As I always say and practice, check with the municipal building office for exact pool fence regulations.  There can be aspects of the code that are tweaked or interpreted a certain way and you need to know that.  I find it helpful to bring in a sketch (pictures too) and explain what you intend to do.  Do this early on and you can plan for the fence location and design right from the beginning of your project.

Pictured here is an area of pool fencing recently installed on a project of mine.  There is a change in levels created by a stone wall.  At this height change point the fence installer used a long post to make the transition.

The decorative aluminum fence ended on the top level and the vinyl coated chainlink fence picked-up at the lower level.  Everything should meet pool fence regulations…so we thought.

The inspector pointed out 2 issues needing attention:

1. An extension of the upper level fence is required where the height transition occurs.  This is to discourage a person from being able to use the top of the stone wall as a height advantage to climb over the fence.  Hmmm…good point!
2. The spacing between pickets on the decorative fence was over 4″ at two points.  The normal sections of this manufactured fence have consistent 4″ spacing.  This short section was cut to fit this narrow space and the end result was a 4 1/2″ space at one end, and a 4 1/4″ space at the other.  Hmmm…a bit of a stickler, wouldn’t you say?

The solutions to meet pool fence regulations:

1. For the extension piece in the height transition area the fence installer used a top rail secured at an angle with additional chainlink mesh.  This “angled” top rail solution is very strong by design.
2. For the fractional spacing issues on the decorative picket fence, a piece of chainlink mesh was attached.

Note: I don’t think there is a better color choice than black for a fence that you wish less noticed in the landscape.

Other Pool Fence Regulations To Be Aware Of

Fortunately these issues were easy to fix and the inspector appreciated the fact we had made the effort in every other regard to “get it right”.  This goes back to my point about visiting the town construction office at the early planning stage and discuss your intentions – priceless in terms of saving time and minimizing hassles.

Here are a few other pool fence regulations that are part of the BOCA (Building Officials and Code Administrators) pool safety codes.

• The pool fence must be at least 48″ high.
• If there are vertical pickets and horizontal rails, the distance between the horizontal rails can not be greater than 45″.
• The space between the ground and the fence can not be greater than 4″.
• Gates that are part of the pool fence enclosure must open out, away from the pool.
• Gates that are part of the pool fence enclosure must be self-closing and latching.
• All pool gate latches should be at least 54″ from the ground.

Sometimes these pool fence regulations are a matter of interpretation depending on the circumstance.  Have you ever had “a difference” of interpretation with an inspector?  How did that turn out?  Let us know in the comments.  We can all learn from these experiences.

There is so much to gain by understanding and using plant groupings (or “plant massings” as they are sometimes called).

Design With An Appropriate Setting In Mind

“Uh-oh” you say, “he’s getting into subjective territory”.  Maybe so, but think about it.  To make something appropriate is: to make suitable; to make suitable for the context in which it occurs.

If something is unsuitable or out of the realm of what you’d expect, you’re not going to feel comfortable with it.  If there’s any experience you want people to have in your design, let it be a pleasant and comfortable one.

How do you decide on what is appropriate?

Hmmm.  Good question.  Again, we’re going to skirt on the notion of subjectivity, but maybe it can be viewed very simply.

You wouldn’t wear a tuxedo to a barbecue would you? (College years excluded.)  Of course not.  It’s just not appropriate.  It wouldn’t look right and it sure wouldn’t feel right.

Before putting a pencil to paper, survey the setting – look at the surroundings.  Consider the feature or intended use of the space (recreation, entertaining, interest garden, etc.).  With all things considered, if this intended setting was here and occurred naturally, how might it look?

In the pool setting above imagine what the property looked like before.  The large trees were existing and the land was raised going towards the back.

With the intent of designing a pool in an appropriate setting, how do you think this would naturally occur?

Conceptually the pool would be irregular in shape, it would more likely occur in a lower position relative to the slope, and it would be surrounded by naturalized plantings.

No doubt you’ll have specific feature requests that you must work with – like the paver bricks used for this pool patio.  (Irregular flagstone would have worked well.)  But if you always keep in mind your general concept of what’s appropriate in the design, you can’t go wrong.

Let’s take another visit to the lake home and landscape project by East Coast Landscape.  In the last post we traveled down natural stone steps alongside a well-built and engineered waterfeature.

We’re now almost to the shoreline and standing on a wide path covered in woodchips.  This path actually travels a roundabout and gradual climb up to the main house.  It serves as both an alternate route for a casual (and longer) stroll, and also provides access for smaller equipment to get closer to the lake.

Combining Natural and Man-Made Elements

It is at this point where the cascading water coming down the rocky slope meets with a natural stream.

Alan Goodell from East Coast Landscape explains how this convergence of the two water features was handled.  At the base of the slope a retention pond was built using more boulders to echo the existing rockery.  Both the natural stream and the constructed waterfall enter into this pond.

