This natural looking pool has a beach entry and a spa.

Small plunge pool with uninterrupted wide ranging of Sydney harbour

www.DanielKellyPhotography.com

A Memorial area family commissioned us to create a natural swimming pool in their back yard. The family already had a standard pool on premises, but it was isolated in an area of the yard not particularly suited to seating guests or hosting get-togethers. What they wanted was a second, natural swimming pool built that would serve as the hub of a new home outdoor entertainment area consisting of a new stone patio, comfortable outdoor seating, and a fire pit. They wanted to create something unique that would preserve as much of the natural features of the landscape as possible, but that would also be completely safe and fully functional as a swimming pool. We decided to design this new landscaping plan around a pre-existent waterfall that was already on the property. This feature was too attractive to ignore, and provided the ideal anchor point for a new gathering area. The fountain had been designed to mimic a natural waterfall, with stones laid on top of one another in such a way as to look like a mountain cliff where water spontaneously springs from the top and cascades down the rocks. At first glance, many would miss the opportunity that such a structure provides; assuming that a fountain designed like a cliff would have to be completely replaced to install a natural swimming pool. Our landscaping designers, however, came up with a landscape plan to transform one archetypal form into the other by simply adding to what was already there. At the base of the rocks we dug a basin. This basin was oblong in shape and varied in degrees of depth ranging from a few inches on the end to five feet in the middle. We directed the flow of the water toward one end of the basin, so that it flowed into the depression and created a swimming pool at the base of the rocks. This was easy to accomplish because the fountain lay parallel to the top of a natural ravine located toward the back of the property, so water flow was maintained by gravity. This had the secondary effect of creating a new natural aesthetic. The addition of the basin transformed the fountain’s appearance to look more like a cliff you would see in a river, where the elevation suddenly drops, and water rushes over a series of rocks into a deeper pool below. Children and guests swimming in this new structure could actually imagine themselves in a Rocky Mountain River. We then heated the swimming pool so it could be enjoyed in the winter as well as the summer, and we also lit the pool using two types of luminaries for complimentary effects. For vegetation, we used mercury vapor down lights to backlight surrounding trees and to bring out the green color of foliage in and around the top of the rocks. For the brown color of the rocks themselves, and to create a sparkling luminance rising up and out of the water, we installed incandescent, underwater up lights. The lights were GFIC protected to make the natural swimming pool shock proof and safe for human use.

The Landscape Architects were asked to develop an outdoor setting that would be inspired by the Amanyara resort in Singapore. The owner requested an outdoor environment equipped with specific features and areas for leisure activities such as tennis court, swimming pool, spa, outdoor kitchen, outdoor sauna, changing room, outdoor living room diving area and sound system able to reach any area of the garden.. photo by Heatley

Randy Angell, Designer The main focal point of this project is the 7' limestone and cast stone wall, with a laser cut steel sculpture, created by Randy Angell. The cast stone columns and center arch echo the architecture of the home and create the perfect backdrop for the raised spa.

Melissa Ovianki photo

Photos: Bob Greenspan

A custom cedar gate leads through a tall brick wall and hides the driveway from the pool terrace. Photo Credit: George Dzahristos

Request Free Quote This lovely rectilinear swimming pool measures 20’0” x 46’0”, and has a separate, raised hot tub measuring 9’0” x 9’0”. On top of the hot tub is a raised wall water feature with three sheer descent waterfalls. The shallow end features a 20’0” sun shelf with two sets of attached steps. On the opposite end of the pool, there is a 20’0” infinity edge system overlooking Lake Michigan. Both the pool and hot tub feature Bluestone coping. Both the pool and hot tub interior finishes are Ceramaquartz. The pool features an automatic hydraulic pool cover system with a custom stone walk-on lid system. The pool and hot tub feature colored LED lighting. There is an in-floor cleaning system in the pool. Photography by e3.

This young family in Whitby worried it might not be possible to have a pool in their backyard. Their lot sloped steeply toward the back and dropped off sharply just fifteen feet behind the house. Also, they were on a ravine conservation area with its own challenges. Fortunately, the Betz design department had the solution.