The Pool Is Only Part of It. Landscape Design Makes the Backyard Feel Finished in Portsmouth, RI
A gunite pool is a stunning feature. But a stunning feature sitting in the middle of an unfinished yard is just an expensive hole with water in it. The pool becomes something more, a retreat, an experience, a place the family never wants to leave, when the landscape design treats the entire backyard as one environment and the pool as the centerpiece of it.
That distinction matters. A pool without a landscape design is a construction project. A pool with a landscape design is an outdoor living space.
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What Landscape Design Addresses Around the Pool
The pool determines the layout. But the landscape design determines the character. It is the layer that turns a pool deck into a lounge, a property line into a private garden wall, and a transition from the house to the water into an experience that feels intentional from the first step outside.
A landscape design built around a pool and poolscape in this region typically addresses:
The pool deck material, pattern, and layout, including how the deck connects to the house, the lawn, and any secondary outdoor living areas like a kitchen, a fire feature, or a pavilion
Screening and privacy plantings along the property perimeter that create seclusion without the visual weight of a solid fence, using species that are low litter, salt tolerant, and appropriate for the New England climate
Grade transitions between the pool area and the surrounding landscape, including retaining walls, seating walls, and steps that manage elevation changes while adding structure and visual interest
Lighting that extends the pool area into the evening, including underwater lighting in the pool, accent lighting in the planting beds, path lighting along walkways, and ambient lighting on any overhead structures
Drainage that prevents runoff from the surrounding landscape from entering the pool and prevents pool deck water from pooling against the house or eroding the adjacent planting beds
Each of these elements depends on the others. The screening plantings affect the sun exposure on the deck. The grade transitions affect the drainage plan. The lighting plan responds to the layout of every surface and every structure. A landscape design that addresses all of them as a single system produces a backyard that feels effortless. One that addresses them independently produces a backyard that feels assembled.
Related: Creating Cohesive Outdoor Spaces With Professional Landscape Design in Newton and Wellesley, MA
Why the Design Should Happen Before the Build
The most common regret homeowners express after a pool project is not about the pool itself. It is about everything around it. The deck that is too small. The privacy that is inadequate. The transition from the house feels awkward. The planting beds were squeezed into whatever space was left after the pool and the deck were installed.
These are all landscape design problems. And they are all preventable when the design is completed before the first shovel breaks ground, not after the pool is already in the ground and the options have narrowed.
For homeowners across Portsmouth, Newport, Barrington, East Greenwich, Narragansett, Little Compton, Jamestown, and the communities throughout Rhode Island, southeastern Massachusetts, and New England, the backyard is the most personal space on the property. The landscape design is what makes it feel that way.
If you are planning a pool, the design conversation should start with the entire backyard. The pool will be better for it. And so will everything around it.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
A passion for the outdoors and the experience of working with his hands at a young age fostered the realization of Gairad DeCastro’s dream to start a top-rated design/build company on Aquidneck Island in 2007. His company has since grown from humble beginnings to a sought-after local pool contractor. Now, Premier Gunite Pools is recognized as a leader in providing creative, quality, and reliable inground pools. Gairad’s philosophy and mission statement remain simple: “If it’s worth doing, it's worth doing right.” His goal is to exceed every customer’s expectations for the amount of fun and relaxation they can have with a luxurious pool in their backyard.
