Next Summer Upgrades!

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Dave1096 said:
2020-2021 was our build year, so alot of one-time expenses. Next year we'll work toward fulfilling our vision around the pool. Top of my list is to add a gazebo/outdoor living space similar to the one below.

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I plan on getting started early spring so it's all set up by the time we start swimming. It's going to sit on the deck off the shallow end of the pool. Also plan on mounting a projector and hanging a dual-sided projector screen on the leading edge of the gazebo so we have the option to either view from inside the gazebo or rear project and watch from the pool.

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Remember Gilligan you must keep the tiki torches lit!! BTW do those things keep the skeeters away or just for optics?
 
B.lu said:
That's what I'm hoping to do this September too! Hopefully find some deals. I don't mind having things live in the garage in boxes for awhile
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We put our pool in at the end of last summer and my wife bought tons of new patio furniture/cushions/umbrellas that stayed in boxes in our garage all winter. It literally looked like we were moving. Our local stores have that stuff on sale right now and I have been getting ads from Home Depot/Lowes/Wayfair/Overstock for weeks now.
 
YippeeSkippy said:
Coolaroo shades are what you want! I love mine. Custom sized and color for my screened in porch, but there are precut ones (beige) in Lowes last time I looked.

Coolaroo

Your default description here
www.coolaroousa.com www.coolaroousa.com

Maddie :flower:
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I picked up a 10' one from Lowes for my pavilion and its been great. Really keeps the sun out of the area and pretty easy to get up and down. Ignore the wrinkles in it, my kids tried to get it rolled up too quick in a storm and it got all wonky. Not the first time, but a little sun and they straighten right out. Super easy to install and you can get the ones with a motor if you want real fancy, but for $70 or so for the 10' and a "hand crank", I love it!

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Wolfepack88 said:
Remember Gilligan you must keep the tiki torches lit!! BTW do those things keep the skeeters away or just for optics?
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They're supposed to, but I don't actually light them that often. I also have a dynatrap, so it's hard to say what's doing what. Haven't noticed many mosquitoes at all this year though
 
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Wolfepack88 said:
Remember Gilligan you must keep the tiki torches lit!! BTW do those things keep the skeeters away or just for optics?
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In my experience they don’t really do much for mosquitoes. We have a service that sprays for mosquitoes and that makes a huge difference. Before the service there was an area of my property where I would get 20 to 30 bites every time I went back there. Now I get a few mosquito bites a year and that’s it. It’s the one service we have that I wouldn’t ever care to go without.
 
YippeeSkippy said:
You put yours on the outside, we mounted ours on the inside. They are really nice aren't they? If you ever need replacement parts they have a good website for that.

Maddie :flower:
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We were going to mount it on the inside, but the dimensions of this pavilion wouldn't make it work so the outside it went. Actually had a few neighbors pick a few up after they saw mine. Thanks for the tip on the replacement parts!

Dave1096 said:
They're supposed to, but I don't actually light them that often. I also have a dynatrap, so it's hard to say what's doing what. Haven't noticed many mosquitoes at all this year though
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We have a bunch of torches in the backyard. We do put the "bite fighter" fluid in them, but not sure I notice a difference in the bugs, but we do like the ambience!
From this last weekend, just a shot from the security camera.

backyard 1.JPG
 
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I have to put up our tv. I have been too lazy to just order one from one of our distributors when ordering other stuff. I have to repaint the bathroom. I’m fairly confident the wood won’t shift again. Especially with the heat and rain this summer. And if I’m really really really motivated strip and repaint the back porch trim. What I really want to do is rip off the Crud azek and replace it with cement board like the pool house. Oh and I still haven’t converted my porch fireplace to a cooking one now that we have the new one in the pool house.

I just have to make sure I do all this before we start to fish for the spring or all bets are off.
 
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jimim said:
I have to put up our tv. I have been too lazy to just order one from one of our distributors when ordering other stuff. I have to repaint the bathroom. I’m fairly confident the wood won’t shift again. Especially with the heat and rain this summer. And if I’m really really really motivated strip and repaint the back porch trim. What I really want to do is rip off the Crud azek and replace it with cement board like the pool house. Oh and I still haven’t converted my porch fireplace to a cooking one now that we have the new one in the pool house.

I just have to make sure I do all this before we start to fish for the spring or all bets are off.
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I'm exhausted reading this list. Gotta keep this forum away from the Mrs or she may re-evaluate her marriage choice, ha ha!!
 

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gingrbredman said:
We were going to mount it on the inside, but the dimensions of this pavilion wouldn't make it work so the outside it went. Actually had a few neighbors pick a few up after they saw mine. Thanks for the tip on the replacement parts!


We have a bunch of torches in the backyard. We do put the "bite fighter" fluid in them, but not sure I notice a difference in the bugs, but we do like the ambience!
From this last weekend, just a shot from the security camera.

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I remember this build, you all moved your slide and also finished the rest of the patio close to the house with pavers right. Looking sweet!!
 
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We are planning to do a fancy back yard modern shed...pool room.

If we do one less than 120 sq/ft we can build it without a permit...
image-asset.jpeg
 
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We bought this pool in the past year. For the next season we are looking to add to hardscape to create a walkway from the driveway to the pool, extend the pool deck to make a spot for the grill and add some type of fencing around the equipment and trash cans.

Equipment wise I want to add some automation.

House wise we are residing the whole thing Hardiboard and redoing the deck in trex.



