Tag Archives: design

Laying the groundwork

Photo courtesy MoistureShield 100Composite materials can be easily machined and installed with standard hand and power tools as without a grain the material will not split. When using these materials, they should always be installed according to the manufacturer’s installation instructions, paying close attention to maximum allowable uniform live load and member span requirements.

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Designing a pool in a backyard with minimal space on a cliff

This project, like any other, commenced with a typical client meeting that started out at the front door and ended looking off an upper deck at a cliff where the client wanted to create a spectacular entertainment space with a pool as the centrepiece. There was a major problem, however. The lay of the land only provided 2.7 m (9 ft) of usable space out from the house to build everything. This was the first meeting of a project that would push everyone who worked on it to think outside the box, to create the ultimate backyard getaway.

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Building a rustic backyard escape

After finalizing the plans and design with the clients for the Okanagan gold rush project, the next step was a massive cleanup and preparation of the land where this approximately 7.74 m2 (12,000 sf) backyard feature would be created. The general plan outlined the gold rush cabin, outdoor kitchen structure, putting green, and the natural swimming pool (NSP)/pond. The land preparation had to be performed in an environmentally sensitive manner not only to be less invasive in general, but also to try and save as many of the existing plants, shrubs, and trees as possible to incorporate them into the final landscape plans.

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Designing a rustic backyard escape

What does a gold rush cabin from the 1800s, mining cart, putting green, and a natural swimming pool (NSP/swim pond) all have in common? They are the focal point of an award-winning landscape design in British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley. This project was not only filled with some challenging tasks, but was also highly rewarding in that a tranquil, beautiful setting was created for the client who was seeking something unique and environmentally friendly. So, what goes into a project of this undertaking, which won several design/build and environmental awards?

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Technology offers endless design possibilities for packaged pool kits

For much of their history, steel swimming pool kits were manufactured like cookie cutters. Manufacturers would typically offer a few different shapes—square, rectangle, oval, or octagonal—in a couple of different sizes, with a handful of choices for steps. The homeowner simply picked one from a book and that was that. Without the advantage of today’s technology, each steel panel had to be cut and bent by hand as manufacturers simply did not have the staff to complete all of the labour-intensive customization.

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