Pool Landscaping and Pool Decks in Minnesota | Schifsky Companies
Pool Landscaping

Pool Landscaping and Pool Decks in Minnesota

A pool installer leaves you with a pool, a strip of coping and a yard of dirt. Everything else, the deck, the fence, the grading that keeps water out of the pool, the plantings that do not drop leaves in it, the lighting and the shade, is landscape work. We design and build all of it as one project, timed so the backyard is done the summer the pool goes in.

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Pool Decks · Fence · Grading · Plantings · Lighting · Done the Season the Pool Goes In
Pool Landscaping and Pool Decks in Minnesota by Schifsky Companies in the Twin Cities

Most of our pool backyards are built alongside our sister company Blaiser Pools, a Latham fiberglass dealer, which is why the hand-off is seamless: our crew is on site the day the pool is set. <a href="/projects/woodbury-poolside-on-the-hill/">Poolside on the Hill</a> in Woodbury is the clearest example, a porcelain deck, boulder steps, fence, plantings and lighting finished the same season, and the homeowners' review below says exactly why they hired us. If your pool is coming from another installer, we can still design and build everything around it and coordinate grades and schedule with their crew.

The deck is the biggest decision. We install large-format concrete pavers and porcelain for pool decks because both tolerate freeze-thaw, can be reset if a section ever settles, and come in light, textured, slip-resistant finishes. From there it is grading so surface water runs away from the pool, a code-compliant fence with self-closing gates, low-litter plantings that screen the neighbors, and lighting that makes the pool the best room in the house after dark.

Our Work

Backyards We Finished Around a Pool

Woodbury, Shakopee, Mahtomedi, Stillwater and Maple Plain. Tap any photo to see it full size.

Porcelain pool deck with loungers, boulder retaining and black aluminum fence in Woodbury Rectangular pool with a tanning ledge set into a wide paver patio in Woodbury Paver pool deck with a pergola and seating in Shakopee Compact fiberglass pool with a full landscape in Mahtomedi New pool between a Stillwater home and its pole barn with lawn carried to the deck edge Rectangular pool framed by natural stone and boulder-edged gardens in Maple Plain Pool, pergola lounge and landscape on a Woodbury golf course lot Fiberglass pool and paver deck below a modern Shakopee home on a lake lot
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Pool Landscaping

What Pool Landscaping Includes

  • Paver or porcelain pool deck and coping transitions
  • Grading and drainage so water runs away from the pool
  • Code-compliant fence and self-closing gates
  • Low-litter plantings and privacy screening
  • Lighting for the deck, steps and fence line
  • Pergola, cabana, fire table or outdoor kitchen
Why It Matters

Why the Yard Should Be Designed With the Pool

The pool sets the grades, the deck sets the fence line, the fence sets where the gates and the equipment go, and all of it decides whether rain runs into the pool or away from it. When the landscape is designed after the pool is in, you inherit those decisions. When it is designed with the pool, the deck is the right size, the steps land where people walk, the plantings screen the neighbors without dropping leaves in the water, and the yard is done the same summer instead of sitting as dirt for a season.

How We Work

How a Pool Backyard Comes Together

One accountable team for everything outside the pool shell.

Design With the Pool

The pool, deck, fence, shade, plantings and lighting designed together in 3D, so the permit drawings and the pool layout come from the same plan.

Grades and Utilities

Final grades set so water drains away from the pool, with sleeves and conduit for lighting, gas and the equipment pad placed before the deck.

Deck the Day the Pool Is Set

Our crew starts the deck base as soon as the shell is in and backfilled, which is what keeps the yard from sitting as dirt.

Fence, Walls and Features

The code-compliant fence and gates, any retaining or boulder work, and the pergola, fire table or kitchen.

Plantings, Lighting and Lawn

Low-litter plantings, lighting and sod or seed, then a walkthrough before the first swim.

Design Options

Ways to Finish the Yard Around a Pool

Paver or Porcelain Deck

Large-format concrete pavers for range and value, porcelain for the cleanest modern surface and stain resistance. See our porcelain page.

