Getting creative with backyard detailing

by jason_cramp | March 5, 2020 3:19 pm

By Zayvian Camacho

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Industry professionals often find themselves in a unique position—not only are they required to build pools, but also create truly magnificent backyard living environments. Today, there are many products that allow builders to fulfil their client’s needs, as well as exceed their expectations to ensure future referrals. Therefore, it is important to come up with a design that can accommodate multiple options to successfully achieve the client’s ‘dream pool.’

That said, practical necessity can often motivate creativity. Some of the most artistic pools use the equipment room as a launching pad for building stunning pool houses or water features that conceal the equipment. Whether this means working around existing trees on the property, building features to block out the neighbour’s view, or recycling rocks from the pool excavation, today’s pool builders are making use of innovative techniques and products to transform their clients’ backyards into unique living spaces.

Eco-inspiration

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Many pool designers start by looking at the client’s backyard setting for inspiration. By working with natural resources, builders are able to recycle materials from the job site and integrate these into the pool and backyard landscape. One such example was a project in San Marcos, Texas, which involved the creation of a tree house overlooking the pool. When considering the location of the pool equipment room, a tree on the property inspired the idea of building a tree house above the equipment room. The soil in ‘Texas Hill Country’ is extremely rocky, and the pool builder wanted to recycle the excavated stone and integrate it into the tree/pool house design. The lower structure of the pool equipment room was built entirely from the stone removed during the excavation. Although challenging, the pool builder managed to work around several trees on the property and was able to successfully weave them into the final design. The screened room—built with live edge cedar—along with a hidden staircase, lends a rustic look to the overall structure, which blends effortlessly into the landscape. The tree house provides an interesting visual focal point in the backyard—which could not have been achieved with a standard roof on a pool house—and transforms the pool house into an ideal retreat for the homeowner.

Block, hide, and cover

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Pool builders and designers often use water features to block out neighbours and cover the sounds of nearby roads. Hiding equipment pads and creating adjacent structures can be the inspiration for taller water features, waterslides, rock pool houses, grottos, and caves. It is also easier to create these cover ups using lightweight, cast component rock systems. In the past, the only way to create a grotto or cave was to use heavy, expensive natural boulders or freehand-carved artificial rock. However, both these options are labour-intensive and can be stressful for builders as the finished look cannot be guaranteed. Clients need to be shown exactly what they are getting in advance, and pool builders need to be able to provide a cave or grotto with a consistent, predictable look at a reasonable price. To meet this demand, suppliers have created component systems or ‘kits’ that are standardized, allowing builders to propose a product and guarantee it will look the same once it is built. These kits also make it easier for builders to design around, block, and cover equipment pads or other unwanted sights from the homeowner’s view while enjoying the backyard.

Also, builders prefer installing artificial rock waterfalls, grottos, and other water features as they are lightweight—at about 10 per cent the weight of real rock—and provide a consistent, finished look, so homeowners can get what they are looking for. Even if the client does not specifically ask for any of these features, builders should consider presenting these options to them, especially when there is a need for a sound or visual barrier. Not only does this strategy apply to new pool construction assignments, but also to renovation projects. Once again, it is important to remember many homes are situated on small lots where neighbours can often look into each other’s yards. When tall fences and walls are not an option, water features are the perfect solution.

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One must understand homeowners are going to spend as much time sitting around the pool as they will swimming in it; therefore, creating a complete backyard retreat is key to making the customer happy. Grotto/cave water features create a tranquil, natural setting for any pool. Most clients that prefer such features either have children or grandchildren and are looking for a structure that is fun as well as esthetically pleasing. Children immediately want to play under, jump off, or slide down these water features. Of course, some of these will require the addition of a slide or a staircase. Further, climbing walls that are nearly 2.1-m (7-ft) tall with built-in water features make perfect visual barriers and also provide loads of fun for pool users. These work well for both renovation and new projects.

Compared to working with natural rock, the labour savings alone make component systems extremely price competitive in the marketplace. Today’s builders can offer a grotto with a staircase for about half the cost of an elaborate custom design by controlling the cost of the rock structure. Prior to component systems, these projects could easily go beyond their original quotes because of the unpredictable nature of using natural stone. Further, modular slides are designed to fit into component grotto and cave systems, giving the customer an option to add a slide around the pool.

