Midwestern Showcase

In keeping with the aura of the conservation area behind his house, this homeowner stressed a strong desire to have the poolscape feel open and natural, says Dave Thompson, CEO of Swimming Pools Services in Waukesha, Wis.

"Nothing can be built behind him, so he wanted to fit that natural feel," adds Thompson, "and he wanted to keep it so that it appears as if we haven't disturbed nature."

Achieving this feat required overcoming a few challenges, including Wisconsin's freeze/thaw period. Since the crew began the job in winter, they had to combat the ever-changing weather patterns that caused some days to be more productive than others.

"We relied on the frost in the ground to get through most of the construction OK, but when it came time to bring the materials in to do the retaining walls and the backfill, it ended up going in fits and starts."

The boulders and stones completing the look of the project were easy to get, as the homeowner is the owner of a company that quarries stone. While Swimming Pool Services designed and built the pool, it was the homeowner who created the deck and the surrounding landscape.

"The coping stones are fitted and numbered, so basically each one of them, when designed, had space around the perimeter of the pool. And if they were to take one out of sequence, it would have messed everything up because every gap was perfect all the way around. A lot of precision went into that."