West Texas Oasis

Since making the decision many months ago to take the bulk of our landscaping budget during our home construction and apply it strictly to the front yard, we have been talking about all the big plans we have for the back.

We envisioned a very "resort" feel -- complete with pergolas, an outdoor fireplace and a jacuzzi. A few other extras such as an outdoor tv and (of course) a grill were included in our vision too.

We began really laying it all out a couple of weeks ago and finally got our entire design on paper yesterday morning. A quick trip to Lowes for some wooden stakes and string to map it out in the actual backyard was next on the agenda, and a "quick trip" to the local hot tob store pretty much sealed the fate of our backyard renovation budget over the next few months.

A trip to the store led to a trip to the Home Show down at the Civic Center (who knew?) which, in turn, led to the purchase of a shiny new Jacuzzi J-345 Hot Tub with a roasted chestnut shell and opal interior. It hold 5-6 adults and comes complete with its own waterfall and light show.
(Mountains Not Included)

To say we are excited about our fun (albeit impulsive) new purchase would be an understatement. And I argue that it wasn't TRULY impulsive, as we already had a hot tub worked into our design plan and had plans to purchase one within the next few months anyway.

At any rate, the purchase of the hot tub did nothing if not expediate the design process and move us quickly along from "planning" to "implementing" and by noon today Rob has already secured an electrical contractor to handle the installation of all the necessary hot tob electrical wiring and we have a pergola contractor coming to the house this evening to give us an estimate on turning our plan on paper into a reality.

I have to say the only downfall of living in a new home is the lack of fun projects to do. Everything is already done! But I have a feeling this backyard renovation is going to cure our DIY itch for, at least, the remainder of this year.

Here are a few of the ideas we plan to implement:

It's hard to believe that by the middle of May our backyard will no longer be just a blank slate. We are SO looking forward to entertaining out in the yard many, many times over the warm summer and fall months!