ather than try to fit a square peg into a round hole, Fred Von Lewinski, owner of Charlottesville Aquatics Inc. in Charlottesville, Va., decided to tailor his pool design to the customers’ requests — and their odd-shaped backyard.
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This builder constructed a raised wooden deck, where he placed the existing portable spa and provided the homeowners with a great panoramic view.
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Because the homeowners had pointed out key elements not be touched, he says he designed the pool to work around them, letting form follow function. This included moving the existing portable spa closer to the pool, thus leaving more play space on the patio for the children.
To keep in line with the homeowners’ rather odd-shaped, sloped backyard, Von Lewinski chose a freeform design he felt fit naturally into the existing environment.
How did you come up with this design concept?
It was based upon what the customers wanted and what their backyard would best lend itself to. I like to think form follows function. They wanted to keep some key elements in their backyard and I tried to work around them in the design stage.
They wanted the pool located in the northeast corner of the lot, and that worked best because the yard wasn’t very attractive to begin with; it needed a face lift anyway. With the children, safety seemed to be important, so it was an appropriate place to put it. Plus, you have great views from up there. All those elements worked into the design.
We also felt the hot tub needed to be moved, so we took their existing tub and moved it into the pool area. It seemed logical to get it out of [the patio area], and now the kids have an area they can play in more and the parents can entertain there.
Why did you place the pool the way you did?
There was a certain amount of space to work with, and we wanted to have some adequate decking. Besides, the shallow end should be the end you are entering at. So it just seemed logical to have the pool placed in that location. They wanted a freeform design pool. ...It fit naturally into their yard in that space.
You put a wood deck around the spa. Tell us about it, and why you chose it.
We used epei wood. It’s a very hard, dense wood, similar in properties to teak, but not as expensive. It’s a real nice setting for the hot tub. I didn’t like the hot tub where it was before. This just seemed like a logical place to put it. The deck is slightly elevated and the tub is sunk into it. You can also get a much better view from there, especially compared to where it was before.
Your design includes fiberoptic lighting. How did you incorporate it into the pool, and why?
The customers mentioned that they would like fiberoptic. It accents the pool nicely at night, so we added the additional lighting, called EvenGlo, in the pool itself. That gives them the option of what to use.
They now have more options around the pool. They can use the lights on the perimeter in conjunction with the light in the pool or [they can use them] one at a time.
What struck you about the property?
I guess the grade and access issues. They were concerns. How could I accommodate some of the wishes of the customers, given the restrictions that were placed, such as keeping the swing set where they wanted? [The area we chose] just seemed like a logical place to put the pool. It’s not as hilly as some yards we’ve worked in, but it was still a concern. You don’t have much room to transition from one elevation to another. The retaining wall basically takes care of the transitioning grade.
What did you notice most about the clients?
It seemed like their main focus was creating a nice environment for the children, but at the same time, being able to entertain adults when they wanted to. They wanted the pool to be very secure. It can function as an adult pool, but it’s really a kid’s pool.
What kind of liner pattern did you choose, and why?
They wanted a darker pool, so there are a couple of liner patterns that would have worked fine. I wouldn’t go with the black liner, so the choice was a deep blue liner. Black liners make the water almost colorless. Blue gives more refracted light and it’s more lively looking.
Tell us about the deck and the edges. What is it made of and why?
It’s cantilever. Because we wanted to tie everything together to the lower patio, walkway and upper patio, we opted to use SunDek, a concrete resurfacing material, and use brick accents to simulate the existing bricks.
The advantage is, you don’t have the expense or maintenance you have with real brick, and it’s cooler to walk on. It’s not as rough or as expensive either. We added brick runners up at the pool area. The coping is not real brick: We poured the cantilever edge and put in simulated brick to give the masonry effect. It looks like a real brick edge.
Why did you place the swimout where you did?
The design lent itself to that location. You can sit and watch the sunset and access the hot tub from there. It’s just a perfect location from a design and function standpoint.
Why did you choose aluminum fencing? And how would you describe it?
It’s a very open and airy fencing. It almost disappears. It has a real elegant look, but it also blends in. Visually, it’s very unobtrusive. It would open the pool area to the rest of the backyard, but still gives the safety that they want to have.
Explain the retaining wall. What’s the concept here?
We wanted to use the same material as in the other existing walls. We needed one there because the grade of the yard is such that we had to. It helps to maximize the space.
What would you have done differently if you were dealing with actual people?
Obviously, in a real situation, there would have been more interaction and maybe I would have done something differently. But the profile was pretty comprehensive, so probably not a whole lot would have been different. I tried to view it as if I actually went to someone’s house. I didn’t go overboard and try to design the perfect pool. I looked at their needs and their budget to figure out what would be best for them and their yard.