While looking like just another natural occurring feature, this engineered pond allows the two water sources to be “managed” properly.  A weir is built below one of the bridges as part of the water management system.  The water flow and level of the pond can be adjusted as needed.

On the other side of the bridge the water exits after flowing over the pond weir.  This last part of the journey for the water before entering the lake is another display of cascades over rockery.

Notice how the plantings between the stone helps to unite the boulder groupings and then visually ties everything in to the surroundings.  I actually had to look closely to distinguish between the natural and man-made parts of the project.

The Beach And Dock Area

From the wood chip path there’s only a short stretch to the lake.  East Coast constructed a wide belgian block ramp that leads to the open-front pavilion.

The belgian block cobble provides a stable, strong surface.  It naturally has a nubby texture for traction and sure-footing.  Belgian block, as a dimensional, thick, heavy paver can conform to the subtleties of the slope.   Also, its gray tones blend well with the surroundings.  I like the way the belgian block pavers combine to meet the flagstone in front of the pavilion.  Different paving elements that connect can be challenging in design.

The pavilion has an open-front and together with the flagstone patio offers a spacious room for all sorts of activities. From the pavilion there are several stone slab-steps to the beach and dock area.

The trek from the house down to the lake was certainly not an effort.  In fact, I wish it had continued!

In design, if you can bring people to a point where they are no longer thinking about the clock and perhaps what else they should be doing, you’ve created something special.

On a project like this it is an appreciation and respect for the surroundings.  The natural conditions are simply too powerful to try and manipulate them in any other way than how they naturally want to be.

Observe and Conceptualize

You probably already have a notion as to what you want or need in your landscape.  And if you’re a designer you’ve probably interviewed the homeowner to understand their desires.  This is important information, but you should not let those wishes (and even requirements) constrain your initial thinking of the site.

Keeping the general goals in mind, especially the functional goals, begin to familiarize yourself with the site.  Taking pictures not only gives you something to refer to when you’re away from the property, but it also forces you to concentrate on the property’s characteristics.

During these initial stages of planning relax about the need to come up with an absolute solution.  Allow yourself the time to think beyond the “want-list”.  For instance, “what do you think the site is asking for”?  When you “conceptualize” freely like this you’re more apt to create solutions beyond the obvious ones.  At the very least you can be content in your final design that you explored the possibilities thoroughly.

Other Features Are Realized

This post continues the coverage of the lakefront home and the beautiful landscape East Coast Landscape Co. created.  My last post on the project showed the drive and some of the front foundation area.

The home sits well above the lake in elevation.  This is often the case on lakefront properties.  As you’d expect, the basic design requirement was to provide everyday access down to the lake.

In the first picture we are three-quarters of the way down to the lake and looking up the rocky slope towards the house.  Although there were some existing rock outcroppings, a good amount of what you see was designed, arranged & installed.The waterfall was engineered and built by East Coast Landscape.  Using the lake as the water source, water is pumped to the top, just under the patio.  There it begins the long descent back down to the lake through carefully arranged rockery.

The elevation change from the house to the lake shore is substantial and therefore, so is the number of steps.  If you think about this trek, you want it to be safe, manageable and enjoyable for everybody – young and old alike.

Steps should be arranged so that landings occur often.  This gives everybody a chance to pause, rest and enjoy the views.

In the second picture above there’s a series of steps.  At the base of this stairway are flagstone stepping stones that expand into a substantial landing area.  The third picture shows the view you have up to the house from this spot.

The hand railings are a safety feature, but also help to give a sense of security, which adds to the enjoyment of the trek.  They are made of iron and were all fabricated right on site.  The iron had to be heated and bent for the handrails to follow the winding steps.  Posts were drilled directly into the stone where necessary.  The brown/bronze color helps to blend the man-made feature with the surroundings.

With the addition of naturalized plantings in many of the nooks and crannies, the entire setting seems as though it has been there all along.  It’s obvious the functional goals were met in this design, but included is a harmony of grades and features that marry the home to the site.

This type of outcome is the result of:

• becoming intimately familiar with the site during the design process
• considering the practical needs (functional goals)
• and then allowing the open-minded thinking that answers the question, ” What is the site asking for?”

I fully appreciate the personal nature of design and the individual approaches we all take.  Feel free to comment with your thoughts and methods to design.  This is great stuff we can all learn from.

Plastering The Pool

This was a special day – certainly for the homeowner, but for all of us involved with the project.  No matter how many pools you’ve seen installed, the day they do the pool plaster is just…well, special.

The pool construction process can be a lengthy one, especially when custom features are involved such as waterfalls, slide and raised spa.  Throw in some rainy weather, muddy conditions and difficult access and, let’s just say this pool didn’t get “banged out”.

