Pineview Backyard Retreat
A Private Poolside Escape in the Woods
Landscape Design & Build | Pool & Water Feature | Poolside Cabana | Hardscaping | Plantings & Lighting
Timeline: 10-14 Weeks
Setting: Wooded suburban
The Goal, and What the Site Required
The homeowners had a wooded lot with real character and a clear vision for how they wanted to use it: summer swims, fireside evenings, hosting friends, and covered space for drinks, dinner, and conversation when the weather turned.
They wanted the backyard to feel like one cohesive retreat, not separate projects stitched together or a space that demanded constant upkeep.
To make that work, the design had to respect the woodland setting while accounting for New England weather, mature tree roots, moderate slope, and seasonal leaf drop. It also required careful grading and drainage, pool and utility permitting, local setback coordination, and tight sequencing across pool construction, hardscaping, cabana framing, and planting.
The Approach
We designed the backyard around four connected zones, each with a clear purpose.
The Pool and Sundeck
The pool and sun deck run parallel to the tree line, maximizing usable space and preserving views into the woods. A vinyl pool shell with a deep blue interior finish reads crisp against the woodland backdrop, while large-format neutral gray pavers wrap all four sides for slip resistance, color stability, and lower maintenance.
The Masonry Water Feature
A layered masonry water-feature wall directs three stainless-steel spillways directly into the pool, creating a focal point from every angle and adding ambient sound throughout the backyard.
The Covered Cabana
The covered cabana sits beside the pool with lounge seating, dining space, and a small wet bar. White columns, a warm wood ceiling, painted interior siding, and recessed soffit lighting give it the polish and comfort of an outdoor room.
The Fire Pit Lounge
The sunken fire pit lounge sits slightly below the main patio grade, with built-in stack-stone seat walls, planters, Adirondack chairs, and a smokeless gas fire pit. Evergreens press in close on all sides, creating a more private sense of retreat.
The Details That Tie It Together
Unified Materials
One paver palette carries across the pool deck, cabana pad, and fire pit lounge, while stack-stone walls and lighted pillars connect the elevations.
Layered Privacy
Evergreens and boxwood hedges screen the property edges while keeping the woodland view open.
Lighting After Dark
Path lights, cabana soffit lighting, and tree uplighting make the space usable well into the evening.
Built-in Performance
A variable-speed pump, high-efficiency heater, compaction-tested paver base, and proper grading help the space stay stable, efficient, and easier to maintain.
The Result
The family now has a backyard that works the way they pictured it.
Summer days belong to the pool. Cool evenings belong to the fire pit. The cabana hosts everything from morning coffee to Saturday-night dinners, rain or shine. And because it was designed and built as one project, by one team, they have a single partner for the maintenance that keeps it looking this way season after season.
Investment
Backyard transformations at this level typically begin in the $300,000–$400,000 range, with premium finishes, expanded structures, and automation often moving projects into the $400,000–$500,000+ range.
Picture Something Like This?
If you have a property with real potential and want a partner who can guide you from the first design conversation to the final planting, we’d love to hear what you’re imagining.
Serving Middleborough, Plymouth, Kingston, Duxbury, Hanover,
Norwell, Pembroke, Bridgewater, and Surrounding Areas