ARTICLES Archives - Page 76 of 314

Water Everywhere

I had traveled through Italy before, but I'd never been to Venice - and arrived there late in June 2017 with all sorts of expectations and suppositions about what I'd find, especially when it came to water. The city is a collection of islands in a marshy

The architect wanted a pool with a long lazy-river to highlight the hotel's big deck area, and Buffy Neumann knew just how to approach the task: She did her homework, called in a key supplier for technical assistance and executed the project in award-worthy style.

Making a River Flow

For more than 50 years, our company has focused on designing and building swimming pools for municipalities, universities, health clubs, state parks, swim clubs, subdivisions, apartments and hospitals - with some residential projects added in for good measure. We're good at what we do, and if we've learned anything through the years, it's that we're successful because we approach each and every project as being

Breakout or Breakdown?

I'm freshly returned from the International Pool|Spa|Patio Expo, loaded with memories and impressions and ready to set my course for the year to come. I had the editorial conversations I needed to have, conferred with old friends and new acquaintances and met with multiple suppliers to

Working with great clients in their tiny backyard, Tanr Ross faced a choice: Erase items from their wish list, or find creative ways to include everything. Here's how he pulled it all together -- and ended up making a compact space seem a good bit larger than it really is.

Pushing Limits

When it happens this way, it's truly special. The clients had seen my work and had been so impressed that they said they didn't want to "sway" me in one direction or another by offering their own design ideas and suggestions. Almost as important, they had the wherewithal to set me loose in pursuit of what I thought should be done throughout the entire space - everything from the watershapes and the outdoor kitchen to the plants and furnishings and small decorative details. As I discovered and they already

Project after project, making incredible complexity seem routine is what Jimmy Reed and his tile installers are all about. That unwavering finesse is particularly on display in this sublime poolscape, with its tilting, undulating vanishing-edge wall and uniquely configured spillover spa.

Edges with a Difference

Very often these days, we're a pre-selected contractor and get involved in projects early enough that we participate in their development almost from inception. That's great, because it gives us the opportunity to define what needs to happen to make the most of the glass-tile finishes we're frequently asked to install. In this case, however, another contractor had the first shot at the job, which involved extensive work on an unusual vanishing-edge pool as well as an innovative spa and a nice little waterfeature. Long story short, that other company had apparently never

Given the opportunity to dream big on behalf of a willing client, Shane LeBlanc delivered a trio of watershapes that go far beyond the ordinary -- including one with a 100-foot-long vanishing-edge wall that brings a slice of Las Vegas liveliness to a laid-back Louisiana riverfront.

Layering Experience

In advancing my career as a watershape designer, I've put major stock in education to give me an edge. I've taken multiple courses in computer-assisted design, for instance, along with all sorts of technical-skills classes to keep me up with what's current in the field. But I've noticed as well that the accumulation of experience is a huge additional asset, mainly because it reflects what I've already tried, survived and learned from - but also because having done some of the things I've tackled through the years gives me

Milestones

As you see this on November 1, I'm already in the WaterShapes booth at the International Pool|Spa|Patio Expo in Orlando, saying hello to old friends, making new acquaintances and doing all I can to make the most of our participation at the show. It's a celebration for us - our twentieth time

Making Light

‘Those of us who are designers and builders of full-scale outdoor environments . . . face a distinct challenge: In our work for our clients, we are expected to provide the outline and details for a huge range of project elements, from watershapes and patios to plantings and walkways and more.’ That’s how Bruce Zaretsky began his On the Level column in WaterShapes’ November 2007 edition. ‘That list, at least so far as clients are concerned, also includes appropriate lighting, but that is not always something

In 2008, William Drakeley was at a crossroads and saw this big, uniquely challenging project as a way to separate himself from the crowd. lt was a bit more than he bargained for, but he persisted -- and knows that making it all work changed the regional perception of his business.

In Pursuit of Art

For me and my business in around 2008, this project was a real rite of passage. At that point, pool-construction and shotcrete-application companies like ours were well established and had lineages stretching back to the 1950s. Just the same, we were having a hard time gaining recognition from architects, landscape architects and developers who were pursuing quality, prestige construction. The irony is, my own firm had

Learning to Say ‘No’

Ten years ago, Bruce Zaretsky began his “On the Level” column with a question: ‘Have you ever turned down a client who really wanted to work with you and you alone? ‘It’s a hard thing to do,’ he wrote, ‘which is why most of us have found ourselves at one time or another saying “yes” despite the fact that we believe something the clients want simply cannot be done or, more important, that we’ve developed serious doubts about them. Just at that point where we really need to sit them down and tell them to go