A Swimming Pool That The Whole Family Loves.
For years, our clients had dreamed of their perfect backyard. They longed for a custom swimming pool that would give them relaxation & comfort throughout the brutal Summer months of the Central Valley. They also had dreamed of a spacious spa so that the Winter months were still enjoyable. Having young children, a waterslide was also a must-have on their wish list! While they had endured many years with just a blank back yard, they knew it was time for a change! We were so excited to work on this project with them & deliver the backyard they had always dreamed of & deserved.
In the design phase, we learned that our clients had a strong preference for curvilinear lines & natural textures. We wanted to create a custom swimming pool design that would feel like a natural body of water that had been there for decades. Taking this into account we shaped a free-form design that gave the pool large, sweeping curves & character. At one end of the custom swimming pool we would have a spacious, raised spa (more on that in a moment) & on the other end we would also have a generous lounge shelf so that guests could comfortably relax & tan in the shallow end.
We knew we did not want just boring grey concrete for the deck. Therefore, we opted to use a textured concrete with a ‘granite’ style paint finish so that the expansive deck area would feel more organic. This method gives the concrete deck so much more character & dimension. In addition to the ‘granite’ style concrete, we added a number of sculpted concrete boulders to the design as well. These accent boulders are used to again disrupt the concrete footprint & again give more texture to the deck. These boulders would also come in handy when we began to incorporate their waterslide into the custom swimming pool design.
We’ve all seen plenty of waterslides that feel like late additions to a swimming pool or they are simply an eyesore. Our clients knew a waterslide was a must for their kids, but were concerned about making it feel at home with the overall custom swimming pool design. We embraced the waterslide by wrapping it with the same sculpted concrete we had used to create their accent boulders. This created the illusion of a stunning rock outcrop that is divided by the path of the waterslide. Now the kids (and adults) can have even more fun in the pool & it looks great!
The next item to address was the spa element of the custom swimming pool. We suggested raising the spa height beyond the level of the pool. This gave us the added benefit of creating another water feature on the swimming pool via the raised spillway in the spa. This also had the added benefit of creating additional, much needed, outdoor seating. By raising the spa, the cap acts like a large radius bench for guests to use during gatherings. We finished the exposed exterior of the spa with a rich natural stone veneer to tie-into the overall aesthetic of the custom swimming pool.
Beyond the custom swimming pool, we focused on further creating an outdoor oasis for our clients & their guests. We created a custom outdoor fire pit, set just off from the shallow end. Using the same natural veneer stone as was featured on the spa, this beautiful firepit brings the vibrant element of fire into the overall design. We also added a matching bench to further create more outdoor seating in the backyard. For plantings, we focused on creating a lush, tropical planting palette with a ‘sprinkle’ of blooming varieties for color. We incorporated tropical varieties such as Mediterranean Fan Palm, Pineapple Guava bush, & Queen Palms. For added color we used splashes of White Iceberg Rose & Tecoma Stans.
Once completed, our clients were blown away by the transformation. Not only did they now have the custom swimming pool that they had always dreamed of but they also had a resort-like backyard that has now become the perfect Summer destination for their family & friends.
