This infinity pool lights up beautifully at night. Add a few firebowls, dramatic garden beds and an outdoor kitchen and the three tiered paver patio comes to life.

The homeowner of this traditional home requested a traditional pool and spa with a resort-like style and finishes. AquaTerra was able to create this wonderful outdoor environment with all they could have asked for. While the pool and spa may be simple on the surface, extensive planning went into this environment to incorporate the intricate deck pattern. During site layout and during construction, extreme attention to detail was required to make sure nothing compromised the precise deck layout. The pool is 42'x19' and includes a custom water feature wall, glass waterline tile and a fully tiled lounge with bubblers. The separate spa is fully glass tiled and is designed to be a water feature with custom spillways when not in use. LED lighting is used in both the pool and spa to create dramatic lighting that can be enjoyed at night. The pool/spa deck is made of 2'x2' travertine stones, four to a square, creating a 4'x4' grid that is rotated 45 degrees in relation to the pool. In between all of the stones is synthetic turf that ties into the synthetic turf putting green that is adjacent to the deck. Underneath all of this decking and turf is a concrete sub-deck to support and drain the entire system. Finishes and details that increase the aesthetic appeal for project include: -All glass tile spa and spa basin -Travertine deck -Tiled sun lounge with bubblers -Custom water feature wall -LED lighting -Synthetic turf This traditional pool and all the intricate details make it a perfect environment for the homeowners to live, relax and play! Photography: Daniel Driensky

Rob Bramhall

A backyard retreat in Dallas, Texas that features a wonderful outdoor living area and luxury swimming pool. This private oasis features a custom designed covered outdoor living pavilion with exposed timber beams and stone columns. The pavilion also features an BBQ grill, outdoor kitchen and seating area for entertaining the entire family. The luxury swimming pool features a travertine terrace and limestone coping. A backdrop fountain feature with decorative spouts, urns and tile which provides a focal feature and relaxing background noise.

Landscape and planting by Michael Tebbs Design, Home construction by Crowder Construction, Thank you Mr. & Mrs. W. for trusting your project to the team at Crowder Construction, Michael Tebbs Design and Creative Environments... it was our pleasure to help transform your property to the beautiful entertainment area that it is today....

It started with vision. Then arrived fresh sight, seeing what was absent, seeing what was possible. Followed quickly by desire and creativity and know-how and communication and collaboration. When the Ramsowers first called Exterior Worlds, all they had in mind was an outdoor fountain. About working with the Ramsowers, Jeff Halper, owner of Exterior Worlds says, “The Ramsowers had great vision. While they didn’t know exactly what they wanted, they did push us to create something special for them. I get inspired by my clients who are engaged and focused on design like they were. When you get that kind of inspiration and dialogue, you end up with a project like this one.” For Exterior Worlds, our design process addressed two main features of the original space—the blank surface of the yard surrounded by looming architecture and plain fencing. With the yard, we dug out the center of it to create a one-foot drop in elevation in which to build a sunken pool. At one end, we installed a spa, lining it with a contrasting darker blue glass tile. Pedestals topped with urns anchor the pool and provide a place for spot color. Jets of water emerge from these pedestals. This moving water becomes a shield to block out urban noises and makes the scene lively. (And the children think it’s great fun to play in them.) On the side of the pool, another fountain, an illuminated basin built of limestone, brick and stainless steel, feeds the pool through three slots. The pool is counterbalanced by a large plot of grass. What is inventive about this grassy area is its sub-structure. Before putting down the grass, we installed a French drain using grid pavers that pulls water away, an action that keeps the soil from compacting and the grass from suffocating. The entire sunken area is finished off with a border of ground cover that transitions the eye to the limestone walkway and the retaining wall, where we used the same reclaimed bricks found in architectural features of the house. In the outer border along the fence line, we planted small trees that give the space scale and also hide some unsightly utility infrastructure. Boxwood and limestone gravel were embroidered into a parterre design to underscore the formal shape of the pool. Additionally, we planted a rose garden around the illuminated basin and a color garden for seasonal color at the far end of the yard across from the covered terrace. To address the issue of the house’s prominence, we added a pergola to the main wing of the house. The pergola is made of solid aluminum, chosen for its durability, and painted black. The Ramsowers had used reclaimed ornamental iron around their front yard and so we replicated its pattern in the pergola’s design. “In making this design choice and also by using the reclaimed brick in the pool area, we wanted to honor the architecture of the house,” says Halper. We continued the ornamental pattern by building an aluminum arbor and pool security fence along the covered terrace. The arbor’s supports gently curve out and away from the house. It, plus the pergola, extends the structural aspect of the house into the landscape. At the same time, it softens the hard edges of the house and unifies it with the yard. The softening effect is further enhanced by the wisteria vine that will eventually cover both the arbor and the pergola. From a practical standpoint, the pergola and arbor provide shade, especially when the vine becomes mature, a definite plus for the west-facing main house. This newly-created space is an updated vision for a traditional garden that combines classic lines with the modern sensibility of innovative materials. The family is able to sit in the house or on the covered terrace and look out over the landscaping. To enjoy its pleasing form and practical function. To appreciate its cool, soothing palette, the blues of the water flowing into the greens of the garden with a judicious use of color. And accept its invitation to step out, step down, jump in, enjoy.

Custom tile design by Fariba at Archarium. Style: Spanish Revival Tiles are hand painted glazed ceramics. Tiles are available though Archarium tile and stone.

Swan Pools | Natural Hot Spring Rocky outcropings, fossilized concrete decking, large waterfalls, and bubbling water wisk you away to your very own natural hot spring. Relax and let Mother Earth speak to you.

This was a complete front and back transformation. We took the dirt from the back yard and used it to level the front yard and made both more useable. The main feature was a large gunite swimming pool, with built in diving board. We also built in the client's trampoline as well and left room for their play set and play house. It was a kids paradise! The kool deck was nice and cool in the summer and allowed for barefoot basketball games. We designed and installed a large Cedar screened in porch with fireplace and grill. Just off the porch was a hot tub. We completed it with lush landscaping, irrigation and lighting. Mark Schisler, Legacy Landscapes, Inc.

This beautiful year is in Newport Coast and has all the bels and whistles. This pool has stacked and ledgered stone, all granite BBQ and fire place. The pool is equipped with in floor deep heating and pebble tech finish. The pool is accented with 3 water pots with led lights. This is an entertainers delight.

The 25-by-15-foot reverse vanishing edge pool echoes the trapezoidal shape of the waterfeature and seat walls in the forecourt, while the leading-edge overflow reinforces the feminine curve of the seat walls introduced as one first experienced the home's front entry. The bold curve intentionally imparts a sensuous line to the otherwise masculine, angular framework. The planter walls behind the pool are cantilevered by 4" and create a sleek and distinct shadow line that underscores their form, levitating them above the water. michaelwoodall.com

Featured on HGTV's "Cool Pools", the "Scuba Pool" was inspired by the homeowner's love for scuba diving, so we created stone tunnels and a deep diving area as well as lazy rivers and two grottos connected by a native Oklahoma boulder waterfall. A large beach entry gives young ones plenty of play space as well. These homeowners can entertain large groups easily with this multi-function outdoor space. Design and Construction by Caviness Landscape Design, Inc. photos by KO Rinearson

Design/Build by Lidyoff Landscape Dev. Co. Artificial putting green and pool/fountain design.

This multi-story pool enclosure project took place at a home in Windermere, FL, this picture is an interior view.