Shade

A louvered aluminum pergola over the lounge, or a cabana with a changing room, placed where the afternoon sun lands.

Fire and Kitchen

A linear fire table beside the ledge for 55-degree evenings, and an outdoor kitchen so nobody runs inside for the grill.

Slope and Walls

Boulder or block walls and steps that hold the grade behind the pool, the way Poolside on the Hill was done.

Plantings That Stay Out of the Water

Grasses, hydrangeas and upright evergreens that screen without dropping leaves, with lawn carried to the deck edge for bare feet.

Lighting

Deck, step and fence-line lighting that makes a pool feel like a resort after dark.

Related Specialties

Related Pool and Patio Work

Swimming Pools

Fiberglass and vinyl pools installed through Blaiser Pools and Legacy Pools, designed into the whole backyard.

Learn more →

Porcelain Paver Patios

Large-format porcelain for patios and pool decks: stain resistant, almost no water absorption, built on the same base as every patio we lay.

Learn more →

Lake Home Landscaping

Shoreline terraces, stairs to the water, walls and plantings that work within shoreland rules.

Learn more →
What Affects the Cost

What Landscaping Around a Pool Costs

Finishing the yard around a new pool typically lands between $75,000 and $150,000 for the deck, fence, grading, plantings and lighting; Poolside on the Hill in Woodbury was about $120,000 with a porcelain deck and boulder steps. A lighter scope where the deck was already in, like The Backyard Barn in Stillwater at about $40,000, is less; a full outdoor-living build with pergola, kitchen and fire feature, like The Home Resort in Shakopee at about $230,000, is more. The pool itself typically runs around $130,000 and is separate.

  • Deck size and materialPorcelain and large-format pavers cost more per square foot than basic concrete pavers; deck area is the biggest line.
  • GradeA sloped lot means walls and steps behind the pool.
  • Fence lengthRequired at any size; aluminum fence is priced by the foot and by the number of gates.
  • FeaturesPergola, cabana, fire table, kitchen and lighting each add to the base scope.
Read the pool landscaping guide
Reviews

What Pool Owners Say About the Hand-Off

Real Google reviews. Read more reviews.

We worked with Schifsky along side our Blaiser pool install. We worked with Brandon who was a great communicator and easy to get ahold of. One main reason we went with them was we were told seamless transition between pool install and landscaping. I didn’t want to sit with dirt for a long time. They delivered on their promise and were here the last day of pool install to get things moving. We had one rain day during the project and they worked that weekend to remain on schedule. That was much appreciated. All in all it was a great process and we would recommend their services.

Mallory Shuck Google review · Sep 2026

We installed an inground pool this summer through Blaiser Pools, and Schifsky Companies partnered with them on the project. Our lead from Schifsky, Adam Skowronek, was outstanding. He created detailed 3D renderings that helped us visualize the final landscaping, and he handled every change we requested with patience and professionalism. We’re truly grateful for the care, skill, and hard work Adam and his team put into making our project a success.

Peg Lundquist Google review · Aug 2026

When we first started looking into building an outdoor patio and pool area, we honestly weren’t sure our property would even allow the backyard we were dreaming of. … our project manager, Adam Skowronek, somehow designed something even better than we could have imagined. … Now that everything is complete, we honestly still catch ourselves looking out the window and thinking, “I can’t believe this is our backyard.”

Erin Bukacek Google review · Jul 2026
Plan Before You Build

Pool Landscaping Guides and Costs

Planning guide

Landscaping Around a Pool in Minnesota: What to Plant, What to Avoid, and How to Design the Space Around the Water

The pool is the centerpiece; the yard around it is where you actually live. Zone 4 plants that survive our winters and stay out of the water...

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Planning guide

Can I Put a Pool in My Yard? Minnesota Pool Permits, Fences, Setbacks and Other Rules Explained

Before you price a pool, find out whether your lot can take one. A plain-English guide to the permit, fence, setback, impervious-surface, we...

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Planning guide

How Much Does an Inground Pool Cost in Minnesota?

An inground pool in Minnesota runs around $130,000 for the pool itself, plus landscape. We recommend at least $75,000 for the surrounding sp...

