Professional Watershaping

Cross Connections
Backyard watershape design is at its best when everything works together to complement the setting. In this case, explains Joe Dempsey, Jr., the spirit of integration included not only pure aesthetics but also the hillside engineering and construction, as well as sharing the home’s energy-efficient heating system.  ...
Restoring the LA River
For most of the past century, natural waterways in Southern California have existed as lifeless concrete channels. Efforts to “regreen” some of those once-beautiful waters have given rise to hopes that the Los Angeles River, and others like it, will one day recapture their former natural health and riparian beauty.   ...
An Open Letter to the California Contractor’s State License Board
In this open letter to the California Contractor's State License Board, Scott Cohen argues that the state should adopt mandatory continuing education for pool contractor licensing and license renewals. It's a change he believes would ultimately protect contractors and consumers by reducing the number of construction defects. ...
Achieving Realism: Finishing Techniques for Cast-Concrete Rocks
It’s true that some artificial rock installations are not convincing. In an effort to solve those disconnects, today’s cast-concrete rock panel systems are taken from natural stone. When installed and finished correctly, rock panels can look like the real thing. ...
Caution: Don’t Forget the Tape
For all of the complexity and sophistication of watershape construction projects, some of the most important considerations are also the simplest. Chief among those, says Scott Cohen, using caution tape to help prevent jobsite injuries is an essential measure, but also one that can be all too easy to forget. ...
Making Rocks Work
The marriage between rockwork and architecture can be a contentious one, especially when the visual relationship isn’t thought out ahead of time. Making rocks work in built spaces requires strategic thinking, says Terence Thornton and Kevin Kraft, with an eye toward the way nature does things. ...
Perfecting Substrates (the importance of bonding agents)
Concrete bonding agents play a crucial role in ensuring a strong and durable bond between shotcrete and plaster in swimming pools. They offer a host of advantages that can work to improve durability of a cementitious finish, while evening out its appearance, explains Jon Temple, who urges builders and plasters to think twice before skipping the bonding agent. ...
Real Advantages of Artificial Turf
Artificial turf has rapidly grown in popularity in recent years, and especially so in its use beside swimming pools and other bodies of water, says turf specialist Nick Ogilvie. Water conservation, radically reduced maintenance and great appearance are all reasons for the movement toward grass that never grows and never dies.  ...
Roman Aqueducts: Masterworks of Classic Engineering
The aqueducts it built stand as enduring symbols of the ingenuity and engineering prowess of the Roman Empire. They are among the world’s most historically significant and celebrated man-made hydraulic structures, as they continue to inspire architects and engineers to this day. ...
Cold-Weather Tile Installation
When you consider the long-term environmental exposure every pool tile installation endures, Amy Denny explains that it merits elevating installation methods, setting materials, and the installation environment. A deliberate and planned strategy is paramount, especially when working in cold temperatures. ...