It seemed like the majority of our time on this project was spent working in mud.  The day the pool was plastered was no exception.

The pool plaster crew arrived early in the morning with clouds overhead.  The decision was made to “go for it”.  Rain delays already disrupted this project too many times.

The crew was a good 2 hours into the operation when my phone rang; it was the pool contractor Barry Marson. He was about 5 miles west of us and was driving into rain. He suggested the plaster crew set up the tarps.  We were lucky to get the warning.  Within a half hour it started coming down, but the crew continued to work under the tarps.

Don’t Get The Pool Wet!

Sounds funny, right?  But that is the case when the plaster work is being done.  The pool plaster is mixed on a truck and then pumped through a hose onto the gunite (concrete) surface.  The crew guys are amazing to watch as they trowel the slurry to a smooth surface.

The new plaster is troweled over several times as it is drying.  This process is critical and rain would wreak havoc with unacceptable results.

Fortunately the rain eventually stopped and the tarp could be removed.

Did you ever wonder how they worked in the pool with wet plaster all around them?  Check out whats on their feet.  They’re wearing metal plates with spikes which let them walk around with little disturbance to the plaster.  In the end they literally trowel their way out to leave a perfect finish.

Barry Marson arrived later on to oversee the last steps of the plastering process. Below you see one of the “mini-pools” to the waterfall feature being troweled off. We like the idea that you can interact with the feature and actually go into these “mini-pools”. Therefore, we finish them with the same details as the main pool.As soon as the crew is finished they begin to fill the pool with water.  That’s right.  The pool plaster has “set” and now must be covered with water asap so that it can go through a further curing process.  Multiple hoses are fed into the skimmer boxes so that the water enters the pool from the bottom main drain.

Once the water rises to cover a large enough area, water can be shot into the pool directly as long as it hits the reservoir already in the pool.  This insures that the uncured plaster is not affected by the force of the hose water.

So you see, the plaster work is a monumental step.  In a relatively short period of time (24 – 48 hrs.), the unfinished, bare concrete pool gets this beautiful plaster surface and is filled with water.

It’s the same sort of effect with sod on a new landscape.  You work sometimes for weeks grading, building, planting – but on the day you roll out the sod…wow, now you’re getting somewhere.

Here’s the previous post on this project. And here’s the next.

Appearance vs. Specifications

This is not to say that one should win out over the other, but rather both should be considered for the end result. And yet it often comes down to a competing situation in a way. In all construction and home improvement projects, you should have the concern that what you’re doing will perform as intended and last for a good amount of time.  Today I think the word is “sustainable” – I still call it just “building it right”. But what a minute! Take a step back and ask yourself: “How’s it looking?” In positioning and installing this waterslide, appearance and specifications were constant considerations.

This particular waterslide was built in modular sections to fit this situation. There were critical setback limitations that required the slide fit within a certain space. In addition, the slide arrives from the manufacturer with installation specifications to insure it performs as designed.

To meet the installation requirement of the slide’s height over the water, crewmen had to cut a notch in the boulders. The result was a waterslide that looked even more integrated with the boulders and setting. Notice in the first picture at the top, to the left of the slide there’s a open space where the waterfall rock-work was stopped while awaiting the slide installation.  Now, with the slide in place, one carefully selected boulder fills that void.  This gives support for the earth and landscape which will surround the waterslide, but also visually connects the descending rock work with the slide.

Overkill?… Not With Footings

How about these sonotube footings? There are 3 and the bottom of the slide is resting on boulders (which are mounted on the beam of the pool). Overkill? Think of it this way: Now all the earth, additional boulders, landscape plantings, etc. are added to complete the project; you will never have to worry this slide will move out of position. This is a phone call no contractor should ever get and no homeowner should ever have to make.

Here’s the previous post for this project.

Each Boulder Has Its Place

The other day the homeowner of this project said to me, “I had no idea what goes into building a pool and waterfall like this”.  Of course you may hike in the wilderness and see beautiful waterfalls, rushing streams and serene pools, and think “how did they come to be?”  Well, we could wax philosophically and spiritually on the topic, but that would make for one long article – another time perhaps. I would like to just tell you briefly how we go about building waterfalls with the methods pool contractor Barry Marson has developed over the years.

After the homeowner selects the boulder type, Barry sends one of his staff to the stone supplier.  If there are particular requirements in terms of shape or size he searches for those boulders that meet them.  Otherwise it is a process of selecting a collection of rocks that offers enough creative variety to compose an interesting and natural water-feature.  This collection is then delivered to the site.

Pour The Footing And The Creative Work Begins

The entire water-feature must rest on a concrete footing to ensure that nothing moves once positioned. When the boulder placement is ready to start we usually have a design meeting on-site to discuss conceptually what the feature should look like, how it should perform (effects) and roughly establish its dimensions. It’s always interesting to me how the creative discussion then evolves into technical talk including structural and hydraulic design. Pool plumbing can get pretty crazy, especially on these waterfalls.

