Backyard Oasis of your Dreams – Local Specialized Trades Working Together

“For without hearts there is no home” – Lord Byron

Friends and family gathered around the pool patio on a warm summer evening, the landscape softly lit with perfectly placed lighting, enjoying a juicy steak or burgers hot off the grill in the outdoor kitchen while the hidden outdoor sound system fills the air with your favorite tunes…these are nights to remember. The bonds and memories built with friends on nights like these last a lifetime.

Lord Byron’s quote from Don Juan reminds me that our home is more than a house or place to dwell. Our homes are where our families gather, where memories are made, and love is shared. Too often today we spend more time away from our homes than in them. We are losing the battle with time and not prioritizing our homes as a place of restoration from the daily grind.

Personal restoration and creating a gathering place for our family and friends are top motivators in renovating our houses to be the homes we know we need. Home is not confined to the interior walls, though. Expanding the footprint of our homes to include the outdoors creates great opportunities to find that special place for your own personal oasis.

The Project

Building your own backyard retreat begins with a dream. Navigating from dream to reality is the challenge – and fun part – for me. Developing a plan begins with clearly defining the “why” we are going to invest in our homes. From there we can begin to set expectations and a clear vision that will provide years of enjoyment and relaxation.

Now, building the project of your dreams and not of your nightmares requires experience and often several specialized trades. Focused craftsmen working in their craft will create higher quality and more predictable outcomes. I’ve learned through the years that just because I can do something does not mean that I should. For instance, we probably could build a pool, but at Maplehurst Outdoor Living we found it best to focus on our strength of creating beautiful spaces around that pool.

The Pool

While we have focused our efforts on the backyard patio and landscape, Kim Swain of Summertime Pool & Spa explained to me that they have specialized in building and servicing pools since 1992. With over 30 years of experience, Summertime Pool & Spa understands what it takes to build relaxing and therapeutic backyard pools and spas.

Summertime Pool & Spa installs and services pools from their retail location in Danville, and also supplies customers with pool chemicals and equipment. Through specialized water analysis, they can customize a pool treatment for each system and educate customers on how to properly maintain their investment.

Summertime Pool & Spa installs both in-ground and above-ground pools. Working with customers on budget and goals for their pool area, Kim explained, they have many options. For customers looking for an affordable place to just cool off and relax in the summer, an above-ground pool may fit the budget and can be installed in less than two weeks.

As the budget expands, Kim said, they can offer customers a wide range of in-ground pool options. Summertime Pool & Spa offers both gunite and steel-reinforced lined in-ground pools. While size and shape will determine the final price of the installation, steel wall vinyl pools are a great option for the mid-range pool installation budget. These pools are reinforced with steel walls and lined with high-quality, heavy-duty vinyl. Typical installation takes about two weeks from start to finish, if supplies and the weather cooperate.

For those seeking the ultimate backyard pool, Summertime Pool & Spa can build a project to meet specific goals. Gunite pools can be built in essentially any shape imagined, as they are completely customized to your space. Waterfalls, infinity edges, integrated hot tubs, custom tile and more are just a few of the possibilities with gunite installations. While gunite pools are traditionally more expensive, they do offer full customization for personalized needs. Kim explained that these pools will take longer to complete due to the construction requirements, but in the end, gunite pools will create the luxury backyard of your dreams.

The Water

A pool would not be complete without water. Peyton Sellers of Sellers Construction in Danville offers water delivery for customers during both pool construction and season opening. During pool construction, it is important to fill the pool quickly to keep the project moving. Peyton said Sellers  delivers clean, filtered water to customers from a municipal source via a large truck that carries 3,000 gallons per load. During the busy season, the company keeps four trucks on the road.

Filling a typical in-ground pool requires between three to six loads of water. With such a large volume, Peyton said the company will dedicate two trucks to service those jobs to keep the pool construction moving along. He also mentioned that they prefer to run smaller tandem trucks to better serve the residential market. While a large tanker truck can carry more water per load, access is limited, and a large semi tanker truck is more likely to cause property damage.

During the spring, Peyton said, they are also busy topping off pools with clean water to start the pool for the season. Water is usually lowered below the skimmers for winterization and needs to be topped off to function properly. Also, throughout the summer, a customer may need to have the pool or spa topped off due to evaporation.

Peyton also noted that they offer service for more than pools during the season. They have set up watering plans for fresh sod installation, for construction, and for landscape installations where water is limited. Also, they have filled potable water tanks and holding tanks for different customers. They are able and willing to help anyway they can.

The Rest

At Maplehurst Outdoor Living, our focus is to transform landscapes into backyard retreats. Through creative and functional design, we strive to maximize our client’s time spent outdoors with beautiful outdoor living spaces. We pay attention in the design process to space, flow, aesthetics and budgets. While we work with many construction mediums – block, pavers, natural stone, concrete, plants, water, fire, etc. – we strive to restrict ourselves to repeatable methods of installation that will create a beautiful space that will last a lifetime.

Combining our experience in outdoor living construction with understanding the needs and goals of our customers, we have often incorporated pools into our backyard patio designs. Working directly with pool installers, we have coordinated and finished the patio and surrounding landscape, creating the ultimate backyard experience.

The Finishes

Integrating the pool and patio is best done during the design phase of the project. The choices of finishes are often overwhelming, but with a discussion and visit to the project we can help you narrow those choices down to a manageable few. Natural stone coping around the pool – such as antiqued marble or travertine – provides a classic look of luxury, while transitioning to paver or slab from there will create a beautiful and durable surface for many years of enjoyment.

The finishing touches on the patio and pool project are what make it extraordinary. Maybe a step here and a small wall there can create the perfect private breakfast nook that overlooks your favorite view in the morning. A grill island, appliances, or maybe a pizza oven will make your backyard the spot to gather with friends and family.

Drainage and Foundation

With the correct installation methods and equipment, your pool patio will last a lifetime. Understanding the requirements for water flow and proper drainage is vital to the longevity of the patio. While water is great for cooling down on those warm summer evenings, it can wreak havoc on your pool and patio foundation. We pay particular attention to drainage and often incorporate both surface and subsurface drainage into the patio construction.

Proper foundation preparation around a pool is critical. The surrounding area around the pool after construction can suffer from poor compaction. We have too often seen settling pavers and broken concrete as it separates from the pool beam. Those voids from poor compaction are unsightly, dangerous, and can be costly to repair. Proper construction methods will prevent settling and keep your project looking great.

Light and Sound

My favorite part of any design is integrating landscape lighting and sound into the project. We use lighting to highlight features in the landscape and provide a safe path to navigate at night. That soft glow can create a totally different feel and experience in the landscape than during the daylight. We can use many techniques and high-quality fixtures from Coastal Source to create the perfect ambiance.

Integrating sound into the project sets the mood of the night, too. Whether for soft, smooth instrumentals or a jamming pool party with friends, the Coastal Source sound line is unmatched in both quality of sound and durability. Designed to last in the coastal areas of southern Florida, Coastal Source separates itself from the competition. Their research and development team is top tier and has developed systems that will match the budget and requirements of nearly anyone.

Our passion for creating the backyard of your dreams drives and excites us. Realizing that our labor is going to be enjoyed by others is rewarding and fulfilling to all of us. It is satisfying to step back and look at a completed project and reflect on the transition that has taken place. The kind words and photos our customers share with us motivate our employees to work with a purpose. For me as an owner, employer, and friend of our customers, I can think of no better goal in business than providing our employees with a purpose-filled career and our customers with a home full of enjoyable memories.