The Planning

Client has a very young and active family, an expansive beautiful lot with a lake in the back of the property. They were very adamant about not blocking the view of the lake from the home, which is situated on a hill looking down toward the lake. The client also requested pathways that connected the pool area to the tennis courts, which were installed to the side of the property.

The Design

In the design, we knew the layout of the property required retaining walls to accommodate a pool. We then cut into the hill and designed a meandering dry laid retaining wall to provide an upper grassy area by the home and a lower stone patio area by the pool, pool house and a stone pathway that leads to the tennis courts. We presented the idea of an island in the middle of the pool which the client was very excited about, because the family could have raft races around the island and provide additional activities in the pool, and an extra sun space to sun bathe. Landscaping of mature Nellie R. Stevens Holly were planted around the tennis courts as a wind block to the strong Oklahoma winds and to transition from the pool area to tennis courts. Mature trees were designed to go behind the waterfall to soften the hardscape.

The Construction

In the middle of construction, we proposed using glass tile for the interior of the pool and spa, instead of plaster. The longevity of the glass tile and the aesthetic beauty it provides was very appealing for the client, and they decided to go with the idea. We ordered custom glass tile (River Run TLC5001-RRX) from Emenee Tile in New York City, New York. (http://www.emenee.com/pdfs/lumiere.pdf). The island was created with a border of faux rock to give a natural look and compliment the boulder waterfall that lay beyond and cascades into the pool. A large spa that seats 20 was added, along with a stone inlaid beach entry that was designed to go near the pool house. A rock diving ledge was put at the deep end to provide a diving area that is separate from the shallow end. All together this pool was expansive – 80’ x 45’. Color Kinetics lighting was implemented into the pool to provide a dramatic view at night when the different colors immolate from the glass tile. Jandy AquaLinks Pool and Spa Remote controls all functions of the pool, spa, waterfall and lighting. It truly is a beautiful view, and with the lake in the background and since the whole landscape is facing the west, the Oklahoma sunsets provide a dramatic exclamation point to this award winning design. Most importantly, the family and their extended loved ones enjoy the different ways they can engage and interact with each other in this beautiful playground.