In the spot where this lavish 12,000-square-foot estate with adjoining pools and a spa now sits, "there used to be a knock-down house," says Jim O'Donnell, president of Waterscapes. "And when it went up for sale, it was going to be subdivided into five lots." But the neighbors — O'Donnell's clients — couldn't have that. So they bought it and completely revamped the property.
Once settled in their new home, the clients wanted some privacy from their old one, which happens to be right next door and only 15 feet away from the property line, says the Cinnaminson, N.J., builder.
So to seclude the pools and spa, Waterscapes created a big raised planter between the pool and the property line. "It's funny because the township's requirement was that no wall or fence could go up on the property line, but you could put a raised planter there," O'Donnell says. "So we put up a 2,000-square-foot raised planter. It's 8 feet tall on the neighbor's side and 3 feet tall on the other side."
Beyond creating a suitable barrier between the homes, "the challenge on this project," says O'Donnell, "was to make the pool match the architecture of the house and at the same time, squeeze it on the side of the property and give the lady of the house a lap lane for swimming."
In addition, the owners of this estate in Manasquan, N.J., wanted something more interesting than "just a rectangle," says O'Donnell, and they didn't want it too close to the house —- they wanted some area between the house and the pool for entertaining.
By twisting the two pools, O'Donnell was able to give the homeowners everything they wanted: space for entertaining, as well as an innovative design that's in keeping with the architecture of the home. Also, by designing the pools to overlap as they do, there's a 44-foot lap lane.
And when it's time to relax, the homeowners can step into the insulated 10-by-10-foot spa and enjoy the view of the Manasquan River just beyond the trees.
