Largest Pool Builder in Las Vegas
Desert Spring Pools and Spas, the largest independent pool builder in Las Vegas, offers full service pool construction and landscaping services.
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Largest Pool Builder in Las Vegas
Desert Spring Pools and Spas, the largest independent pool builder in Las Vegas, offers full service pool construction and landscaping services.
If you head straight for the deep end at your local swimming pool, the curiously named Y-40 Deep Joy pool in Italy is probably right up your street.
REPOST: Water works: rain gardens are a beautiful way to fight street flooding
Rain gardens can be the perfect landscaping solution for flood-prone areas. Aside from creating a beautiful panorama, they can direct stormwater from roofs and other water-resistant surfaces into plant-filled low areas and back to the ground. Read more of these innovative landscaping features below.Â
Joe Evans and Barney Lighter of Evans Lighter Landscape Architecture and Ramiro Diaz, an urban planner and designer at Waggonner & Ball Architects, have designed a courtyard rain garden designed to manage storm water runoff, featuring a small reflecting pool, cistern planters and wetlands landscaping. One of the two Diaz family dogs, Giussi, enjoys drink from the pools. Image Source: nola.com
John P. Klingman has become accustomed to living on a street that floods. During the summer, stormwater can rise on the road in front of his Garden District home as often as once a week. Getting up to move his car in the middle of the night is particularly irritating.
Rather than just grouse about the flooding, though, Klingman decided to turn his Harmony Street yard into a beachhead in the war against stormwater runoff.
In other words, he installed a rain garden.
The yard is a picturesque landscape, with a frog pond rimmed in Louisiana irises. Water grasses and ferns fill in the shallow, shady spaces on the side of his 1898 home, and rice paper plants (Tetrapanax papyrifer) create a leafy threshold between the frog pond and the front garden.
The landscape's key attraction, though, is primarily below ground: a 19th-century, brick-lined cistern Klingman found buried in the yard and had excavated by Evans + Lighter Landscape Architecture, which also designed the rain garden.
At least 6 feet deep and about 6 feet across at its underground base, the cistern's circular rim sits just below the iris beds at the corner of the pond. A bubbling fountain creates a focal point in the center.
When the rain comes now, water flows from the gently sloping iris beds into the cistern.
"However many gallons of water that cistern holds is that many gallons not running out into the street," said Klingman, a Tulane University architecture professor whose work focuses on architectural design and "water engagement."
"If more people started holding stormwater in places that are OK on their property, the city would be safer (from flooding)," he said. "And one of those places that's OK is in the garden."
While Klingman's garden hasn't saved his street from flooding, he believes it's making a small dent.
Even better, when the rain stops, the water in the cavernous cistern slowly seeps out into the surrounding soil. The cistern's water level drops about two feet a day, he said.
Rain gardens like Klingman's are more than just pretty landscapes. They're designed to direct stormwater running off of roofs, concrete and other impervious surfaces into shallow, plant-filled low areas, reducing the amount of water -- and pollutants -- that funnels into the city's drains.
"Rain gardens allow water to percolate back into the ground, recharging the water table," according to "The Joy of Water," a soft-copy illustrated book that explains in easy steps how homeowners can better manage their properties' drainage. "By allowing water to flow through layers of porous, permeable material -- such as sand, gravel and soil -- pollutants, heavy metals, oil and grease are filtered out." (The "Joy of Water" was produced by Global Green USA, Water Works, Dana Brown & Associates and Longvue House & Gardens. To request a copy, call Global Green at 504.525.2121).Â
Such "green infrastructure" will be the focus of Green Keepers, a new educational series beginning Tuesday, hosted by Parkway Partners and funded by a grant from the New Orleans Sewerage & Water Board. Classes will teach New Orleans residents ways they can make a difference in the fight against flooding in a city that sees an average annual rainfall of 62 inches.
The series will cover topics such as vertical and rooftop gardens; small- and large-scale water catchments; bioswales and rain gardens; plants for green infrastructure; concrete and permeability. The program includes field trips to see the infrastructure in action. (To register for the classes, go to parkwaypartnersnola.org.)
Joe Evans III, horticulturist and permaculturist with Evans + Lighter Landscape Architecture, will lead two of the lectures.
The concept of catching rainwater and holding it on your property may seem counterintuitive: Wouldn't you want floodwater to stay as far away from your home as possible?
"The idea is to control where the water goes instead of just letting it go into the street or into your house," said Klingman, who discovered his underground cistern when he was digging around in his yard not long after he moved into his house in 1990.
The cistern was buried when he found it. Evans cleared the structure, jumping inside as he removed decades' worth of mud and debris.
Klingman isn't sure of the cistern's original purpose. It may have been used to collect rainwater; in the 19th century, cisterns were common in New Orleans, he said, though many were above ground.
After Hurricane Katrina, Klingman said his eyes were opened to the ways in which water can be an asset rather than a problem. He met Dutch water management experts while they were working with New Orleans-based Waggonner & Ball Architects and other locals in developing the Greater New Orleans Urban Water Plan.
"The Dutch view water as a positive," he said.
Local soils shrink and swell with groundwater fluctuations, so drying out the soil can contribute to subsidence, a serious problem in south Louisiana.
"Stormwater pipes and canals continually drain groundwater from the soil," architect Ramiro Diaz said last week in an emailed response to the question: Why should the average homeowner care about stormwater management? Diaz, who works with Waggonner & Ball, recently installed a rain garden at his own home in the Garden District.
