Like our summer won't be busy enough with the arrival of baby!!

OK, OK - so this isn't a baby post.... but it's still exciting stuff going on in the Loach household!

So the one project I've been asking Dan to do every summer since the basement was finished is to build a patio outside the basement slider with stairs down from the driveway. It had finally made it to the top of Dan's list this past spring.... until he decided he wanted to build another deck - more on that below!! Being realistic that trying to complete two projects in one summer would be too much but still wanting to give me what he promised, Dan decided to hire the stone work out. We ended up hiring the same landscaping company that re-did our front yard.... and boy did they do a great job! We are SO happy with the finished project. Hopefully the new backyard addition will make the basement kitchen and bathroom more useful for pool days and the stairs down from the driveway will make it easier for people to reach the basement for various parties. We still have to add some plantings in the new beds and have to wait for the grass to grow back along the edges but here's a few pics of the finished stone work.

And then there's the new deck. I'm sure many of you have heard Dan talk about building a 'lido deck' ..... just deep enough to fit a row of lounge chairs along the back side of the pool. Sound familiar?? Um.... sweetie.... I think your measurements are a bit off :) The new 'lido deck' will be big enough to fit a gazebo, grilling station AND those lounge chairs!! I swear the new deck is bigger than the one he built when we put in the pool. Dan has always been disappointed that the pool was built at a different level than the rest of the backyard so hopefully this deck will give him the extra space around pool area that he has always wanted. He's just about done framing the base now as you can see in the pics below. And I have to add a pool picture too since we've finally seen the sun here for more than one day in a row!!