The cabana design
Homeowners want to take advantage of every square inch of outdoor living space they have. They want to socialize in the backyard and, for pool owners, this space is more important to them than their indoor living room. This was the case for Schmoll’s renovation, as the construction of a new cabana with all of the latest components would suit their backyard entertaining lifestyle.
“The cabana design was inspired by an outdoor living space a friend has in San Diego, Calif.,” said Schmoll. “We loved the design and atmosphere so much that we wanted to re-create the same type of space in our own backyard.”
The interior of the cabana includes radiant floor heating, a three-piece bathroom, and a change room. It also has a covered outdoor seating area with a wood-burning fireplace and ‘U’-shaped bar with two beer taps and a built-in barbecue in the kitchen. A 251-m2 (2700-sf) multi-level patio surrounds the pool and cabana. In addition to housing the pool equipment, the cabana’s basement offers ample room for storage.
The pool renovation
Schmoll’s original shotcrete pool was built in 1993 when it was popular to use limestone on decks, especially in a random, broken stone look. However, this time he wanted something different that would co-ordinate with the exterior of his home renovation. To do this, a grey travertine stone, which was purchased in India, was selected as it complements the new colour scheme of the home.
The freeform pool is 6.7 m (22 ft) wide by 13.4 m (44 ft) long and has a 2.4-m (8-ft) deep end. An attached spillover spa was built into the shallow end of the pool.
“The pool shape, size, and structure didn’t change, but rather just the finishes,” said Schmoll of his pool and home renovation, which was inspired by the architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright.
The goal was to give the home (along with the pool and cabana) a new look, which comprised today’s popular ‘mid-century’ design elements, while incorporating modern conveniences and adding more outdoor living space.
To achieve this, the pool was completely stripped of all finishes and the new grey travertine coping was installed. In addition, black glass tile was installed at the waterline and the pool and spa were finished in emerald black river rock. In an attempt to automate and improve the functionality of the pool, all of the in-floor cleaning fittings were replaced, in addition to all of the wall fittings, skimmers, hydrotherapy jets, and pool lights. The spillover spa was also raised 203 mm (8 in.) for practical reasons. As the spa is used year-round, having it at deck-level allowed leaves to blow into the water; however, this minor structural change will help to prevent this from happening.
