Yard of the Week: A New Pool and Pavilion With Woodland Views
A design-build firm helps its clients create a yard for outdoor family time and entertaining
This Great Falls, Virginia, backyard was a blank slate when the homeowners hired Pristine Acres to landscape it. Their wish list included a pool, spa and pavilion where the family of four could enjoy time outdoors. “The homeowners were looking to create a spot that would get their kids outside and off their screens, and for entertaining,” says Steve Waldron, the firm’s owner. Together with landscape architect Kevin Kurdziolek, he created a space that preserved the views of the meadow and woodland behind the house while providing privacy from the neighbors.
Kurdziolek brought in boulders to add a more natural look along the pathway.
The home is located in a dark-sky community. This means uplighting is banned in consideration of nocturnal wildlife and minimizing light pollution. Accordingly, the designers had lights installed under the capstones of each step for safety at night.
Landscape Lighting That Doesn’t Wake the Birds
The home is located in a dark-sky community. This means uplighting is banned in consideration of nocturnal wildlife and minimizing light pollution. Accordingly, the designers had lights installed under the capstones of each step for safety at night.
Landscape Lighting That Doesn’t Wake the Birds
The new pool measures 20 by 45 feet and is the centerpiece of the backyard. This photo also shows the meadow and woods behind the house. “The homeowners wanted to keep the views from the house out to the woods as open as possible,” Waldron says. The family has two dogs, so the designers left them an ample grassy area within the fenced backyard.
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A line of ‘Green Giant’ arborvitae (Thuja ‘Green Giant’, zones 5 to 8) along the fence provides privacy from the neighboring house. The tree on the left is a ‘Bracken’s Brown Beauty’ southern magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora ‘Bracken’s Brown Beauty’, zones 5 to 9). “This is a really special tree,” Waldron says. Since the clients wanted a low-maintenance landscape with lots of color, the team also planted Knock Out roses and other flowering shrubs.
The pool decking is silver travertine. “This is cooler on the feet and complements the flagstone,” Waldron says. The pool coping is thermal flagstone.
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The pool decking is silver travertine. “This is cooler on the feet and complements the flagstone,” Waldron says. The pool coping is thermal flagstone.
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The pool includes a sun shelf. On the edges of the shelf and steps, the designers added a trim tile that glitters in the sunlight. “This is for safety so that they can see the shelf and steps better when jumping in,” Waldron says.
The designers carefully planned the placement of the pool pavilion to keep the meadow and woodland views open from the house. “On this side, it also provides privacy from the neighbors,” Waldron says. Another factor that influenced its placement was the entry to the walk-out lower level of the home — located off the adjacent pergola on the right. This makes it easy to access the pool bathroom located there. The designers located the outdoor kitchen and a long dining table beneath the pergola.
To the left of the pavilion, a row of ‘Limelight’ panicle hydrangeas (Hydrangea paniculata ‘Limelight’, zones 3 to 8) add color and structure to the landscape.
To the left of the pavilion, a row of ‘Limelight’ panicle hydrangeas (Hydrangea paniculata ‘Limelight’, zones 3 to 8) add color and structure to the landscape.
The roof’s gable was extended to cover the spa so the family can use it in all sorts of weather. A connection was created between the spa and pool with a splashing waterfall.
The team looked to the architecture of the home when designing the pavilion, which makes for a cohesive look between the house and yard. “We used the same gable roof and roof shingles that the house had, and we also matched the trim color,” Kurdziolek says. In addition, the designers used the same fieldstone that appears on the home’s front facade and matched the Hardiplank siding of the house on the back of the pavilion. “We wanted to give the next-door neighbors a nice view,” Kurdziolek says. To accomplish this, they also planted a red maple (Acer rubrum, zones 3 to 9), weeping willow and more arborvitae (Thuja sp.) behind the pavilion.
The team looked to the architecture of the home when designing the pavilion, which makes for a cohesive look between the house and yard. “We used the same gable roof and roof shingles that the house had, and we also matched the trim color,” Kurdziolek says. In addition, the designers used the same fieldstone that appears on the home’s front facade and matched the Hardiplank siding of the house on the back of the pavilion. “We wanted to give the next-door neighbors a nice view,” Kurdziolek says. To accomplish this, they also planted a red maple (Acer rubrum, zones 3 to 9), weeping willow and more arborvitae (Thuja sp.) behind the pavilion.
Once the arborvitae along the fence line mature, the neighboring house will be out of view from the spa and pergola.
Inside the pavilion, the fieldstone continues around the base and the fireplace. The TV can be viewed all the way from the spa, a bonus on big game days. The pavilion and the gable over the spa have built-in speakers.
The pavilion measures 21 by 25 feet. The high vaulted ceiling is covered in prefinished barnwood, which adds warmth. A large chandelier matches the scale of the space. Because it’s covered by the roof, it’s permitted within the dark-sky community.
A bar straddles the edge between the pavilion and the dining pergola. The countertop is quartzite.
The pergola rafters are fir, stained to match the pavilion ceiling barnwood.
The outdoor kitchen runs along the back of the dining pergola. “One of the homeowners loves his Big Green Egg, so incorporating that was important,” Waldron says. The kitchen also includes a gas grill, storage drawers, a small refrigerator and a trash pullout. The quartzite countertop matches the bar, strengthening the connection between the dining pergola and pavilion.
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Shop for an outdoor grill
The long table seats 10. The entrance to the home’s lower level is located off the end of the pergola.
The far side of the pool has a gas fire pit gathering space, outfitted with blue Adirondack chairs. The designers repeated the fieldstone from the pavilion and spa on the fire pit surround.
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Check out our beginner’s guide to get started on your home project
To work with the existing grade and dirt on the site, Waldron used a reverse bond beam. This means part of the side of the pool is exposed on this side of the yard. This creates a cozy feel around the fire pit, and the fieldstone along the side of the pool gives a cohesive look.
One last part of the project created outdoor storage, which the original yard lacked. The deck and stairs were existing, but the designers added a fir surround underneath the deck to make a storage area. They used fir that matches the pergola rafters, which ties the two together.
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Landscape of the Week
Who lives here: A family of four and their two dogs
Location: Great Falls, Virginia
Size: The lot is about half an acre
Landscape design and installation: Steve Waldron and Kevin Kurdziolek of Pristine Acres
The home was new when the homeowners, parents of two daughters, contacted Waldron. Part of the design included creating a connection from the front yard to the back. Playing off a flagstone path to the front door, Kurdziolek matched the stones to create a walkway down the slope to the backyard. A pair of Heritage river birch trees (Betula nigra ‘Cully’, USDA zones 4 to 9; find your zone) frame the path.
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