Fitting a pool into your landscape is a major investment, in many ways. You’ll need to invest cash, time, energy, and yard space. But what happens when unexpected issues arise during construction?
Many times, a landscape designer will have to ask some serious questions to find out what elements are necessary for functionality and aesthetics and incorporate them into a half-way completed project.
Jim Donahue, landscaper and writer for Fine Gardening magazine, recently blogged about how he integrated a pool into a landscape project that had already been started.
“The project had some serious challenges. The most pressing issue was how to hold back the hill below the pool’s terrace. Approaching from the side yard, a visitor would have to climb a sudden 8-foot change in grade to reach the pool. The contractor assured the homeowners that a “small” wall and a few shrubs would take care of the steep slope, but we were not convinced. For safety’s sake, the pool had to be enclosed, but it wasn’t clear where the fence should go. And most important from the clients’ point of view was the need to make the pool nestle into its setting.”
Project by Jim Donahue
Photo/Illustration: Candace Beaulieu
Jim used visual cues and a sense of enclosure to make his client’s space inviting and truly “nestled” the pool into its surroundings.
Although it is BEST to design the entire space –pool and surrounds together unfortunately it doesn’t always happen and I often run into the same situation described in this article. The authors covers the solutions quite well-a good read for anyone out there considering a pool!
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