As you might expect (and logically so) it begins with the first boulders set on the “beam” of the pool.  In the rock-setter’s mind, he’s like a chess player thinking many moves ahead; where he wants to be, and what steps he needs to take now in order to get there.

The structural and plumbing aspects all the while have to be considered and worked in as the creative work progresses. I can tell you that on some days the guys may set only a few boulders, and the overall visual progress seems minimal.

The Waterfall Requires Patience

I say this for the homeowner because you’ll see the sitework, pool layout and dig, reinforcement rod and gunite “shoot” all happen readily. Then when the water-feature construction begins you notice the production pace slow down. I’d recommend you take a close look each day at what they’re doing.  The innovation and craftsmanship will impress you.

The boulder setting, plumbing and other structural work continues to a point close to the top before it is time to then position the slide. In the next post on this project we’ll see how the strategic placement of the boulders sets the stage for the waterslide and how one rock is “shaped” to meet the slide’s install specifications.  How did they ever do this stuff years ago without power equipment?!

Here’s the previous post for this project. And here’s the next.

In a previous post for this project I showed the construction phase of this sheer descent waterfall and promised a few pics when it was running.  Well, here it is and I hope you agree its an elegant feature to this pool and setting.

To me, from a design perspective, the precision of the falling sheet of water complements the predominantly linear aspects of the patio and pool.

Another cool feature is the geyser-like fountain in the jacuzzi/spa. This particular effect is produced by a stainless steel aerator nozzle made by Oase. I’ve used this same nozzle/fountain in garden waterfeatures before, but never in a swimming pool application. I really like it because it has such a “natural” look about it. It’s also nice to be in the spa while the fountain is operating.

Having the precision of the sheer descent waterfall and the whimsy of the geyser fountain makes for an interesting and entertaining combination.

The Shape Of Things To Come

There is a pool feature that appeals to both young and old alike.  I refer to it as a “sundeck,” and no doubt it has other common names.  I’m referring to a raised portion of the pool, most often by the main stairway in the shallow end, that offers a deck platform where the water is a consistent depth of anywhere from 10 to 18″.  Actually, because of the custom nature of today’s better pools, you could make the depth anything you want. The size and shape of the raised sundeck is another aspect under your control.  The idea behind the sundeck is to give a generous area of consistent shallow water for little people to play in and also a place to set beach chairs where the water will partially cover you.  Sounds delightful, doesn’t it?

How It’s Built

The picture above shows the future shallow end of the pool.  Can you see how the gravel has been sloped up at that end? Notice too how the reinforcement steel framing is following this slope.  To create the stairway and raised sundeck (picture to left) the concrete gunite is applied to the gravel incline and reinforcement rod, and gradually built-up and shaped. In this earlier post I show the gunite process in action. What an incredible medium to work with.  Look for a future post with a picture of the finished pool and sundeck.

Here’s the previous post for this project. And here’s the next.

Positioning The Pool With Confidence

Before any demolition or excavation took place on the property we called for a utility mark-out to show us where all the main utility runs from the street to the house were.  Also, in the backyard where all the work would take place, we disconnected any utilities running outside and underground from the house.  These included the existing landscape lighting wires and a gas line for the BBQ. We also separated the  sprinkler zone lines (black poly pipe) from the valve manifolds. Now we could dig confidently knowing all these “live services” were disconnected.

With the existing hardscape features demolished and removed, and all desirable existing plant material carefully dug out and set aside, it was time to layout and dig the pool. I could not imagine doing a project like this without the thorough stages of planning we had been through. You certainly can’t plan for the “unknowns,” and in all likelihood you’ll have them, but by anticipating each phase and the details that typically go along with them you can move ahead efficiently and productively.

Pool contractor Barry Marson relies on this planning process to ultimately determine the best configuration and layout for his pools.  Note how relatively close Barry is to the porch steps of the house as he measures and marks the pool’s edge.  These lines and distances were all carefully plotted during the design process to give the homeowner the features they wanted while conforming to the restraints of the site and zoning codes.  As it is, we still had to apply for 2 variances to overcome setback and lot coverage issues.

The pool’s elevation was determined by considering the height of the back porch as well as the declining grade of the property as it sloped away from the house.  We reached a compromising height for the pool where we would add 2 more steps to the porch, while at the same time build up the grade behind the pool.  It’s going to work out just great and I look forward to keeping you updated as the project progresses.  By the way, this pool will have a slide, waterfalls, and you can already see the re-bar frame and plumbing for the spa.  The property has woods behind it and a beautiful pond off the side yard.  As you might expect we plan to take advantage of these views in our landscape work.

Here’s the previous post for this project. And here’s the next.