Step 1—Sharing Your Vision
Your new pool project starts with your vision of the finished project. With that as a starting point, we’ll work together with you to make it even better than you’d hoped all while maintaining exacting construction standards and staying within your budget.
The first step is to share the vision you have for your dream backyard and pool setting. Collect pictures, search the internet and jot down your ideas. This will give us a great starting point. But don’t worry if you’re not quite sure. Through a comprehensive design process we’ll identify your needs—even some you may not know you have—and create a solution that will ideally fit your family, your outdoor lifestyle, and the architectural cues of your home and neighborhood.
Let’s see what people are saying about Land Effects
Thank you so much for your design work, your creativity, and your persistence and professionalism in all aspects of the project.”
Stuart and Laural McVean, Scarborough
Step 2—Site Analysis
Carefully analyzing your site helps us to do three important things for you: make sure that we best use your site’s existing features, recommend changes that will optimize your site’s aesthetics and utility, and make sure we abide by all by-laws and setbacks that may affect your pool installation and yard redesign.
We may recommend that you keep a recently built cabana. (As we did with the one you see on the right.) But, maybe the topography of your yard isn’t ideal. We may recommend regrading, a built-up flower bed, or adding a retaining wall. And, of course, a very important part of the pool installation process is meeting all of the local by-law and set-back requirements. This can affect where the pool can be placed as well as the size of the pool you are able to install. Before showing you your options, we make sure that they meet all local requirements.
Let’s see what people are saying about Land Effects
Land Effects provided us with an excellent design concept and delivered it on time and within budget. We …would definitely use Land Effects again.”
Step 3—Choose Pool and Features
Knowing your site and local by-law limitations we can explore the big choices you have available like pool shapes and sizes.
Then the fun really begins as we discuss customizing your pool to your outdoor lifestyle and personal aesthetics. At this point forward we start thinking about all of the other pool-related options you have including pool color, LED lighting, and special features like streams, cascades, and vanishing edges—all of the features that will make your pool truly yours. The overall design will include structures, planting, etc. That’s coming up.
Let’s see what people are saying about Land Effects
We interviewed four landscape companies before we chose Land Effects. Keith and his team were extremely professional and listened to our ideas. …The design made great use of the space and the quality of the finished product was amazing. We transformed a backyard into an oasis with an outdoor bar and gas fireplace. We now consider our backyard as another room in the house. We think so highly of Keith and his team that we continue to recommend him to our friends and neighbors and we have also asked Keith to do the front yard in the spring.”
Nick & Julie
Step 4— Approval of Project Drawings
This is the stage where we’ve wed your vision and ideas with the creative ideas and design abilities of our landscape designers to bring to life—in digital or traditional drawings—the final recommendations for your project.
Before we start, we fine tune the drawings to include any last minute changes. At this stage we will be discussing materials, finishes, colors and textures. Once you are sure the project meets your vision we discuss a construction schedule and advise you of the various steps and timing requirements.
Step 5—Pool Excavation
It’s not rocket science but it still takes great care. The pool layout is carefully marked on the property so we know where to dig and so its placement meets the design drawings and all set-back and by-law requirements.
Excavation of a pool begins by accurately outlining the pool area then setting dig elevations at 2′ intervals beside the pool. ( and noting in a log book to refer to as necessary ) Once the general excavation is completed we then get very accurate with the final dig depth to within 0.50 ” of determined elevation. This ensures that the pool elevation is Bang On correct depth and finished elevation at ground level. This matters for many reasons but the biggest is that water then can flow away from the pool once the hardscaping is completed around its perimeter.
Step 6—Pool Installation and Backfill
If your yard is big enough to fit a pool then we’ll be able to build it !
With so many options in Pool types we’ll either be able to lift it over ( fiberglass ) or custom install the pool shell with either a custom Concrete Pool or a Vinyl Liner Pool ( unlimited sizes and layouts now available. Pools are backfilled with HPB ( High performance Base similar to Pea gravel however angular in shape so the granular material locks in place and has high compression characteristics – with minimal settlement.
Step 7—Install Plumbing & Electrical
The mechanicals are then installed to turn the newly installed pool shell into a working pool.
This includes the electrical for the pumps, outdoor lighting, and what’s needed for any special features. In the picture on the left you’re seeing a Hydro Pool that has three electric jets that allow you to “swim-on-the-spot” for fitness. The Hydro Pool was above ground on the back end because of the descending lot so we tucked the mechanicals underneath. The stone you see is stone veneer from Erth Coverings. It comes in a variety of textures and colors and can be used as an accent in many ways.
Step 8—Set Concrete Around Pool
Making sure your pool is secure in the ground is paramount. It is backfilled and concrete is added around the pool.
In the picture on the left you can see the rounded coping around the edge of the pool. This makes it nicer to get into and out of the pool. This client elected to have a stone patio and this will be laid out abutting and level with the coping to make a beautiful and seamless stone patio surrounding the pool.
Step 9—Build Structures
At this stage we start to build out the pool setting in its entirety. Fences are added, pergolas, cabanas, outdoor kitchens, and everything else that will transform your space from just the pool to a complete outdoor space that supports your lifestyle, gives you great joy to share with your family, and makes you proud to entertain.
In the picture you can see that the raised flower bed has been finished and a pergola has been built under which the eating area furniture will be placed. In this project we elected to keep the existing cabana which can be used for the mechanicals for the pool. The garage wall was covered with cedar as well as a 1″ thick stone veneer to give it an elegant look that would match the transformed space. LED lighting was added to create a romantic feel to the space. These are the types of structural and finishing touches that make a real difference in the finished look of the space.
Step 10—Planting & Special Features
The structures having been built, we add any special features not already included and add the plants and foliage. This brings it all together into the pool-garden oasis you’ve been dreaming about.
The cabana that we retained for the project fits in perfectly. The greenery and the small tree is in the raised planter that you’ve seen from other angles and which has a sheer descent with cascading waterfalls into the pool. Spot lights have been added to the garden to make it magical at night. You can also see the lights we’ve added on each side of the door on the cabana. By shining both up and down from the stainless steel tube fixtures it creates wonderful indirect lighting.
Step 11—Completion & Sign Off
Your pool setting oasis is ready for you!
Here is the finished project. You can see the cedar and Erth Coverings stone veneer on the side of the garage we mentioned earlier. The HD TV was installed behind a steel sliding door that comes down and locks at night.
You can also see the stone patio that surrounds the pool and goes under the pergola attached to the garage as well as the eating-area pergola you’ve seen earlier.
