The beginning of a project often looks like a lot of demolition, but envisioning how the final project will look when it's done keeps us motivated to work hard! This little spot of paradise in Williamsburg already has beautiful landscaping throughout the backyard, so we wanted to add to what was already there by making the space even more welcoming.

We wanted to create a backyard paradise at this home in Yorktown, but with 1200 square feet of pavers, we had a lot to do - and a lot to work with! The first step was to add some additional privacy with a fence and landscaping that includes green giant arbor trees to create a little separation from the neighbors.

The main event is the River Pools swimming pool, where we added some curves, colors, and textures to make the space pop. Since kids will be visiting this backyard a lot, we added a water wall both for beauty and to create a 'natural' diving board - we can promise it will be used over and over again! On the side for the adults is a hot tub surrounded by a stone wall, so the grown ups can relax while the kids play.

And believe it or not, this is only phase 1...

This backyard design in Yorktown is going to feature almost everything: columns, walls, outdoor lights, and a fire pit, all in about a 450 sq foot space. The key with smaller spaces like these is making sure that the elements are both cohesive and unique, so we set about making that happen within the constraints we had.

One day we did this was by laying the pavers at different angles to highlight the fire pit, which you can see below in the video and slideshow. We added a few other touches as well...