Pure Water Pools
Pure Water Pools
Pure Water Pools

Starting Anew

   It was definitely the right call, but the change meant significantly altering the pond's concrete structure to accommodate the thicker material most critically with the vanishing-edge detail. And the way it worked out, these issues weren't completely settled until the day of the gunite shoot.
   We worked closely with the gunite company, D.J. Gunite (Huntington Beach, Calif.) - a team that often plays an important part in our design/build creations. In this case, we needed to think through what the change meant with respect to the ultimate visual effect to be created by the weight and texture of the new stone. Then we had to determine how the change would influence the shell's final dimensions, which had us tweaking the forms almost to the moment when the shoot began.
We passed through a similar on-site decision-making process when it came to the finish we applied to the pond's interior. The first choice had been a soft brown color that matched the hammered-edge stone coping and stone flatwork, but this first attempt resulted in an unappealing, washed-out look.
   We removed that finish and convinced the owners to try a deep, dark-green pebble material supplied by Gemstone Pool Surfaces (Lakeside, Calif.). It worked like a charm, and the effect of the water flowing from the shallow green basin over the hammered-stone edge and into the trough is truly sublime.
   A variety of water lilies now float on the water's surface to define the living garden - a selection of plants carefully chosen by Mark Chamley of Chamley Landscape in Newport Beach, who also selected and placed plants on the rest of the site.
In contrast to the strong visual appeal of the reflecting pond, the side-yard spa is all about privacy and romance. Set in a spot hidden from the rest of the spacious yard, the location is intimate but also boasts breathtaking views of the city or Irvine, with majestic Mt. Saddleback rising in the distance.
   The spa has an all-tile finish with a neat waterline detail supplied by Ruggeri Marble & Granite (Wilmington, Calif.). The homeowners had seen the same sort of hand-chiseled mosaic on their various travels, but in a different color. Here, we lit on a soft brown to blend the spa into the dusty hills that surrounded it.
   The spa shell was initially excavated and steeled to be flush with the deck - but once again, the design changed in process when McLane recognized that, given the stature of the owners, the spa seats would be too deep. He directed us to rework the structure and raise the spa 18 inches above deck level just before unite was to be applied. Raising the spa enabled us to elevate the interior seats while also giving the clients a comfortable out-of-the-way seating area that lets them take in the gloriously unobstructed views.

Interior Sunshine

   Equally romantic and even more private, the indoor pool was another project element that went through an interesting array of changes as the work proceeded.
   It had originally been seen as the centerpiece in a separate pool house with vaulted ceilings, but no allowance had been made for the dehumidification system that would have to be part of the final installation. Once McLane figured out where all the ducting needed to go (that is, in the ceiling rather than under the slab) he called in the home's designer, Tony Ashai of Torrance, Calif., to redesign the structure with attic space for plumbing and ductwork. The result is a room that now features an arched, painted ceiling.
  
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    In the early going, McLane and the clients all kept pushing for the pool to be bigger and bigger until ultimately i no longer fit the footprint of the enclosing structure. Se we went back to the drawing board to consider some alternatives. This led us to suggest that a perimeter-overflow treatment would make the pool seem larger without really consuming more of the space. In addition, such a design would turn the vessel into a brilliant reflecting pool when it was not in use - a great idea with all the windows and the trompe-l'oeil ceiling.
   We showed the homeowners various photographs of perimeter-overflow pools we'd done, and they enthusiastically endorsed the idea. Luckily for all of us, this decision was made before gunite had been applied and while there was still time to install the plumbing and 90 feet of troughs that now flow to a six-foot -square surge tank.
   From the start, the owners had said they wanted the pool to have a mosaic-tile finish. Because it was to be indoors, the homeowners were directly involved and retained Mark Lowry (Ann Sacks, Los Angeles), who designed both the pool's interior as well as the tiled walls of the pool house.
Lowry worked closely with the clients to develop the elaborate sunburst mosaic that resulted. Another project detail inspired by the client's travels, the tile work was patterned on the look of a European spa they'd visited. But once again, the color scheme was reworked to include a vivid combination of aqua, gold and orange tile.
   The result is a dramatic sunburst that emanates from the center of the pool's floor and lows up the walls in blue waves. The one -by-one inch glass tiles (supplied by Ann Sacks) had to be carefully worked up the walls, over the seats and around the steps in overlapping, free-flowing patterns that required numerous cuts and painstaking fitting.
Pure Water Pools - Randy Beard
The project is filled with special details and spaces, several of them having to do with careful placement of water in the environment, but others all about capturing the modern essence of Mediterranean-style outdoor living with a vine-covered arbor and a spacious, colonnaded exterior kitchen
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