orking with the old, bringing in some new.
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The swim spa's oval shape helps offset the home's linear nature. A raised planter with sheet waterfall (below) not only provides a focal point, but also tames the starkness of the tall, white brick wall.
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That’s what Renee Gibbs, owner of Spas By Renee in Las Vegas, did when she created this backyard environment.
She didn’t just custom-design a new waterscape. She also paid attention to the small details to help blend it with the existing yard.
To that end, she used the same coating for the new and existing patio, and repainted the arbors to match the house trim and new raised-wall waterfeature.
She also designed with the clients’ needs in mind as well, as their home architecture and interior design sensibilities.
Explain the design concept and how you came up with it.
I noticed that one of the few things they liked about their backyard was the brick planters. So I incorporated them into the design on either end of the swim spa.
Because they have a really high wall in the back, I also included a raised planter in the back, where a little waterfeature comes out. That just makes a nice visual element, so when they’re sitting on their patio and looking out at the installation, they have a planter backdrop that makes their back wall seems less high and stark. And I trimmed it out in brick so that it matched the brick that they already had.
I put concrete decking around the swim spa. I have it so that the new concrete attaches to the existing patio and then, because the existing patio needed some sprucing up, the whole thing is coated one color. I want it to look like it was all done at one time.
They still have their lawn left over. I was careful not to add too much decking because they have such a big patio to begin with. So I just had the decking on the one side of the yard and, on the other side of the yard, the grass could continue.
What kind of swim spa did you decide to use?
It’s a dual-temperature swim spa, where they have the spa and the swimming area. So they can relax in the spa or they can get exercise in the swim spa.
What made you decide to go with that kind rather than the single tub?
The dual-temperature installation is more expensive, but I think it better suited their lifestyle: They spend a lot of time at home and they do exercise.
They also save energy by being able to use the spa independently of the pool. They can swim in 90-degree water or take a spa in 102 degrees, as opposed to having to heat the whole body of water up to use it as a spa, then let it cool down to use as a pool. If they want to swim in the middle of December or January, it’s so energy-efficient, they could just heat it up and use it whenever they want.
I notice it’s an oval swim spa.
There were so many straight edges in that backyard: a square patio, a square property line, the big, tall wall in the back. The only thing that was curved were the planters. So it needed the softness of some curves.
It looks like you placed the swim spa so they can see it from the living room window. Any other reasons for the placement?
I didn’t want to split the yard in half because I wanted them to still have a nice lawn area for their dogs. So I put it to one side. I also wanted some interaction between the side patio, the back patio and the spa.
I noticed you went with an inground swim spa.
At first I was going to raise the spa, but then I changed my mind because I thought the planter would look better raised. It would be nicer to look at the planter, the tile and the waterfeature with the wall behind it.
I never would have used an aboveground swim spa — the backyard is too small and flat. They would have looked out of their house onto this huge, 50-inch wall. Plus, their backyard isn’t that deep and when you raise the swim spa, it brings it closer to the patio. It would have just brought everything too close to the patio. It was better on the eye and more functional to just raise the back wall.
Let’s talk about the raised wall. How tall is it?
It’s 18 inches high.
And it’s all brick?
It has a tile face, and then it’s capped by brick.
Why is there tile on the face of the planter?
Mainly for visual appeal, but also for technical reasons. If you have a waterfeature coming out and, say, it was all brick, it would show wear over the years from water hitting the brick. You would also have a lot of alkali deposits because the brick is porous. If I faced it with stucco, it would have the same problem: The stucco would absorb the water.
The tile gives you a sleeker surface and the water won’t seep into the structure itself. So, visually and technically, it needs to be there. Even if I didn’t want to take the tile the whole way, I would have had to have tile right in front of the waterfeature.
What kind of tile would you use?
The same tile that trims the waterline of the spa. It’s blue with a pattern on it.
It looks as if you’ve gone with a sheet waterfall. Why that choice?
Because it’s a relatively inexpensive waterfeature that has a nice effect. And I didn’t really think a natural rock waterfall would go with that particular backyard and with the clean line of the planter. I just thought a nice, sheer flow of water would add a little sizzle to the swim spa without adding a lot of cost.
What do you have in mind for the landscaping on the west side?
I added shrubs in there, and I thought I would use a landscape rock instead of grass because it would be easier to maintain. You don’t have to mow that little section.
Did you have any specific plants in mind?
They have the evergreens in the existing planters, so I’d probably stick on that line, but then I would add a little color.
Is that box on the west side of the property the equipment?
Yes, and I have some shrubs hiding the equipment. The equipment can’t be too far away from the installation. That would work as long as the gas and electric meters were on that side of the house.
If, in fact, the gas and electric were in that location, their existing patio would have to be cut and then the gas and electric put in and run down the side. But I figured we would just repour it when the new patio was put in. Because concrete was being poured anyway, it was better to do that as opposed to running the gas and electric along the wall, which would be an eyesore.
You decided to coat the existing patio to match the new deck. How else would you adjust what’s already there to blend with the new installation?
As far as the house itself goes, the only thing I noticed was that the patio cover needed to be painted. Then they said how they like to use the swing, but I would actually move it to the outside of the patio so it wouldn’t block the traffic pattern.
Rather than sitting and facing the house, which is how that swing was, they need to turn it around so it’s facing their pretty new spa instead. And maybe they could refurbish it and paint it the same as the patio cover.
Any other ways you’d spruce up?
We’re still under budget, so I would spruce up the existing patio cover. It needs to be stripped and painted, so the whole thing looks new.
Then paint the patio cover on the side of the house, too, to match the back patio cover.
Were there any challenges or constraints that you found with this project?
The existing patio was pretty large, and then the rest of the yard was narrow. A challenge like that isn’t that great, but your design influences how you see the backyard. If I would have used an aboveground spa, it would have accented the fact that there was very little space back there. But just raising the planter and waterfeature a little makes the space look larger than it is.
Could you have demolished part of the patio?
I didn’t want to waste money doing things unnecessarily, such as taking down the patio cover and removing the existing patio. I felt I could make the backyard look nice without having to do that.
Is there anything you would have added if you’d had more money?
Maybe I would paint all the trim on the house. And I might refurbish and spruce up the landscaping in the front of the house as well. I thought that could use a little help. Just a cleanup — trim and add new.
