Backyard of the Week: A New Pool and Spa, and Room to Lounge
A contractor finds a pleasing layout for water elements and a pergola-covered seating area in a compact backyard
This couple spends about half the year at their home in Florida and the other half in the North. They wanted to install an infinity pool in their relatively small Miami backyard, along with a lounge area, a shaded seating space, an outdoor shower and a spa. Contractor Alfredo Scheer helped them find a way to not only squeeze in a 12-by-22-foot pool, but incorporate all the elements on their wish list in a pleasing way. He even managed to find a clever use for a favorite elephant statue they had.
“The homeowners wanted an infinity pool, but the space was too small for one,” Scheer says. Rather than installing an overflow pool, which is typically what is used for an infinity pool, he came up with a way to give their skimmer pool the infinity look. Past the edge of the ipe decking, he lowered the coping around the back portion of the pool a few inches so that the top of the water would be even with that edge. Then he surrounded the back half of the pool with a concrete bed filled with a mix of pretty pebbles. “Lowering it like this gives an endless illusion,” he says. The pebble trough works with the pipe system of the pool.
The coping is a concrete tile, and the top 6 inches of the pool walls are covered in a Spanish mosaic tile. The rest of the pool is covered in a Diamond Brite finish. This finish is a blend of quartz aggregates and cement.
Scheer incorporated one of the homeowners’ favorite pieces in a clever way. “The homeowners already had the elephant statue and loved it,” he says. To make good use of it out here, he drilled a hole in it and transformed it into an eclectic umbrella stand.
Search for a local deck and patio specialist
The coping is a concrete tile, and the top 6 inches of the pool walls are covered in a Spanish mosaic tile. The rest of the pool is covered in a Diamond Brite finish. This finish is a blend of quartz aggregates and cement.
Scheer incorporated one of the homeowners’ favorite pieces in a clever way. “The homeowners already had the elephant statue and loved it,” he says. To make good use of it out here, he drilled a hole in it and transformed it into an eclectic umbrella stand.
Search for a local deck and patio specialist
The pergola is crafted of aluminum covered in ipe. Scheer used a CNC router to cut the aluminum into shape, then placed an ipe veneer over the posts and beams. “Structurally the aluminum is stronger and light, so you can get more span between columns without exaggerating the size of the components,” he says. The part with the slats on the left side leads around the corner to the private entry door of a guest room.
He found a good spot for an outdoor shower in the back-right corner of the yard. One column houses the plumbing, creating a minimalist look. It is made of poured concrete, and Scheer covered it in a rough plaster. The floor below is a concrete slab with a linear drain. He covered the wall behind the shower with a natural slate tile. This turned the shower area into an attractive architectural feature.
Browse outdoor lounge furniture in the Houzz Shop
He found a good spot for an outdoor shower in the back-right corner of the yard. One column houses the plumbing, creating a minimalist look. It is made of poured concrete, and Scheer covered it in a rough plaster. The floor below is a concrete slab with a linear drain. He covered the wall behind the shower with a natural slate tile. This turned the shower area into an attractive architectural feature.
Browse outdoor lounge furniture in the Houzz Shop
Scheer used the same slate tile on the side of the spa. Matching this tile and the ipe decking on the surround integrated the spa into the deck. Clever strategies like this allowed him to fit so many elements into the yard in a pleasing way.
More on Houzz
Read more landscape design stories
Get landscape design ideas
Find a landscape designer or architect
Shop for outdoor products
More on Houzz
Read more landscape design stories
Get landscape design ideas
Find a landscape designer or architect
Shop for outdoor products
Yard at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple
Location: Miami
Size: 1,350 square feet (125 square meters)
Designer: Alfredo Scheer of Scheer Construction Group
The backyard already had most of the plantings seen here. Scheer had some of the messier little sprouts cleaned up while preserving the spectacular existing palm trees.
Through thoughtful planning, Scheer was able to fit everything the couple wanted into their compact backyard. The pool measures 12 by 25 feet. To the left and off the great room is a seating area. To the right is a roof-topped pergola that offers shade. And across the pool, he made room for lounge chairs. The platform behind the chairs is a cleverly disguised spa. Scheer has a background in mechanical engineering, and he designed a system to flip open the top using shock absorbers. “They open a latch, pull the top up, and it stays put. The shock absorbers make it very easy to do,” he says.
Find a local hot tub and spa dealer