construction
When outsiders think of Texas, they very often assume that it's flat as a pancake with no topographical distinctions to consider. That may be true in some parts of our big state, but where I live and work in the vicinity of Austin, there are areas that offer great views and have attracted developers who are intent on using those prospects to full advantage. The spec home featured in this article is an example of this trend: It's in Westlake Hills, a small neighborhood within Austin's city limits that affords some amazing views of
This is the story of the rebirth of a pool - and then some. It all started when I was contacted by a homeowner who was in what I'd call perfectly reasonable distress: His swimming pool was a mess, he told me, surrounded by cracked decking, a crumbling slide structure and a deteriorating fireplace. He'd already spent a bundle on piers and other fixes recommended by engineers, hoping to
With new rules and varying codes, setting up drain systems for pools and spas is more complicated than it once was, notes Paolo Benedetti. Here, he offers a bit of technical advice that will help clarify the process -- and make it easier for systems to pass inspection.
As a designer, I am quite familiar with projects that involve a good bit of give and take between me and my clients. You know how it goes: the typical process of success by approximation as you work through sets of possibilities and navigate around a couple dead ends before a design is approved and accepted. In a WaterShapes article earlier this year, for instance, I wrote about the ordeal of developing seven distinct
When I look at the average pond, I tend to perceive a range of missed opportunities. I come from the world of aquaponics, where I've spent my career figuring out ways to integrate environments for fish and plants in ways that make both fins and leaves grow like crazy. For the most part, I work on an industrial scale, designing facilities where huge populations of fish are grown as food and, nearby, huge
