A Sunken Patio Garden

A few pavers and a few creative ideas to turn an unwanted swimming pool into a sunken patio

Transforming a swimming pool into a sunken patio isn't your average everyday landscaping project. However, for the owners of this backyard and empty pool, it was a great way to turn unusable wasted space into a usable entertaining area.

This yard was way too small to have a swimming pool of any size. So, instead of planting more unneeded grass, we got a little creative.

More About This Landscaping Project

We actually created three levels in this design. Levels are especially useful in small gardens because they give the illusion of more space. In this example, if we would have put the planters even with the brick patio floor, the area would have a totally different atmosphere and possibly felt a bit cramped.

We used the existing steps with an over lay of flagstone for access.

The walls of the pool are lined with flagstone pieces that are held in place with liquid nails and mortar. The floor is brick pavers and the planters are made of stone.

If you look left center of the photo, you'll see we also added an outdoor fireplace to this small sunken patio garden. Fire pits are great additions to landscaping ideas for late night entertaining or relaxing.