DIY: Parrotheads' private delight

Island hoppers Kevin and Mary Simmons don't have to go far these days when craving a taste of paradise. They simply visit their backyard for a homemade slice of heaven.

With a relaxing patio, infinity pool, hot tub, homemade beach and tiki bar overlooking a lake, the couple's South Shore Estates home is their vacation getaway minus plane fare.

Winners of Home's 2008 Do-It-Yourself Contest for Best Outdoor Deck Project, the Simmonses overcame naysayers, uncooperative weather and occasional frustration to make their project a reality.

"If you look at home pictures of our original backyard, it was just grass and went down to the lake. We wanted to do something spectacular back here - not just an old deck," said Kevin, an elevator mechanic.

He knew he had big expectations to fulfill for wife, Cheryl, who keeps a "dream folder" of ideas for their Virginia Beach home and loves to entertain.

"I watch too much HGTV," she confessed, laughing.

Cheryl, whose father lives next door, had long wanted a pool of her own instead of taking dips in Dad's.

"Her vision. My back," Kevin mused.

So he set to work with a deadline: have the project done in time for son Ricky's high school graduation party. The couple enlisted plenty of help from family, friends and neighbors to bring their personal paradise to life.

The Simmonses had to rent a track excavator for digging out the yard, and determining its grade, about 3 feet, was a challenge in itself.

"We had to build the yard up," Kevin said, " and had to take a lot of dirt out, too. And once we got down to the bulkhead, I had to dig down for 8 or 10 inches to put in the beach."

They also had to figure out a way to get to the beach, which took 40 tons of sand to create. Pleasing-to-the-eye, terrace-style steps decorated with sand dollar-shaped pavers were the answer. Walking down, one gets a side view of water spilling from the 9-foot-deep infinity pool into the catch basin. Four fountains border the pool, shooting water up to 30 feet.

Putting in the 62,000-gallon, 41-by-42-foot pool also meant installing a 7-feet-deep weir wall. Mother Nature didn't cooperate on the latter, ruining Kevin's wall after a week of work. Still, they persevered.

"We had a few arguments along the way," Cheryl admitted. "I'm saying what I want - a hot tub here, that there - and he's saying, 'I'm in a hole! I don't want to hear it.' "

The project took 72 yards of concrete, but that was fine with the Simmonses, who didn't want grass out back. What they did desire, though, was a tiki bar for entertaining, plus all the other touches to complete their personal paradise.

Now there's a hot tub, barbecue smoker, horseshoe and fire pits on the beach, a driving range and a place to store Kevin's 14-foot sailboat. Large, new steps to the patio provide a place for guests to sit as well as entry into the home.

Building the tiki bar offered the couple a chance to reflect on past island vacations and incorporate them in the patio project.

First, Kevin got fresh-cut bamboo from Pungo and constructed the bar. The couple filled its top with shells, maps, coins and other items collected from their vacations, then poured clear epoxy over the items to seal them in. Two tiki umbrellas complete the tropical effect.

The whole backyard is edged in borders crafted from cut bamboo.

The couple filled the beds with oyster shell - 10 tons of it trucked from the Eastern Shore - as well as tropical grasses and plants.

Up next: Cheryl wants to tile the infinity wall, but Kevin has other thoughts.

"My personal opinion is we've done enough out back," he said. "We need to work out front now."

Both husband and wife, though, want to create a better entry from the Parrothead-themed bar - another DIY project - inside their house to the new patio.

The Simmonses said they're indebted to friends and loved ones for helping with the ambitious project.

"You certainly can't do it on your own," Cheryl said. "We probably had 15 people here putting the pool liner in, pulling and stretching. We want to thank our family and friends."

Of particular note, they said, friend Levi Berger helped with the concrete, loaned his Bobcat and gave input. Cheryl's brother, John Proctor, assisted throughout the project, even shoveling while in a neck brace. And neighbor Lou Ricks helped with all of the electrical work for safety's sake.

To show their gratitude, the couple printed lifetime pool passes for all who helped.

"Everyone always says, 'Why would you want to go anywhere else?' " said Cheryl, an executive assistant for Amerigroup Corp., while looking around the backyard.

And with the $500 the Simmonses won for their DIY entry, there'll be plenty of money for cheeseburgers and brews in their own Jimmy Buffett-style paradise.

Victoria Hecht, (757) 446-2614, victoria.hecht@pilotonline.com