Getting Rid of the Pool & Dream Patio Plans

Last summer we opened our pool and didn't use it at all, so this past Spring we got rid of it.  We posted an ad on craigslist and got a ton of responses with offers before people even saw the pool.  We wanted it gone fast because we didn't want to waste our money on chemicals to open and maintain the pool and let's face it, we couldn't leave it looking like this all summer:

View of the pool from our deck

The guy we ended up selling the pool to had taken down and put up pools in the past which definitely was a plus because we had no idea where to begin.  So on one Spring Sunday, Tim and his dad, along with the pool purchaser dismantled the pool.  This is what our backyard currently looks like:

Currently, our bare area in the back yard is being used as a giant litterbox by neighborhood cats.  Yup, I'm totally serious.  One night when we were admiring our pool-less yard, we spotted three cats in there at the same time.  Our future plans for this space include a stone patio with built-in fire pit, which we will most likely do ourselves to cut down on costs.  Some inspiration photos:

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