The "Moat" Mistake: How to Connect a High Door to a Pool Without Ruining Your Curb Appeal

The Dilemma

A homeowner recently asked:

My side porch is rotting in the shade, and I want to replace it with a concrete patio that acts as my main entrance and wraps around to the pool. I'm lost on the design and need plant ideas to fill the gaps.

The GardenOwl Diagnosis

Addressing this flow issue is key to boosting your overall curb appeal.

The Assessment

You are dealing with a classic case of “function fighting form.” You have a manufactured home on a block foundation with a side entrance that acts as your front door. Avoiding The Linear Corridor Effect (The Bowling Alley) is critical here to ensure your new entrance doesn't feel like an institutional sidewalk. The existing wood deck is rotting because it’s in a “zero sun” corner, trapping moisture against the wood. You want to tear it out, pour concrete, and connect the whole thing to that above-ground pool in the backyard.

Here is the challenge: Your door is about 30 inches off the ground. If you just pour a concrete slab at ground level, you are going to end up with a steep, ugly set of stairs right at your front door. Plus, you have a long stretch of siding to cover up.

The Trap: The “Concrete Moat”

The biggest mistake homeowners make when connecting two points (like a side door and a pool) is taking the shortest path. They pour a 3-foot wide concrete sidewalk that hugs the foundation of the house all the way around the corner.

I call this the Concrete Moat. It looks institutional, it forces you to walk single-file, and worst of all, it highlights the block foundation you are trying to hide. If you pour concrete right up against the house, you leave zero room for plants. You end up with a “bowling alley” effect that makes the house look severe and the yard look smaller. We see similar issues when people try to force straight lines in narrow yards, as discussed in The Bowling Alley Backyard.

The Solution: Lift, Curve, and Layer

To fix the rot and the flow, we need to treat the hardscape and the landscape as one system. Here is the game plan.

1. The Landing (Don't Step Down Yet)

Since this is your main entrance, do not step immediately out of the door onto a staircase. It feels cheap and dangerous.

Instead of a wood deck (which will just rot again in that shade), build a masonry landing or a generous stoop. This should be a raised box, perhaps faced with stone or brick that complements your siding, that comes out at least 4 to 5 feet from the door. This gives you a level platform to stand on when you open the door. From there, you can have wide steps cascading down to your new concrete patio. This solves the elevation issue permanently.

2. The “Swing” Walkway

For the path to the pool, ignore the instinct to hug the wall. Start the path at your new patio, but curve it out into the yard.

Imagine a gentle “S” curve that swings 6 to 8 feet away from the house corner before tucking back toward the pool ladder. By pulling the concrete away from the house, you create a deep, triangular planting bed between the path and the house. This is prime real estate for those “big bushes” you wanted. Soft curves also help break up the rigid rectangular lines of the manufactured home.

3. Foundation Planting (The “Zero Sun” Fix)

You mentioned the side gets zero sun. Most flowering shrubs will get leggy and refuse to bloom there, but you have a secret weapon: Oakleaf Hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia).

• Why it works: It loves shade. It has massive, architectural leaves that contrast beautifully with vinyl siding. It blooms white in summer and turns deep burgundy in fall.
• The Placement: Plant these in that deep bed created by your curved path. Keep them at least 3 feet off the siding. This is crucial. You need airflow between the plant and the house to prevent mold on your siding, similar to the issues we see with gravel causing wet brick walls.

For the sunny front corner near the pool, transition to Yews or a dwarf evergreen like 'Soft Touch' Holly. These will give you year-round structure to hide the block foundation. Just keep leafy plants away from the pool edge—skimming hydrangea leaves out of a skimmer is a chore you don't want.

Visualizing the Result

Before you call the concrete truck, you need to see how that curve sits on the land. A drawing on a napkin doesn't show you slope. Using GardenDream acts as a safety net here. You can upload a photo of that corner and visualize exactly how far out the path needs to swing to accommodate the planting beds. It also helps you check if the grading will direct rainwater away from your new foundation plantings rather than pooling around the roots.

If you want to spot hidden opportunities in your own yard, upload a photo of your yard to get an instant diagnosis and visualize the transformation using our Exterior Design App.