Friday, July 1, 2011

Chillin' By The Pool!

It's Summer...it's Dallas...it's HOT!! With the thermometer scheduled to top out somewhere around 100 degrees, I thought I'd better cool you down by highlighting some of the work from my friend, and colleague Scott Moneta of Leisure Living Pools in Frisco. Scott does most of our work for clients - all have been very happy!


But there's a little history along with Scott, and Leisure Living Pools. For years we did business with the king of extravagant pools, Marshall Moore. Marshall's attention to detail coupled with his innate sense of grades, mechanical knowledge, and just plain taste put him in a class with no one else. But he retired! So, now what has been a number of years ago, I called him to see who was the next "Marshall Moore" in Dallas. With no hesitation he said "Scott Moneta!" Once again, Marshall was right!


Scott is second generation pool construction. His father Tom started the business, and built the reputation. But Scott leaves nothing to chance. Always on top of his projects, with that keen eye for detail and construction, I feel as though we have given up little, if anything from the M. M. Moore Construction days.


If you follow my blog you may have seen the picture below in another posting. You guessed it, Leisure Living! Trust me, this stuff isn't easy, but Scott and his team make it look that way by literally taking the construction and scheduling off our plate so that all is finished when our client moves in. With much forethought on design and construction, the work is flawless. In this design a raised spa bubbles over through three scuppers into the larger pool. The coordination required to build an incredible pool in the confines of an enclosed, three sided house structure, can't be done by just anyone!
Scott was kind enough to share several examples of the latest trends in pool construction. Here we highlight the "negative edge" pool that gives the feeling that water is cascading into infinity. Usually accomplished through the use of tile, extreme care must be used to make sure that the waterline is perfectly flat and level so the water "cascades" equally across the negative edge.
The water has to go somewhere so this shot shows the reservoir that collects the water for recycling back up into the larger basin area.
Most everyone enjoys sitting by the pool. Pool decks are made out of all sorts of materials, but stone seems to be the most popular. A well thought out design will incorporate space for a number of people.
A very recent trend is to build the poolside deck out of Ipe (pronounced "e-pay" - probably because the material is really expensive!) which is also know as Brazilian Walnut. Certainly the most dense material I have ever encountered, it is hard to cut, drill through, and actually sinks to the bottom of the pool when thrown in!
More and more of our lives are being spent by the pool. People want spaces where they can get out of the sun, catch a refreshment, and entertain their family and friends. 
Feature structures have also become rather popular. Most often they use water in different, and imaginative ways. 
With both the sound of water, and plantings, water features touch many of our senses. Again, the detailing is superb!
I don't know about you but just seeing these pictures has cooled me down! A special thanks to Scott Moneta and the wonderful folks at Leisure Living Pools for sharing their work!


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