Poolside Backyard Renovation

For this Eagle, Idaho home, the owners envisioned a complete transformation, turning a bare backyard into a modern outdoor retreat centered around a custom pool.

Boise Landscape Design crafted the design plans, and Hockema Landscape Design & Build partnered with several trusted contractors to make the vision a reality. From the first excavation to the final planting, our team managed the landscape build and coordinated every stage of construction.

The new layout features an in-ground pool surrounded by elegant paver patios, retaining walls, and structured garden beds that provide privacy and texture. Layered plantings soften the space and tie the modern hardscape back to the natural surroundings of Eagle. Discreet lighting and irrigation systems ensure that the space feels polished, functional, and ready for long summer evenings.

The Process

Working closely with Boise Landscape Design’s detailed plans, Hockema oversaw the entire landscape phase and collaborated with pool installers, masonry crews, and electricians to ensure a seamless final product. Once the major elements were in place, our team handled grading, planting, and finishing touches to complete the project.

The result is a cohesive, resort-style backyard, designed by Boise Landscape Design and built through the craftsmanship and coordination of Hockema Landscape Design & Build.

Coordinating a pool build

A pool project brings several trades onto one site, and the order of work decides how smoothly it goes. The pool excavation and shell typically come first, followed by plumbing, electrical and gas lines while the ground is still open. Grading, walls and patio bases come next, then the paving, planting and lighting. Each step has to leave the site ready for the next one, and finished work has to be protected from the trades still coming through.

Paver patios around a pool

Pavers are a natural fit for pool decks. A textured surface stays slip resistant when wet, lighter colors stay cooler under bare feet, and individual pavers can be lifted if a pool line ever needs service. The deck has to slope away from both the pool and the house, and the joints have to hold up to constant splash. More on paver patios.

Retaining walls and privacy

Pools need flat ground, and most yards aren't perfectly flat. Retaining walls create level space for the pool and deck and give structure to the garden beds around them. Raised beds planted with evergreens and grasses add privacy, which matters more around a pool than anywhere else in the yard.

Planting near water

Plants beside a pool have a harder job than most. Trees that drop leaves, needles or fruit end up in the skimmer, and thorny or prickly plants don't belong next to bare feet. Splash and pool chemicals reach the nearest beds, so plants have to tolerate them. Ornamental grasses, compact evergreens and tough perennials usually do well, set back far enough to keep the deck clean.

Lighting and irrigation

Discreet low-voltage landscape lighting makes steps and edges safe after dark and lets the space be enjoyed on summer nights. Irrigation around a pool is zoned and aimed so it waters the beds without spraying the deck or the water.

Planning a poolside project

If you're adding a pool or reworking the landscape around one in Eagle or elsewhere in the Treasure Valley, plan the landscape at the same time as the pool. See outdoor living for how the pieces fit together.

Poolside Backyard Renovation