Grottos, caves, and cenotes

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Most homeowners enquire about grottos and caves after they have seen one on a neighbour’s pool, in a hotel, on a vacation trip, or on the internet. As a result, these features are becoming more prevalent in the residential market.

Creating a visual focal point in the backyard has led many pool professionals to incorporate unique structures into the pool design. One such cave design was inspired by the cenotes of the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico. Cenotes are large, low-profile freshwater caves sheltered by vast jungles, which essentially integrate into the surrounding landscape. Using a grotto structure and commercial bridge engineering, nearly 6- to 9-m (20- to 30-ft) wide cenotes can be constructed, along with integrated planter boxes that allow foliage to droop and hang over the waterfall, which mimics the look and feel of a jungle encroaching on a pool.

Again, the client may not necessarily ask for a cave or cenote, but these features should be presented because they make the pool appear esthetically pleasing and enhance the entertainment value of the backyard. Caves and grottos are basically a ‘super’ waterfall feature. Not only do they provide all the benefits of a waterfall (visual beauty and the calming sound of cascading water), but also add an element of fun and excitement—especially for children. Pool builders can even incorporate water misters and lighting to heighten the element of mystery for kids. These component systems are, in effect, in the form of a kit, which allow professionals to show clients a brochure of what the final product will look like at the time they sell the job. Builders then order these kits that come with all of the materials necessary to complete the specific project. Each system is constructed by assembling and fitting the component together onto the pool.

Today’s water feature kits are designed to ensure proper water flow, weight distribution, and are structurally stronger than natural rock systems as they are reinforced with steel. Unlike artificial rock systems of the past, which were often cast from rubber moulds, today’s rock component systems look real because they are cast from actual rocks to provide the same shape, character, and texture. Also, cast concrete rocks hold up extremely well to the freeze-thaw temperatures in the northern U.S. and Canada.

Final touches

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Adding plants in and around water features is an important final step to ensure the structure integrates naturally into the backyard design. Nowadays, many clients want to build water features around their pool. However, without professional knowledge of pool construction and hydraulics, an unexperienced contractor may unintentionally create a feature that can compromise the pool. Therefore, it is best if pool builders integrate water features into the landscaping along with some help from a local landscape designer. Whether one is creating a visual barrier to block the neighbour’s view or creating a focal point in the backyard, it is critical to choose landscaping that draws the eyes away from areas one wants to cover. For example, strategic use of outdoor lighting can take the attention away from uninviting structures and focus on a new water feature or tree house.

Planting areas should also be planned into or around water features and accessories, such as slides. Incorporating natural elements such as potted plants or pockets of greenery into the mix will help to soften the edges and provide an oasis effect. For example, areas on the side and back of the feature can double as a herb garden for the homeowner.

Pool builders should get creative and allow the project to accomplish multiple goals for the client—from creating privacy to providing tranquil ‘white noise’ from water flowing down the slide, and adding a fun element in the backyard. Choosing individual planting areas, which resemble rock-growing plants often found within a natural waterfall, can even be fed by a built-in irrigation system.

Get creative

Whether it is a tree house, zipline, slide, climbing wall, or cenote that one decides to add to their backyard project, installers must let their creative juices flow and build practical, but inspiring backyard designs around their clients’ pools. At the end of the day, one must aim to exceed their clients’ expectations to ensure future assignments and referrals.

[7]Zayvian Camacho is a resident of Austin, Texas. While taking classes in landscape design, he started doing product design at RicoRock. Camacho has overseen the development of the new 2.1-m (7-ft) climber—a vertical waterfall unit—built on a structural steel frame; this meshes well with his primary hobby, which is rock climbing. He is also part of the design and fabrication team, developing new waterfalls and working on select construction projects. He can be reached via email at zayvian@ricorock.com[8].

Source URL: https://www.poolspamarketing.com/trade/features/getting-creative-with-backyard-detailing/

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