Busy Spring...

Well, once again the blog posts have slowed to a crawl...my apologies to my regular readers... It has been very busy for me these past two months and has taken me this long to finally sit and breathe on a Sunday morning while looking at a blog topic to post.

So today we take a look at one of my most recent projects. One that I designed last year for a customer in Richmond Hill...

Here you can see the natural stone coping process that boarders a pool. The pool is a steel-wall construction and will later be measured up to have a vinyl liner inserted in it. The coping placed on the pool is a carefully crafted process in which each stone is custom-cut and fitted to turn the corners of the pool walls.

In this photo we have a close-up look at what I call the stone deck. I like level changes in the landscape... it gives that 3-D aspect to what is otherwise a flat backyard. Most of the time, with newer homes, you get backyards that have been graded relatively flat by the home builder. They have a slight slope going towards the rear of the yard for water drainage and that is it... nothing exciting happening in the topography of the yard. So wherever possible, I try to create level changes for a dramatic effect of separating spaces.

The upper patio will be ample space for a large dining table and BBQ area. The lower patio spaces will be where all the pool fun happens and you have a wide open view of the pool area from the raised patio.


In this last photo we see a pergola privacy screen that I have designed to house a hot tub. The wood structure is about 14 feet long by 5 feet wide. It is not meant to act as a shade structure or a rooftop over the hot tub... but more of a focal point or wood feature to dress up the hot tub corner. The other purpose of it is to block the views of the neighbor's house windows as folks sit in and enjoy their time in the hot tub.

In the screen detail there is a small diamond shape framed into the lattice... that was a last-minute addition I made when i noticed an extra piece of pool coping laying around the site...I had it cut into a 1 x 1 foot square and I framed the stone into the screen as a nice tie in to the natural stone pool coping used for this project.

I was speaking with the home owner yesterday and we talked about staining the structure and growing vines over top of it. I also mentioned that in some cases, years down the road... Hot tubs can become the white elephant in the backyard as a family can become less and less interested in using it... so in case of this ever happening... I have designed the space to function without the tub... they can easily sell the tub and put the money towards a gorgeous patio lounge set centered around the pergola...

My motto... When you are spending money on a landscape...always design with function and purpose for years to come so you don't have to spend again! I will update you with more photos when this project is complete in the next few weeks...

The backyard living space

At the tail end of 2009, Jason from Pool Craft came to me with this project. The customer had a small list of things they wanted in the yard (pool, patio and hot tub). Jason was asking me to do my best to lay out everything within the given backyard area. The end result was as follows in the pictures below....

As Spring of 2010 approached, a couple more things were added to the list of what to fit into the backyard space. There was an idea for a pergola sitting over a bar area and a lounge area with a gas fireplace feature...


Granted that the yard was not very big to begin with... I wrestled with the spacial limits in my head...then plugged away at the plan on my computer... I like a challenge where the design restraints must conform to what the customer wants... Sometimes the answer absolutely has to be "No" but in most cases I try to find a way around the "No" and look for alternatives that will make my client happy...


The end result was a yard without grass... (which conforms to my dream to not push a lawnmower around!) ... the end result is a yard that is now part of the home... a backyard living space that can be enjoyed for many months of the year. The addition of the fire pit can take the chill out of a cool September evening... the hot tub can be used year round due to it's proximity to the back door of the home.


The Pergola Bar... a place for the "adults" of the pool party to sit while enjoying drinks, conversation and shade! On a hot summer afternoon, while the kids are playing in the pool, this sort of space allows you to be out in the backyard and keep dry from both the pool splashing and summer heat...


Lastly, the most important part of the backyard, the pool! When you are considering a pool, most often the ideal design includes an entertainment space. Having a small strip of concrete around a pool with grass clippings and grass areas is not always fun when you come out of a pool soaking wet. You want a good sized patio to place chairs and allow time to dry off before going in the home... if the yard is large enough and budget is big enough... a Cabana house is always a welcome sight!


But as in most cases, the pool itself is a big investment for most families. So budgets are taken into very strict consideration as to what can be done with a backyard space. My advice to the potential pool owner... when getting estimates and quotes for a backyard pool installation, have someone plan it out for you first!

A proper pool company (like Jason's company) will do this for you... understanding that there is a budget for the project and leaving room for expansion in the future is the key to a successful backyard living space. I often make sure that my plans take into consideration the patio space and structures that may come into play... be it a tool shed, cabana, or even an addition put on a home. If it is a phased project over a set number of years, the plan is a key factor to the backyard success.
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All photos used in this blog post are the sole property of Pool Craft. Pool Craft can be reached at:
Telephone: 905 884 2720
Toll free: 1-877-469-6649

Water Proofing Your Foundation

Often times you will get a damp feeling in your basement...or even more drastically, there is water seeping in from outside... As foundations settle they may incur cracks along masonry joints or cracks within a poured in place foundation wall.

When such an occurrence happens where you find your basement leaking, you are forced to call up a contractor and have them come in to dig up the foundation walls for proper waterproofing repair. Sometimes things can get messy where the waterproofing repair entails having to rip apart existing landscapes like planting beds of walkways around the home.


If you are living in an older home and considering investing your money into a landscape project, check the conditions of your foundation walls before hand... if a repair is needed in the near future, it may make sense to have that done before you call in someone like myself to design and build your project...