The McGee Home Pool was finished just in time for summer… 

and if you’ve been following along with us on Instagram, you know that this project has been in the making for quite some time. When we first moved into our home, we knew we wanted to add a few more layers to our backyard landscaping, so we decided to fulfill one of our dreams of putting in a pool!  

We were so excited to work with Nautica Pools and Decorative Landscaping to bring our vision to fruition. Pool materials are all very time-sensitive, and the crew had to work fast and hard to make it all happen! 

Keep scrolling to see all the photos and details from our new favorite spot in The McGee Home.  

The surroundings

Once we decided where to put our pool, we realized that we needed to extend the diamond pavers from our patio to meet the edge. After about a year of living with natural grass in-between the pavers, we decided to replace it with AstroTurf, which is a cooler and less high maintenance in the summertime. It looks and feels really realistic, 

To see more details about the surroundings in our backyard, check out our backyard photo tour here!

The pool materials  

When working with Nautica Pools on the design and construction of the pool, we showed them a few inspiration photos of dark pools that we really liked, and they directed us towards a polished quartz material.  

Sometimes going with a dark color on the tile can create a foggy looking that doesn’t feel clean or inviting, but we love how Hematite italic, the dark blue color we landed on, feels really fresh and clean but still unique. 

We debated a few different options for our pool materials, but one of the first things we decided on was custom Italian limestone pavers. We cut them to 18″ by 36″ and incorporated them in long 72″ coping pieces on the sides. For the waterline tile, we ended up choosing a porcelain tile from Bedrosians in the color “Light” that matches the tone of the limestone paver and creates this really streamlined and continuous look.  

The hot tub 

With the winter weather where we live, one of the things we were most excited about was the hot tub. We wanted something that would feel separate from the pool functionally to use throughout the year, and we chose an above-the-ground hot tub to double as a little diving platform.  

We ended up tying in the materials from the exterior of our house with painted white brick,  and brought in the limestone from the pavers around the top.  

The pieces 

Although we love wood tones and teak outdoor furniture, we already had quite a bit of wood materials on our patio, so we went with a metal lounger to break it up. Next, we incorporated repeating umbrellas and concrete side tables for putting drinks or books on.  

A few pool FAQ’s: 

• The measurements of our pool are 20′ by 40′. 
• In Utah, you have to have a fence around the whole yard when you have a pool, and then people do automatic covers. We have this thick tarp-like material that you can’t see in the photos, but it slides across the whole pool so we can keep it closed when not swimming for safety purposes.