automatic cover

Room Additions
It's been my good fortune through the years to have worked with some wonderful clients who've inspired me to take the extra step, think in different ways and do everything possible to make them happy. This family was on that level: They love entertaining friends and relations, yet more than anything, the four of them enjoy spending time together - a throwback to the "Leave It to Beaver" spirit of the 1950s and '60s. At every turn, they were easygoing and patient in ways that made
Indoor Fortitude
For professionals who tirelessly commit themselves to excellence in all aspects of their work, challenging projects are the butter on the bread.   At Drakeley Swimming Pool Co. of Bethlehem, Conn., we truly enjoy jobs with higher-than-usual degrees of difficulty because they generally involve us with clients who have strong ideas about what they want, force us to develop solutions to unique and interesting problems and see us perform on a level that invariably makes us proud.  As we see it, these jobs are the reward we get for years of focusing on doing our absolute best. True, these projects can be tough, but we’ve found that by sticking to our “quality without compromise” philosophy, we’ve managed to thrive through tough times and have always earned our share of interesting commissions.  It’s proof of the old adage that good things follow hard work, even in a soft economy. That was certainly
Covering Levels
Automatic swimming pool covers are wonderful in a number of ways:  They increase safety, save energy, limit evaporative water losses, keep debris out of a pool and can even reduce chemical consumption.   As a watershaper, I want these devices to be trouble-free so they will perform with nothing more than routine maintenance and my clients can
Builder’s Pride
There’s no doubt about it:  Projects in which watershapers participate from the start in the overall design of a custom residence offer rare opportunities for creative integration that don’t come along very often.  That was just the positive situation we encountered here – and the results are among the finest we’ve ever achieved. The project was organized by Lewis Bloom of Bloom Builders (Bethesda, Md.).  We at Alpine Pool & Design (Annandale, Va.) have had the privilege of collaborating with him often through the past 20 years and have enjoyed a wonderful working relationship every step of the way.  In this case, we were asked to get involved with a spec house he wanted to build on a steeply sloping, heavily wooded lot overlooking the Potomac River as it passes through Bethesda.      Heading the design team was a prominent local architect, Robert M. Gurney, who has earned a reputation for beautiful Contemporary approaches to both residential and commercial projects.  More to the point, he’s also known for his ability to maximize connections between built spaces and the areas that surround them. Everything seemed to mesh, and we
Teaming Perfection
Some projects start out on the right foot and stay that way:  the right client, the right ideas, the right combination of skills on the design/construction team and a setting that inspires everyone involved to bring his or her very best to the table. The project profiled here is a case in point and is very specifically an example of teamwork at its finest.  The result is a tasteful design executed to near perfection in a project that’s beautiful visually while being extremely functional through the fun and luxury it affords the clients. All in all, it’s one of those rare and wonderful projects in which all the right notes were hit. Located on an island off the Connecticut coast, the property is a second home for fun-loving family that had the resources to create a great venue for outdoor gatherings.  The site is indeed spectacular, seven acres in all graced by a beautiful 12-bedroom house and
The Art of the Rectangle
This really wasn't a job for the timid. The ground was unstable, access was limited, and the customer could afford to make massive changes along the way.  Other than that, of course, the project was a piece of cake. The truth is, I enjoy a good challenge.  People who know me well are aware that I revel in tackling jobs that test my mettle - and this was definitely one of those cases. Ultimately, it turned out to be one of the most satisfying and beautiful projects I've been involved with in a long while. The site is located on