Outdoor Design by Lucas

The second video in the Exterior Design Video Series includes expert design tips about blending a pool screen cage with natural rock by exterior designer Lucas Congdon of Lucas Lagoons.

It includes design tips from my experience on a pool remodel in Siesta Key, Florida.   Pictures of this pool remodel can be viewed by clicking the following link, http://www.lucaslagoons.com/POOL-REMODEL/pool-remodel-cush.html

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This particular job was very different from the other jobs I have designed and built with Lucas Lagoons.  This was a southwestern style house, not Mediterranean style and not Colorado lodge.  Therefore it posed some new challenges.  The main challenge was to blend the natural rock wall created from the water feature into the structure of the house, so that it would seem like the house was built around the natural rock.  The limestone boulders with beautiful colors blended right in with the adobe stucco from the exterior of the home.  We built the limestone rock right up to the house and the stucco guys came in and blended the limestone rock with the stucco on the exterior of the home.  It looks as though it was an old ruin where the natural ledge, like the rock of a cliff, was built tucked up right into the house, just how the Mayan Indians did.

Another thing we had to do, which we hadn’t done before, was blend the screen pool cage with the natural limestone rock of the water feature.  Typically screen cages come down into a concrete footer, you see this time and time again.  They wanted the screen cage because of the bugs, but they didn’t want to see it.  Our solution was we built the limestone boulders up to about eight feet tall and then we built the pool cage right down into it, between the outside rock and the inside water fall.  We didn’t cut the rock so it was perfectly level, we left the natural rocky look.  On the outside of the pool cage, we let the natural limestone boulders come up past the screened pool cage.  Inside the water feature, in the planter, we poured a little curb for the screen cage to come down into.  Therefore the two overlapped each other creating a natural look from the outside of the home.  Then when you are inside the house looking out, the whole backdrop is this beautiful waterfall with lush tropical foliage and the pool cage is hidden above, where you just don’t see it.

Before, when you stepped out of the house, the outside was a small swimming pool with trees and brush everywhere.  The landscape and water feature looked really disorganized and there was no synergy between the landscape and the house.  Now as you step through the house and into the backyard, it’s really not the backyard, it’s part of the house, it’s all enclosed.  You have this beautiful, tall, limestone water feature with foliage just cascading down.  The water feature is near the front door as well as an outdoor kitchen and dining area, creating a courtyard that frames in the house.  Now this exterior part of the home is actually inside, but also outside, blending the two together.  The screen cage over the pool goes unnoticed because the screen cage is overhead.  When you are looking out, all you see is natural rock, foliage, and this beautiful lagoon style swimming pool.

When it comes time for entertaining guests, the courtyard is just amazing. The guests start with walking through the front door and seeing an adobe style outdoor kitchen and dining area.  As they continue to stroll inside, there is this beautiful lagoon pool with multiple waterfalls cascading down into the pool with a sound of flowing water.  Looking up, you see tiers overhead with beautiful pine wood.  The house has sliding glass doors that pocket to the side making the whole house open to the courtyard area creating real synergy with the design.  Some of the themes and materials that were used outside are then continued throughout the house and exterior design now flows with the interior design creating the perfect atmosphere.