to firetubes and used fire glass instead of gas logs, and I coated the surround in white venetian plaster, tinting it for multiple layers to give the look of carerra marble, then used a feather to add veining. It's polished and shines like marble, and is even cool to the touch, and I even fooled one of my subs who handles marlble and granite every day.

Asian panels in the picture below (enough to cover the entire back wall), but I'm horrible at plants and what to use in planting areas that range from 1' - 18" wide, in horribly hard dirt, for plants that will not damage the pool decking or root deeply enough to seek out water from the pool. Keep in mind we are in the desert in Las Vegas with regular 110 degree Summer days and need something that won't make a mess in the pool. Something narrow and tall would be great for privacy from the 2-story house behind us that overlooks our yard. Bamboo would be a difficult option uinless we build curved planters and line them because of its running roots and potential pool damage. Any suggestions would be appreciated!

little paint, sewing some straight lines, some electrical conduit for curtain rods, painting a design on a $19 outdoor rug, and a few plants, it turned this trashed space into a nice place to sit for about $100 in a day's time.

using burlap, acrylic paints and stencils made with my cricut.

furnishings, rugs, etc., all for under $4000, including the furniture, accomplished by bargain shopping, garage sales, estate sales, auctions, craig's list, and doing the work ourselves.

took it to a reupholstery shop, and for $275, they recovered them (including fabric!). Now we have a really cool mid-century set, of much better quality than the new reproduction stuff you find today. Reupholstery isn't as expensive as you think, and we now shop with that in mind.