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Planning guide

How Much Does a Plunge Pool Cost in Minnesota?

A plunge pool in Minnesota runs $85,000 to $130,000 for the pool itself, and $150,000 to $260,000 for a complete plunge pool, patio and land...

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Planning guide

How Much Do Porcelain Pavers Cost in the Twin Cities?

Porcelain pavers typically run $10 to $15 per square foot more than concrete pavers in the Twin Cities, around $55 to $77 installed. Here is...

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Planning guide

What Does a Full Backyard Landscape Project Cost in the Twin Cities?

A full backyard landscape project in the Twin Cities typically runs from about $45,000 for a focused makeover to $300,000+ for a luxury esta...

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Where we build

Pool Landscaping across the East Metro

Based in Lake Elmo, we work across the Twin Cities and western Wisconsin. Pages for the communities we serve most often:

FAQ

Common Pool Landscaping Questions

My pool installer only does the pool. Can you do everything else?
Yes. The deck, fence, grading, walls, plantings, lighting and shade are all landscape work, and it is what we do on every pool backyard. Most of ours are built alongside our sister company Blaiser Pools; if your pool is coming from another installer we coordinate grades and schedule with their crew so the yard is finished the same season.
What is the best pool deck material for Minnesota?
Large-format concrete pavers and porcelain pavers are the two we install most. Both tolerate freeze-thaw, can be reset if a section ever settles, and come in light, textured, slip-resistant finishes. Porcelain costs more and gives the cleanest, most stain-resistant surface; see our porcelain page.
How much does landscaping around a pool cost?
Typically $75,000 to $150,000 for the deck, fence, grading, plantings and lighting around a new pool, with lighter scopes around $40,000 and full outdoor-living builds above $200,000. The pool itself, around $130,000, is separate. Our pool landscaping guide breaks it down.
What plants work around a pool?
Ornamental grasses, hydrangeas, boxwood and upright evergreens: plants that screen and soften without dropping leaves, needles or fruit in the water. We keep large deciduous trees away from the deck and carry lawn right to the deck edge where people walk barefoot.
Does the yard really get done the same season as the pool?
That is the goal on every project and it is what the Woodbury homeowners above hired us for. Our crew starts the deck base as soon as the shell is set and backfilled, and the fence, plantings and lighting follow in sequence. Weather and permit timing can shift it, so we give you a realistic schedule up front.
Do I need a fence around a pool in Minnesota?
Yes. Cities require a barrier around any inground pool, typically at least 4 feet high with self-closing, self-latching gates, plus setbacks and electrical permits for the equipment. Our pool rules guide explains what to expect city by city.
Why Schifsky

The Schifsky Difference

Family-owned for 37+ years, we design and build your project with one accountable team, so the people who plan it are the people who build it, start to finish.

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  • 37+ Years, Family-OwnedNearly four decades building Twin Cities outdoor spaces - still run by the same family.
  • True Design-BuildOne accountable team from first sketch to final walkthrough - no finger-pointing between trades.
  • See It in 3D FirstWe design your project in realistic 3D so you can refine it before we ever break ground.
  • Built for Minnesota WintersProper base prep, drainage, and craftsmanship engineered to handle our freeze-thaw cycles.
Service Area

Serving the Twin Cities & Western Wisconsin

WoodburyNorth OaksSunfish LakeDellwoodGrantMahtomediStillwaterWhite Bear LakeAftonLake ElmoHugoEdinaWayzataOronoMedinaDeephavenShorewoodEden PrairieChanhassenVictoriaChaskaHudsonNew Richmond
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Free · No Obligation

Get a Free Pool Landscaping Quote

Tell us about your project and we'll reach out within one business day.

Please enter your name.
Enter a valid phone number.
Enter a valid email.
Choose a project type.
Enter your city.
Please select an estimated range.
4.9 on Google Licensed & Insured Family-Owned 37 Yrs

Financing available · low monthly payments, no equity required

By submitting, you agree to be contacted about your project. No spam, ever.

Thank you - request received!

A member of the Schifsky design team will reach out within one business day.

Prefer to talk now? Call 651-439-0603