Our 2002 project was landscaping around the pool.  We learned during this project (which involved two more contractors) that all contractors are unreliable.  All contractors treat you well at the beginning of a project, and ignore you as they reach completion.  All contractors get very sloppy towards the end of a project, as they're anxious to move on to the next project.  No exceptions.  Or are we just picky?

This project involved putting walls around the pool area, adding steps up toward the main house, building an "outdoor kitchen," installing a culvert in place of a creek we had, rebuilding the fence along our rear property line and building a "playground."

These two overhead shots show the almost-finished product.  Note the "playground" in the first picture.  We sometimes refer to the ramp in the second picture as our "ADA ramp."  Americans will recognize ADA as a reference to the "Americans with Disabilities Act."  In reality, though, it's just a ramp that will permit a bicycle circuit around our property when we get around to it, perhaps in next year's landscaping project. 

This picture, taken during Sammy's birthday party, shows the "outdoor kitchen" in use.  This "kitchen" includes a sink, small refrigerator, large grill and a couple of burners, plus a very large island countertop.  You can also see the steps up to the main house in the background of this picture.