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manthemike12 said:
We bought this pool in the past year. For the next season we are looking to add to hardscape to create a walkway from the driveway to the pool, extend the pool deck to make a spot for the grill and add some type of fencing around the equipment and trash cans.

Equipment wise I want to add some automation.

House wise we are residing the whole thing Hardiboard and redoing the deck in trex.



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Is Norm from this Old House doing the job. You guys in New England always have world renowned craftsman doing your home improvement products!
 
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This whole summer was a write off as far as the yard was concerned. I started a kitchen remodel at the end of June - Full gut down to studs, removed a radiator, added floor heat, new tile, cabinets, countertops, backsplash, island, rerouted vent hood. OF course there was also the fixing of the garbage work I found IN the walls once I opened them (so much re-routing of electric), plus my never ending fight with my cabinet supplier (Inability to read plans coupled with COVID supply chain issues, and shipping from Canada) means that what I thought I could finish by mid August I got done late September. So the outside got a bit neglected.

On the plans for next spring
- I have a 10x10 gazebo-like thing on my pool deck. It's a steel frame with a canvas cover. I have replaced the cover twice now, and welded that frame 2 or 3 times as well. I think it's time to call it dead (I paid $100 for it 8 years ago - I think it's lived it's life). I am deciding between building one from scratch or getting a frame, and going back and forth between a gazebo style with a solid or fabric room or a pergola with fabric

My hot tub sits on a paver patio, that collects dirt. I want to put composite decking down between my sliding door and the stairs to the hot tub. The question is how much of the patio do I cover, what do I do about the wooden ground level deck that is the same height as the pavers, how do I transition from the pavers to the walkway if I go that far, do I need to adjust two shed doors and two under deck storage area doors to accommodate the new height of the composite decking.

So this winter will be some planning, and hopefully an early spring start on these projects.
 
phonedave said:
This whole summer was a write off as far as the yard was concerned. I started a kitchen remodel at the end of June - Full gut down to studs, removed a radiator, added floor heat, new tile, cabinets, countertops, backsplash, island, rerouted vent hood. OF course there was also the fixing of the garbage work I found IN the walls once I opened them (so much re-routing of electric), plus my never ending fight with my cabinet supplier (Inability to read plans coupled with COVID supply chain issues, and shipping from Canada) means that what I thought I could finish by mid August I got done late September. So the outside got a bit neglected.

On the plans for next spring
- I have a 10x10 gazebo-like thing on my pool deck. It's a steel frame with a canvas cover. I have replaced the cover twice now, and welded that frame 2 or 3 times as well. I think it's time to call it dead (I paid $100 for it 8 years ago - I think it's lived it's life). I am deciding between building one from scratch or getting a frame, and going back and forth between a gazebo style with a solid or fabric room or a pergola with fabric

My hot tub sits on a paver patio, that collects dirt. I want to put composite decking down between my sliding door and the stairs to the hot tub. The question is how much of the patio do I cover, what do I do about the wooden ground level deck that is the same height as the pavers, how do I transition from the pavers to the walkway if I go that far, do I need to adjust two shed doors and two under deck storage area doors to accommodate the new height of the composite decking.

So this winter will be some planning, and hopefully an early spring start on these projects.
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A+ for the amount you are undertaking!! Doing all that yourself you are saving a ton of dough I imagine in NJ. To get anything done in this state on the contracting side ends up costing gold bullion.
 
Oh, the fun of planning your paradise! Ours has pretty much hit its stride as far as additions - now it's maintenance and occasional replacements. But it's been since 2013. We've gone through one set of sling chaise lounges and replaced them with Bahia plastic resin chaise lounges by Grosfillex. Needing 6 kept me away from Polywood - and many of them see limited use. And they are lighter and easier to fling around than PW. Though our PW up on the house deck and patio are fantastic. We love our Coolaroo shades. They must be rolled up before the winds pick up. Some good pool days are also just a bit too breezy. Ours max out at about 15 mph before get nervous about that bottom aluminum tube. The joints do need some routine lubricant. But they have lasted 7 or 8 years so far. We have a Dunnrite Splash and Slam hoop. It's not very attractive but extremely functional. The backboard is a breakaway design. Very well engineered backboard and post. Gets drained each winter here. We've picked up a few old surfboards for accent pieces and the rest is done with landscaping. Our pavilion was Amish built offsite and then assembled by them (12' x 21' with a 14' peak height). Was expensive for what it is but we love it.
 
We just finalized plans to cover our back patio. It gets so much sun. I purchased a metal pergola with a sliding canopy from Loews and we've used that for the past 3 years. It's been good but we wanted something that provided more shade and was permanent. This will be 20' x 18'. We're hoping to get the permit approved in the next 2 weeks and maybe dig the footings (3 of them) before it gets real cold out. We'll have an electrical outlet in each top corner so we can plug in string lights and 2 wall mount fans in opposite corners. Was thinking of a ceiling fan but I think the wall fans will be better at cooling a larger area not 100% on this though so any feedback is welcomed. We will be getting rid of the square dining table and replacing it with outdoor couches & chairs of some sort. We don't eat outside often and feel the couches will be more relaxing set up for our needs.
 

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We signed a contract last May to rebuild our outdoor kitchen/bar and add a cover. There’s no good way to come off of the house and we didn’t want any posts in the patio area itself, so we opted for a steel supported shed style roof over the kitchen area. 6 months later and we finally have a little progress. Most of the steel work is completed so I’m hoping the carpentry and masonry go quickly. Could be a nice Christmas present! We were originally told it would be completed by Labor Day…. It should definitely be a nice addition next summer!

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