Backyard Retreat Wins Best in Competition Award

The daytime views or this Dix Hills multi-award winning pool and spa, which was created and installed by Deck and Patio Co. of Huntington Station, are glorious. However, the evening landscape — aglow with gas campfires and hidden lighting that studs the surrounding elevations — suggests the romance that might have drawn artist Paul Gauguin to the South Seas.

        Five waterfalls, three of which flow into the pool and spa, a gently moving stream up behind the pool, and the warm bubbling spa waters – all surrounded by lush vegetation – suggests strongly Nature’s own handiwork. Yet the siren call to come enjoy its waters, to sunbathe, and to stroll, is not lessened by the fact that the whole pool and spa area is not only “manmade” but its enticements are regulated by state-of-the-art automation.

        According to Bill Renter owner of Deck and Patio Co., the inspiration for this masterpiece came from closer to home than Gauguin’s French Polynesia.

        “The owners wanted something very special,” says Renter, “and I was actually inspired by Disney World.”

        “I truly believe there are no original ideas — just improvements on existing ones,” continues the landscaper. “And I was impressed with how Disney World was a feast for the senses — how through various sights, sounds and smells, there is always something around the corner, something to draw you to the next space.”

        Indeed, the homeowners admit to be in awe of what Deck and Patio Co. has accomplished.

        “You almost don’t want to stop anywhere,” says the husband. “You can’t wait to see what is coming up next. You climb on huge moss-covered rocks, or stroll around the spa waterfall to get to the waterslide, then down a little bluestone walkway, even passing by a stream on the way. It’s spectacular.”

        His wife loves how their new backyard “resort” offers the thoughtful comforts of many hotel/resort amenities. For example, four embedded umbrella stands are installed in the main tumbled stone patio.

        “They are positioned perfectly,” she says. “I just open them for parties or when serving food and get 50 percent shading of the patio area. Or for sunbathing, I just close them and the sun will go all the way across.”

        Landscaper Renter has also successfully mimicked the background music at hotel resorts – that is heard but is never intrusive.

        “This is accomplished by having a lot of speakers – we installed ten around this pool and spa – permitting the owners to keep the sound on very low volume. This is not only considerate of their neighbors, but, because of the number of speakers, they get the right effect,” says Renter.

        The landscaper adds that the speakers are part of the computer-run automation program that was planned and installed by Deck and Patio.

        “There’s a key pad at the back door of their home as well as four others placed spa-side, pool-side and in the cabana. The lighting is automated on a timer, as are the waterfalls and the heating of the spa waters. The music is preset – and all these functions coordinate with its automated cleaning functions.”

        Renter is particularly pleased with one of the many awards he garnered for this project. It was for “Best in Competition” from NESPA (Northeast Spa and Pool Assoc.) which has never before been awarded to a vinyl pool.

        “This was a huge achievement for a regional award,” says Renter. “That category has been dominated by gunite pools. It was thrilling to be first to get it for a vinyl pool.”

        The landscaper explains that today’s computer calculations and their perfectly precise measurements allow for free-form vinyl construction, something that couldn’t be done before.

        “This also makes the dream of a free-form pool a real possibility for many more people,” says Renter.

        In addition, NESPA awarded this project “First Place for Outstanding Achievement in Design and Building” (Vinyl Liner/Fiberglass Pool) as well as a “Gold Medal” for vinyl lined freeform pools. NESPA also awarded Deck and Patio Co. the “Special Judges Award” which is given with the unanimous vote of all the judges, says Renter.

        The landscaper adds that in 2005, this project also won the “International Award of Excellence – Gold Medal” – from the APSP (The Association for Pool and Spa Professionals) in the category of a vinyl pool in excess of 601 square feet.

        Yet, a beautiful as the completed project is, the awards were given for more than just what meets the eye. Design and execution challenges for this 46-by-32 foot free-form vinyl pool/spa began with a 13-foot elevation change that runs the length of the pool area.

        “To allow the concrete wall to be built on the sloped terrain, fifty cubic yards of crushed stone were brought in and tamped to build up the low end of the pool,” says Renter.

      He adds that the access was limited because of a 28×28 foot two-story workshop the homeowners had installed on the property eight years prior. A hole was cut through the front and back of the workshop to allow a skid steer loader to access to the work site. The workshop was later converted into the existing 28×28-foot poolside cabana.

        In addition, approximately three thousand cubic yards of fill were brought in to level a portion of the yard.

        “The whole design was conceived to be practical as well,” says Renter. “The homeowners wanted to conserve open space on the property to allow for soccer and other child-related activities. So we only used up a small part of the one-acre property. We tucked the pool and spa in between the existing deck, the old woodshed and property line.”

        In fact, the children of the house love the spa end, which is isolated from the pool water, because of its circulating hot water that flows back into the waterfall.

        “They love to sit under it and have the hot water pour over their heads,” says the children’s father.

        And, of course, they love the built-in waterslide, he says, and really enjoy being able to get a cool drink by swimming up to the 38-foot “swim-up bar” that has submerged barstools. He adds that this same amenity is very popular with adults, as it is a great spot for swimmers and strollers to meet and talk, without the swimmers having to get out of the water.

        Yet there are many other reasons this stunner is an award winner. The added land gradations, which involved bringing in 3,000 cubic yards of fill, permit five tumbled stone patios to be placed at different elevations. There are five waterfalls (one reaching 7×10 feet), plus immense moss rocks, — some weighing in excess of six thousand pounds. There is a tanning shelf and waterslide — all part of a 46×32 free-form vinyl-lined pool. And for nighttime entertaining, the automated color logic lights, the ten speakers that pick up commercial-free satellite radio, the glorious 7×11 foot vinyl-lined spa, and the romantic gas campfires, make this anyone’s definition of nighttime paradise.

        While one is not sure if they serve drinks in hollowed out green coconuts at their walkup swim bar, or if brightly colored rectangles of cloth hang in the cabana — or even if Tikki gods can be found hidden near one of the area’s 1,899 trees, shrubs and perennials. But one suspects that Mr. Gauguin would have been tempted to set up his easel here. And one is convinced that Walt Disney would have been proud.