oing around in circles wasn’t something Bob McLoud minded doing when it came to designing this backyard project.
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Bob McCloud created a situation where his art imitated the life of a backyard environment. The kidney-shaped pool and radiused waterfall design embrace the spherical icons found in the clients' views and existing hardscape.
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McLoud, the president of San Juan Pools of Charleston in South Carolina, enjoyed taking visual cues from the arcs in a nearby mountain range, the glowing circumference of a beautiful sunset and sultry, crescent-shaped moon.
The multiterraced backyard presented a challenge, but here’s how he integrated many elements, and ended up giving everything all the right curves.
What was the thought process behind your basic design concept?
To try to blend into the existing landscape and yard as much as possible. We worked within the budget constraints. Our whole concept was based on bringing together the new with the old without disturbing the old.
Why did you place the pool on the intermediate tier?
You have your existing retaining wall and steps, and I did not want to disrupt them. I thought they were attractively done. From the pictures, I realized there was a slope from the back of the lot to the front. We had to flatten that area with a natural slope, which still could be done, or with retaining walls. The client already has a multiple-tiered situation, so I wanted to stay within the theme.
You basically have three different levels. We stayed with all the levels, but created one more defined drop with the retaining wall that we added. We wanted to stabilize the soil where the pool deck is located. We didn’t want to take any chances with erosion, so we built a retaining wall across the yard at the same height. We will use the dirt from the pool to backfill against it, as well as the retaining wall on the lower level.
We removed the brick, raised the lower-level wall two feet and then replaced the brick. The lower retaining wall now becomes a sitting area. When the clients are entertaining, they can sit on the wall to eat and hold their plates. It makes for a nice, comfortable area, and you don’t have to buy nearly as much lawn furniture. The second retaining wall is at 40 inches.
What are the retaining walls made of?
They’re made of concrete block. We’ll treat them with plaster, so they won’t leak.
Tell us about the shape and size of the pool.
It’s a fiberglass pool that ranges from 3-1/2 to 6 feet in depth to 12 feet wide and 28 feet long. We chose a kidney-shaped pool because the client already had so many curves on the lower level. We wanted to continue this theme rather than use straight lines in the pool design.
Why did you go with the more expensive fiberoptic light?
It’s standard in our pools. It’s the only way we sell them. This way, you have no electricity in the pool. It enables you to assure the client that there’s no way they can be shocked because there’s no metal inside the pool. You also don’t have to change a bulb.
What type of coping are you using?
We’re using a brick coping. The client has a brick border throughout the deck, so we wanted to maintain the look.
What color and kind of waterline tile did you end up choosing?
It’s porcelain waterline tile. We would try to match colors in the house. If everything is in earth tones, I wouldn’t use purple tile. We’ve got a brick coping on the pool, so we’d probably try to match it with a terracotta green or an earth tone tile.
We’ll use vertical-shaped, 2-inch tiles because we don’t like to cut them. We generally do some kind of continuous pattern.
What type and size of plumbing will you be using?
We’ll use a one-horsepower pump and 120-square-foot cartridge filter. We chose it because of ease of maintenance. Cartridge filters are more effective, and you don’t have to backwash the system. Therefore, you’re not dumping your chemicals on the ground. You just close some valves, take it out, clean it off and reinsert it.
If we were greedy, we would sell sand filters. When you use them, you backwash by dumping the water out. This means when you refill the pool, you’ll have to add chlorine and whatever other agents, to rebalance the chemistry. When you use a cartridge filter, you never have that problem.
Could you describe the type and placement of the waterfall?
It’s a 4-foot radiused laminar waterfall. The top section of the waterfall is a planter. It’s a sheer sheet of water, which flows from under the coping of the brick, which is on top, into a well that is a foot or two above the pool height. There’s a natural overflow from the collection pool into the swimming pool.
It’s almost like a vanishing-edge pool because it free-flows. We’ll build a block, just like the retaining wall, except we will fill the top one with dirt and place plants that are compatible with the existing foliage.
I located the waterfall on the opposite end of the steps. If you’re looking from the house at the pool, it’s on the left end of the pool. I could’ve put it along the long edge of the pool, but this would’ve taken the seating area away at the back of the pool. It all works together to match the flow of the landscaping.
The waterfall is also great for kids because they love to stand underneath it and feel the water pound on their heads. The adults like the sound of the flowing water: They find it soothing.
What struck you about the client that affected your design?
We designed the project with the client’s small children in mind. It’s a relatively small pool that’s easy to maintain. We met most of the criteria from the client, except the fence that they wanted around the pool area.
I don’t think an additional enclosure inside an existing fence is necessary. The fence around the property keeps neighborhood kids from getting into the pool without adult supervision.
I would instead suggest alarms on their sliding glass doors. If the kids get out, an alarm goes off.
A pool is a visual element in the backyard. It’s part of the environment. That’s why we tried to incorporate the pool design, concrete and brick to continue with the theme of the home. It’s the client’s environment, and we don’t like to change media.
How did you customize the project to fit the family’s lifestyle?
Based on their outdoor usage, they said they like the views of the mountains and sunsets. They’ll have an area to see them from because we provided more deck on the backside of the pool.
I think we accomplished a nice place for them to cool off. If they want to turn it into more of a play area, they can easily place a volleyball net across the center of the pool. Basketball hoops are certainly another option, and they’re reasonably priced.
What were the main challenges of this project?
The primary challenges were the ability to get the equipment in and work with the confining space.
How did this exercise constrain you compared with actual projects?
We probably would elect not to build it because of the logistics of getting in all the moving equipment. We might be able to tackle this project in the middle of the winter, when it’s a little bit slower.
Normally, we will build a pool in two to three weeks. An exercise of this magnitude, with a retaining wall and soil removal, could possibly take us six to eight weeks. I would not take on a project like this in our prime time.
How does this budget compare with most of your other projects?
It’s on par. Our average pool price would be more than $50,000. Most of the lots in South Carolina will be more than half an acre. It’s not uncommon for many of them to have several acres.
What were you able to do on this budget that you normally couldn’t?
We have more grading on the property. Therefore, we put in more retaining walls, so we could create a level space for the pool.
On this particular budget, we also have additional concrete. Our decks would not be as large as this one.
Why did you ultimately end up going over budget for this project?
It was due to the necessity of building the retaining walls and the restraints on the house. We will have to use a crane on three different occasions to place the track hoe, which is a modified steam shovel, over the top of the house and into the backyard. We will then use a crane to unload the pool and place it in the backyard, and remove the track hoe and any debris.
We feel it’s less expensive than wheelbarrowing the dirt to the road. If we wheelbarrow everything out, we would disturb the existing landscaping.
