The Lawson's outdoor area is a focus for family life. Photo / Larnie Nicolson, Your Home and Garden Magazine
The aqua blue swimming pool in the backyard of Deb Lawson's Spanish-style home is the jewel in its crown, say its owners. It's been 10 years since they bought their house in Auckland's Half Moon Bay and the pool is still its main draw card.
"We love cooking on the
barbecue, eating and entertaining outside, and generally just enjoying the outdoors while we watch the kids race around on their bikes," says Lawson.
The back gate leading out to a huge private park was a bonus. "We have an annual summer barbecue with all our friends and their children, where we swim in the pool and take part in activities in the park, such as cricket and soccer. It's so much fun," she says.
She and husband Scott were initially attracted to the home because of its relationship to the outdoors. "We loved the Spanish style, the potential for it to be made open plan and the fact that the entire house wrapped around the pool," says Scott.
Despite having no previous renovation experience, they set about transforming the house inside and out. They had a freestanding outdoor fireplace built, replaced the pool liner, painted, added new paving, a new garage door, fences, gates, copper spouting and a frameless glass pool fence. They also made over the overgrown and unloved garden, which was previously buried in dated terracotta-stamped concrete. "It's been a massive job," says Lawson.
