.

My last purchase for the seating area was some simple cushions for the chairs & bench, as well as a storage container for the cushions. This storage container will move to the permanent deck and continue to store cushions or other pool items.

Overall, we have nice temporary oasis for the summer, while we dream and plan of the final landscaping look. We know elements, but I am sure it will change as we think about it over the summer and into the winter.

In the coming weeks, we will likely start moving the mounds of soil around to level the rest of the bottom area, then cover it all with tarp paper in anticipation of finishing the landscaping next year. I will share some of our ideas in a future post. Until then, we are hoping for some more sunshine so that we can enjoy our pool and seating area. Though, we won’t complain too much about the rain if it means a summer without too many wildfires.