Michelle Rose Photography

Beautiful Hobert pool and raised spa with outdoor fire pit and arbor, sheer descent water features, and LED lights. An outdoor oasis!!

Nic Gingold

The planning phase of this modern retreat was an intense collaboration that took place over the course of more than two years. While the initial design concept exceeded the clients' expectations, it also exceeded their budget beyond the point of comfort. The next several months were spent modifying the design, in attempts to lower the budget. Ultimately, the decision was made that they would hold off on the project until they could budget for the original design, rather than compromising the vision. About a year later, we repeated that same process, which resulted in the same outcome. After another year-long hiatus, we met once again. We revisited design thoughts, each of us bringing to the table new ideas and options. Each thought simply solidified the fact that the initial vision was absolutely what we all wanted to see come to fruition, and the decision was finally made to move forward. The main challenge of the site was elevation. The Southeast corner of the lot stands 5'6" above the threshold of the rear door, while the Northeast corner dropped a full 2' below the threshold of the door. The backyard was also long and narrow, sloping side-to-side and toward the house. The key to the design concept was to deftly place the project into the slope and utilize the elevation changes, without allowing them to dominate the yard, or overwhelm the senses. The unseen challenge on this project came in the form of hitting every underground issue possible. We had to relocate the sewer main, the gas line, and the electrical service; and since rock was sitting about 6" below the surface, all of these had to be chiseled through many feet of dense rock, adding to our projected timeline and budget. As you enter the space, your first stop is an outdoor living area. Smooth finished concrete, colored to match the 'Leuder' limestone coping, has a subtle saw-cut pattern aligned with the edges of the recessed fire pit. In small spaces, it is important to consider a multi-purpose approach. So, the recessed fire pit has been fitted with an aluminum cover that allows our client to set up tables and chairs for entertaining, right over the top of the fire pit. From here, it;s two steps up to the pool elevation, and the floating 'Leuder' limestone stepper pads that lead across the pool and hide the dam wall of the flush spa. The main retaining wall to the Southeast is a poured concrete wall with an integrated sheer descent waterfall into the spa. To bring in some depth and texture, a 'Brownstone' ledgestone was used to face both the dropped beam on the pool, and the raised beam of the water feature wall. The main water feature is comprised of five custom made stainless steel scuppers, supplied by a dedicated booster pump. Colored concrete stepper pads lead to the 'Ipe' wood deck at the far end of the pool. The placement of this wood deck allowed us to minimize our use of retaining walls on the Northeast end of the yard, since it drops off over three feet below the elevation of the pool beam. One of the most unique features on this project has to be the structure over the dining area. With a unique combination of steel and wood, the clean modern aesthetic of this structure creates a visual stamp in the space that standard structure could not accomplish. 4" steel posts, painted charcoal grey, are set on an angle, 4' into the bedrock, to anchor the structure. Steel I-beams painted in green-yellow color--aptly called "frolic"--act as the base to the hefty cedar rafters of the roof structure, which has a slight pitch toward the rear. A hidden gutter on the back of the roof sends water down a copper rain chain, and into the drainage system. The backdrop for both this dining area , as well as the living area, is the horizontal screen panel, created with alternating sizes of cedar planks, stained to a calm hue of dove grey.

Photo Credit: Larry Lambrecht

Praised for its visually appealing, modern yet comfortable design, this Scottsdale residence took home the gold in the 2014 Design Awards from Professional Builder magazine. Built by Calvis Wyant Luxury Homes, the 5,877-square-foot residence features an open floor plan that includes Western Window Systems’ multi-slide pocket doors to allow for optimal inside-to-outside flow. Tropical influences such as covered patios, a pool, and reflecting ponds give the home a lush, resort-style feel.

Commissioned uplit sculpture appears to float above its iridescent glass tiled perimeter overflow base. Photographer: Christian Terry

Audacious in its massive size, the look of this bold beauty is polished yet casual. With its elegant veining, Aberdeen makes a statement at once luxuriant and eminently livable.

Fiberglass in ground Swimming Pool, manufactured by Leading Edge Pools & Spas. We offer Manufacturer direct pricing, Complete DIY packages with Equipment upgrades, Dealer Franchise opportunities & Pool Builder discounts. We Ship directly to you. Call 1-844-537-6657 or visit www.leadingedgepools.com for more information.

Carol Bates

Indoor Pebble Tec® Tahoe Blue pool constructed by Aquatech Pools GC, Inc. The design goals of this pool were to incorporate natural materials with unique color, lighting, water and fire in a family setting geared for entertaining. A pool, spa, swim up bar with accent lighting, an outdoor kitchen, fire pit and 2 fire features were requested by the customer which all had to be fit into a very limited amount of space with restrictive site conditions. The pool is located seaward of the CCL line. Due to elevations of the existing ground, an elevated stemwall was required to be constructed around the entire pool project. We used travertine on the deck, Pebble Tec® Caribbean Blue, ColorLogic Lights, and 2 fire bowls from Grand Effects. The fire pit and chairs we formed in place and constructed out of gunite, tile and granite. The spa bar top was a custom piece of granite with under mounted color lighting. SPECIAL FEATURES: • (4) Underwater Bar Stools in pool around spa bar top with Pebble Tech Level 1 & Custom Granite Tops to match bar top • 16” Raised Spa with 3 spillways and a custom granite, curved bar top with under mounted color lighting • Swim up bar with accent lighting • Fire pit and benches we formed in place and constructed out of gunite, tile and granite • (2) Fire Bowls from Grand Effects with manually operated lava rock • 2-Level Travertine Deck in a French Pattern • Solar Panels: (9) 4’ x 12’ Panels with Auto Control • Tanning Shelf • Upgraded waterline tile • 2-Door Cage with Mansard Roof, 7” Super Gutter and Stainless Steel Screws • (2) Pool area landscape features • Outdoor kitchen area with custom granite countertops to match spa and (3) fire pit benches

Mark Boisclair