- Location
- Fox Chapel, PA
- Completed
- June 2025
- On site
- 4 weeks
The brief
What we did
The original pool surround was smooth stone that turned lethal when wet and held heat badly. We replaced it with a textured paver in a lighter tone, which stays cooler underfoot and has real slip resistance.
A pergola gives shade at the deep end, and the planting comes right down to the coping to break up what had been a hard ring of stone around the water.
Scope of work
- Removal of existing pool surround
- Textured slip-resistant paving
- Cedar pergola with shade planting
- Border planting to the coping
- Drainage channel to the lower garden
Want something like this?
Tell us about your yard and we will put a fixed price against it.
Services used
What went into it
By the numbers
- 900 sq ft
- Surround replaced
- 4 wks
- On site
- 18 °F
- Cooler underfoot
- 1
- Pergola built
The brief
A surround that
cooked and slipped
Smooth dark stone around a pool: lethal wet, and hot enough in August that nobody walked on it barefoot.
We replaced the whole surround with a lighter textured paver, added shade at the deep end, and brought planting down to the water.
- Textured paver with real slip resistance
- Lighter tone to cut surface temperature
- Planting to the coping to break up the stone ring
Build sequence
How it was built
-
01
Strip out
Existing surround lifted and removed without disturbing the pool shell.
-
02
Base
Compacted base with falls set away from the water.
-
03
Paving
Textured pavers laid and cut on site, with polymeric jointing.
-
04
Shade and planting
Cedar pergola at the deep end, borders planted to the coping.
Details
What made the difference
-
Cooler underfoot
Lighter tone and texture, measured cooler than the stone it replaced.
-
Slip resistant
Textured surface rated for wet barefoot traffic.
-
Softened edge
Planting to the coping so the pool sits in a garden, not a slab.
-
Drainage channel
Run to the lower garden so water never sheets back to the house.
Where it started
Before and after
“The new surface is the first thing everyone comments on — you can actually walk on it barefoot in August.”