I can hardly believe that it has been almost seven years since we made the decision to purchase a home in Florida.
We began our home search seven years ago this month and every home we considered had a pool and a covered seating and dining area that is called a lanai. We are originally from Iowa and the only time I had ever heard that term before was on old episodes of The Golden Girls. Most of the homes we were shown also had an attached screened-in area covering the pool that is referred to as a pool cage. We had never seen anything quite like them but now, after living in Florida, I wouldn't ever want to have a home without one.
This is how this part of our home looked when the previous owners were still here.
We had never had a pool before. Just the idea of having one and being able to swim in it whenever we wanted seemed to be enough. But, as it usually goes, once the newness wore off and we were able to look at things a bit closer, we started to see some cosmetic wear and tear. In reality, things looked tired. Some of it just needed a deep cleaning but other issues were going to require more attention.
For example, the glass block wall between the spa and the pool, which looked so cool in pictures, was aging quickly. The pool surface and tiles were also needing some TLC. We considered making temporary repairs but decided it was time for some design updates too.
Some of the first changes we made to this part of our home were to resurface the pool with Pebble Tec, replace the glass block wall with a waterfall, and update the Mediterranean-styled ceramic tile with a more modern glass option.
After upgrading the pool, we had the existing pool cage reinforced, re-screened, and repainted but in September of 2017 Hurricane Irma passed over our home and wiped out our improvements to the cage.
It wasn't money we wanted to spend and it took an entire year to get the pool cage rebuilt but the new building requirements called for stronger cage structures and allowed us to have larger openings between the supports. This new style is called picture window design and we like how much cleaner and open it looks.
This is how the pool cage looked before Irma
and this is how it looks today.
Back when we were still looking at purchasing a home in southern Florida, we wondered if a pool cage was really necessary. It is!
The unobstructed view of a pool without a cage is beautiful but in this land of mosquitos, this more open-designed screening option is a great compromise.
While we were waiting for the pool cage to be replaced, we also upgraded the pavers around the pool. The original decking consisted of concrete pavers.
It was a laborious job but these professionals knew what they were doing. For someone like me, who hates math, this task would have been overwhelming.
For a few days, it looked like we had a beach right outside our kitchen window.
In the end, the new travertine tile deck looked great. Be forewarned, though, the tile is also more slippery than concrete pavers and something to think about if you are considering this for your own outdoor space.
With the new cage in place, we added a second set of bubble chairs to the far side of the pool and new rugs to the seating area.
Our most recent improvement to our outdoor oasis was the addition of a built-in grill and sink area.
It has taken seven years to pull together. Like most homes, our home is constantly evolving and now that I am finally sharing our outdoor space with you, I am already moving ahead with some changes to our furniture here. Stay tuned. Things are happening here at Be Colorful Coastal.
You might also find the following posts interesting if you would like to know more about the improvements we have made to this outdoor living part of our home.
Angels and Gifts Along The Way (The one where we take a direct hit from Hurricane Irma).
One Year After Irma (The one where we rebuilt the cage and pool area)
Five Star Outdoor Grill Area ( The one where we add an outdoor kitchen)
Restoring A Pool ( The one where we updated and refurbished a fifteen-year-old pool).
