This project was featured in Aqua Magazine, a monthly publication dedicated to the pool and spa industry. See the page featuring the custom wet wall that caught the eye of the Aqua editors.

As the last step of a total property renovation, my clients wanted a backyard makeover and redesign of their existing 1970’s kidney-shaped pool. They wanted the backyard to reflect the style of the newly remodeled house, and to have less concrete and more room for landscaping. After working with the clients for several months on a plan for a redesign of the existing pool, we could not come up with a design that they were completely happy with. I finally suggested that we entirely remove the existing pool.

After all the angst of trying to design within the limitations of the existing structure, making the decision to remove the pool and start over was freeing. The clients knew exactly what they wanted: an elegant design that would complement the planned xeriscape. The design we settled on gave them more planting and open space, contained no concrete, and gave the clients the “soothing, marine blue colored water” and wet wall running the length of the pool that they envisioned. We created a design reminiscent of the French countryside that complemented the home’s architecture and would be a perfect extension of the surroundings. This design was exactly what the clients now have in their backyard: the work proceeded smoothly and the clients’ vision held firm throughout the construction.

We chose the materials for the project in keeping with the look we were trying to achieve. My client and I made a trip to our local stone yard and fell in love with the tumbled stone that we chose for the coping. Unfortunately, the tumbled material only came in small squares, which worked nicely for the pool, but proved to be a problem for the spa. Not wanting segmented pieces or too many grout lines at the spa, we brought in large non-tumbled pieces of this material and created the “tumbled” look onsite. Thus we were able to maintain consistency between the material used on the pool and the spa while minimizing grout lines. We also included a custom cut stone for the skimmer lid. The waterline tile is made from recycled sea glass, chosen both for its beauty and the fact that it is a recycled material. In keeping with the clients’ “green” sensibilities, the pool uses energy efficient Jandy Stealth Pumps and a salt system, creating less of an impact on the environment.

We began construction by removing the existing pool, but then we were hit with rain, rain, and more rain. The uncharacteristic precipitation made for a muddy construction site that consumed one machine and ruined several other pieces of equipment. Most of the pool’s soil from the dig remained onsite: since the new pool was much smaller than the old, we used it to backfill. The unexpected amount of rain over the span of several weeks left us with a collapsing hole filled with muck three feet past the pool’s depth. We used a special Bobcat with rubber tracks to remove the mud. We then compacted crushed stone in the bottom of the hole which provided us a solid base from which to begin the construction.

Our homeowners had done a complete soils test. Based upon the results, the steel was engineered for expansive soil, which is common in this part of San Diego.

The project’s wet wall utilizes a custom-made water nozzle by Polaris that features three water nozzles, one spanning 14 feet and two spanning seven feet each. We hand-fabricated each piece of coping that covers the Polaris water nozzle, creating a veneer in order to hide the mechanics while keeping the full face of the tumbled stone to maintain unity with the surrounding coping.

We planned a very unique design for the pool’s steps by creating two set of steps that allow entry from either side of the shallow end. The design also maintains a full swim lane, which was important to the clients. The deep end features a large bench that wraps around the spa in multiple levels, creating another unique entry point to the pool. The pool is finished to the depth of six and a half feet in dark gray plaster to give the clients the soothing blue water they desired.

When the pool was filled and started, my clients were amazed. The homeowner told me that the way the wet wall looked when the water gently tumbled over the ledger stone into the water below was an exact replica of what she had been picturing in her mind.

I truly enjoyed working with the clients on this project: being able to offer them a cost-effective solution to free themselves from the constraints of their prior pool and provide them with the backyard that they envisioned. The pool fits perfectly with its surroundings and its owners’ sensibilities.