What I wish I had known before installing our pool 💦

We hired Anthony & Sylvan for our pool installation, and not even a year has passed, but I wanted to share a few things I wish I had known before installing our pool:

I wish I could have caught a future glimpse of our girls' smiles as they play their days away in the pool because I would have tossed my fears aside and jumped right in.

I wish I had known that the pool would bring us so much immediate happiness because it would have made the heartbreak of tearing up the mature landscaping more bearable.

I wish I had known that we would get almost year-round use out of the pool, and it was more than worth the investment.

I wish somebody had told me it would all be worth it because they would have been right.

Moving forward, I'm grateful we took the plunge and prioritized the pool installation despite many fears and unknowns. Relaxing on our loungers made with weather-resistant Sunbrella fabric while the kids splash around has become one of my favorite pastimes. And thank goodness for Anthony & Sylvan, who seamlessly guided us through the process and built the pool of our dreams. So if you're considering upgrading your entire life, book a consultation with A&S today!

Although we have revealed the total cost of the pool installation, we've been getting a lot of questions about how much the rest of the backyard renovation cost. Of course, sharing numbers is always tricky because everybody's budget looks different, but for the sake of transparency in sharing our renovation journey, here's the total breakdown, excluding the pool.

• demo
• clearing
• grading
• permitting
• all the stone work
• retaining walls
• pergola
• outdoor kitchen materials
• appliances
• landscaping
• irrigation
• drainage
• trampoline
• outdoor shower
• sunken fire pit
• lighting
• etc.

All of this for a total of $298,579. The backyard renovation was one of the projects we budgeted from selling our last house, which took months to complete, but we're so glad we prioritized it from the beginning. We'll be reaping the benefits for years to come.