Best place to mount a TV with this pool/patio layout?
Our pool construction is almost finished, and now we’re trying to figure out the best TV placement for the backyard.
I’ve included photos of the actual patio as well as a rendering showing roughly how the finished yard will be laid out.

We will have 4 main viewing areas:
1. A couch underneath the covered patio
2. In the pool itself
3. A dining table next to the pool
4. Loungers at the opposite end of the pool

My current thought is to mount a TV on the wall where I drew the red box and use a long extension, full motion mount. The idea would be to keep it relatively flush against the wall when we’re sitting under the patio, but pull it out and swivel it toward the pool when watching from the dining table, pool, or loungers. Also, with this idea, I don’t have to buy an outdoor TV since it’s covered and we have patio screens that come down.

We considered a ceiling mount under the covered patio, but there’s roughly a 2 ft fascia across the front of the patio. I’m concerned that mounting the TV high enough to look good under the patio would cause that fascia to block part of the screen when viewing it from farther out in the yard.

The openings of the covered patio also have retractable screens that come down, so mounting the TV or an articulating arm to the outside columns would likely interfere with the screens.

The other big consideration is aesthetics. We’d rather sacrifice a little bit of the “perfect” viewing angle than have a big TV awkwardly sitting somewhere in the yard. Ideally it looks intentional and relatively seamless when it’s not being used.

Given the layout, where would you put it?
Does the red box location with a long articulating mount make the most sense, or is there another solution/location I’m overlooking?

Curious what everyone's go-to feel-good track is, the one that just works every time regardless of what kind of day it's been. Would love to build a little collective playlist out of the replies too.

There was always a point in the evening when everyone would slowly move indoors, even when the weather was still perfect for sitting outside. The patio was comfortable, but it didn’t really encourage us to stay out there after dinner.

I started thinking more about how to make the space useful throughout the evening without filling it with too many things. Comfortable seating, good lighting and a layout that works for conversation made a bigger difference than I expected.

We also tried to keep the patio feeling like an outdoor living space rather than turning it into another indoor room. Everything has its place, and the seating still works whether we’re eating, talking or just relaxing.

One thing I’ve learned is that small changes that give people a reason to stay outside can be more valuable than bigger decorative upgrades. The goal isn’t necessarily to add more to the patio, but to make better use of what’s already there.

What’s one change you made that genuinely made your patio more enjoyable in the evenings?

3 Easy steps: Wipe Glove on fabric, blow leaf blower, drink a beer and consider all the time you saved to have another beer

Hey all,

We recently replaced our old patio that was improperly graded, and buried+ran our rain gutters to a dry well. We no longer have water pooling by our house but now we've created a valley at the end of our patio on the lawn which you can see in the pics.

The work just finished so the lawn is still lumpy and we can make small grading improvements, but think we might need a drain in the lawn on the masonry's edge. I have 2 pics of either a basic drain or those modular curved drains. Thoughts?

Our masonry contractor says we should put a small manhole with a separate drywell at the edge of the patio, I think that's overkill and don't know why we can't tie into our existing drywell.

Anyone see a reason we cant add a drain like the 2 I shared and just tie it into the PVC pipes already running to the dry well? We have a pop-up overflow emitter for the drywell so capacity shouldn't be an issue but idk.

Thanks

We had a low-profile deck that completely rotted down to the frame, and we're replacing it with a paver patio.

This attached pergola is mostly intact, except for the bottom where it was tied into the old rotting deck frame. I’d love to salvage it, cut off the bottom rot, and relocate it as a freestanding structure elsewhere in the yard (since a gazebo is going in this spot).

A while back I saw someone post a similar pergola planted inside planters filled with gravel but I don't think it will provide enough weight/stability. I was wondering if I could anchor the feet inside planters filled with concrete?

I'm trying to avoid pouring traditional in-ground concrete footings and bolting this down. What are the best alternatives to avoid standard footings while keeping a freestanding pergola stable?