Greg Riegler

A more contemporary pool design with 3 underwater stools, sheer decent from pergola, pergola over kitchen area, 2 bubblers. Though the pool is not centered to the backyard, it is still a functional part that will get a lot of action.

Custom 10,000 square foot beach house built immediately following Superstorm Sandy. Outdoor living area. Pool, Cabana, pergola, outdoor living.

Scott Deemer

The siting and design of the spa was centered on the concept of water filling a void where a boulder may once have been located. By painstakingly preserving the adjacent boulder during construction, integrating site boulders within the spa and using native stone around the spa this concept is achieved. Plants surrounding the spa further integrated it into its context. Richardson & Associates, Landscape Architects

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

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.

Melissa Ovianki photo

I was initially contacted by the builder and architect working on this Modern European Cottage to review the property and home design before construction began. Once the clients and I had the opportunity to meet and discuss what their visions were for the property, I started working on their wish list of items, which included a custom concrete pool, concrete spa, patios/walkways, custom fencing, and wood structures. One of the largest challenges was that this property had a 30% (or less) hardcover surface requirement for the city location. With the lot size and square footage of the home I had limits to how much hardcover we could add to property. So, I had to get creative. We presented to the city the usage of the Live Green Roof plantings that would reduce the hardcover calculations for the site. Also, if we kept space between the Laurel Sandstones walkways, using them as steppers and planting groundcover or lawn between the stones that would also reduce the hard surface calculations. We continued that theme with the back patio as well. The client’s esthetic leaned towards the minimal style, so by adding greenery between stones work esthetically. I chose the Laurel Tumbled Sandstone for the charm and character and thought it would lend well to the old world feel of this Modern European Cottage. We installed it on all the stone walkways, steppers, and patios around the home and pool. I had several meetings with the client to discuss/review perennials, shrubs, and tree selections. Plant color and texture of the planting material were equally important to the clients when choosing. We grouped the plantings together and did not over-mix varieties of plants. Ultimately, we chose a variety of styles from natural groups of plantings to a touch of formal style, which all work cohesively together. The custom fence design and installation was designed to create a cottage “country” feel. They gave us inspiration of a country style fence that you may find on a farm to keep the animals inside. We took those photos and ideas and elevated the design. We used a combination of cedar wood and sandwich the galvanized mesh between it. The fence also creates a space for the clients two dogs to roam freely around their property. We installed sod on the inside of the fence to the home and seeded the remaining areas with a Low Gro Fescue grass seed with a straw blanket for protection. The minimal European style custom concrete pool was designed to be lined up in view from the porch and inside the home. The client requested the lawn around the edge of the pool, which helped reduce the hardcover calculations. The concrete spa is open year around. Benches are on all four sides of the spa to create enough seating for the whole family to use at the same time. Mortared field stone on the exterior of the spa mimics the stone on the exterior of the home. The spa equipment is installed in the lower level of the home to protect it from the cold winter weather. Between the garage and the home’s entry is a pea rock sitting area and is viewed from several windows. I wanted it to be a quiet escape from the rest of the house with the minimal design. The Skyline Locust tree planted in the center of the space creates a canopy and softens the side of garage wall from the window views. The client will be installing a small water feature along the garage for serene noise ambience. The client had very thoughtful design ideas styles, and our collaborations all came together and worked well to create the landscape design/installation. The result was everything they had dreamed of and more for their Modern European Cottage home and property.