As groundwater is removed, soil contracts and "organic matter oxidizes, resulting in subsidence," Diaz said. "Both of these processes result in damage to our streets and over time to building foundations and pilings."
Diaz and his wife live in a circa 1840s brick property on St. Mary Street. Living quarters are upstairs, commercial spaces are downstairs and a courtyard is in back. Before the rain garden was installed this summer, "the whole courtyard would fill up in a storm," Diaz said.
Working with Evans and landscape architect Barney Lighter, they came up with a sharp-angled, eye-catching approach to rainwater management: a cascading landscape with swimming-pool-sized steel cisterns filled with floating marsh (made of driftwood,equisetum, three-square bulrush plants, cattails and mosquito-eating fish).
The cisterns catch rainwater and filter it into an oyster-shell bed and then into a low wetlands garden with a reflecting pool. Like sand through an hour glass, water slowly moves through the graduated system.
The cisterns sit on a raised Bermuda turf bed, which also soaks up water, while the wetlands garden is filled with "thirsty plants," such as small cypress trees, swamp sunflowers, palmetto palms and Gulf muhly grass (Muhlenbergia capillaris).
"This yard will (intercept) 5,000 gallons of stormwater," Evans said. The buildings' downspouts will eventually be funneled into the cisterns as well.
Diaz got to see the system in action during a hard downpour last weekend, describing the storm as "incredible." Â
"Even without the downspouts connected to the system, I got a preview of how the rain garden will work. It had about 3 or 4 inches of water ... Looked absolutely beautiful. The water infiltrated very quickly after the rain passed."
Perched on the edge of the reflecting pool, watching over the landscape, is a statue of Saraswati, the Hindu goddess of wisdom, art and music. She was a recent find, Diaz said.
"She's always associated with flowing water," he said, "so she was perfect."
Desert Springs Pools and Spas provides swimming pool construction and landscaping services in Las Vegas Valley. View its landscaping designs on this website.
Since 1994, Desert Springs Pools & Spas has been designing, financing, and building swimming pools in the Las Vegas, Nevada area.
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REPOST: Mike Holmes: Landscaping is all about water
âThe optimal time for outdoor projects and landscaping is dry weather, so take advantage of it when you have it,â writes Mike Holmes in this National Post article. The residential home improvement contractor and TV show host also provides tips on how to properly prepare the home yard for landscaping.
                       Image Source: life.nationalpost.com
A lot of you might be wondering if itâs too late in the season to landscape around your home. It absolutely is not.
There are plenty of projects you could and should be doing around your homeâs exterior. The optimal time for outdoor projects and landscaping is dry weather, so take advantage of it when you have it. Plus, some jobs â such as painting, staining, or putting polymeric sand between interlocking bricks â can be done only in dry weather.
If youâll need to hire a contractor for an outdoor project, such as interlocking or re-grading, donât wait until fall to do it; if bad weather hits, a one-week project can easily stretch to two weeks. The contractor also will need to be given enough time to get the job done before cold wet weather moves in.
In some cases, it might already be too late to hire a pro (the good ones book up long in advance). But it is possible, although you could be looking at a November start date.
You can do most landscaping projects right up to the end of fall, but one thing you should get done by October is any pool work.
Some homeowners think they can handle most outdoor projects themselves. But a bad job outside can cause plenty of problems inside. The No. 1 problem I see from amateur landscaping work is compaction. People always underestimate how long it takes for soil to compact. In nature, it can take hundreds of years. Donât think you can do it over a weekend.
Let me give you a scenario. Say youâre doing some interlocking and you lay down a bed of dirt and gravel. Most people think they can rent a compactor for four hours, compact 12 inches down and then bring it back to the store. But, on average, the most you can properly compact in a day with most compactors is two to three inches.
If it is incorrectly done, the soil will sink over time and water can pool or even go directly to the foundation.
Stable ground is essential for proper construction. It helps stop water from getting into places where it shouldnât, such as around your homeâs foundation or into the basement. Thatâs why I donât recommend planting anything right up against the foundation.
For one thing, planting disturbs the soil, allowing water to penetrate. As well, if the garden bed is built up the way most tend to be, that little mound of dirt will drive water exactly where you donât want it: to your foundation. And then, when watering the plants you direct water right to the exterior of the basement â if there is a crack, water can penetrate.
Your homeâs No. 1 enemy is water. That means your primary job is to prevent water from getting into it. Well-built landscaping will not only give your home curb appeal, it will help with that job. That means proper grading, keeping trees and shrubbery away from the perimeter of your home, and making sure water is constantly being directed away.
Every homeowner should do regular yard maintenance, such as raking fallen leaves â especially from eavestroughs and around interlocking stone â to prevent weeds the next year. Leaves that sit underneath the snow all winter will rot and, come spring, provide a perfect food source for weeds.
Remember, the outside of your home needs maintenance just as much as the inside, if not more. What you do outside will protect the inside, and landscaping is part of that.
Desert Springs Pools and Spas specializes in building custom residential landscaping and high-quality outdoor environments. Subscribe to this blog for more outdoor improvement ideas.
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REPOST: In Dubai, A 90-Acre Swimming Pool Is The Next Big Thing In Real Estate Development
Chile pool builders Crystal Lagoons is currently building a magnificent artificial lagoon the size of 330 Olympic-size swimming pools in the gleaming desert sands of Dubaiâs Mohammed Bin Rashid City. This article examines the plans, logistics, and profitability of such a gargantuan venture in the context of real estate.
Image Source: ibtimes.com
In Dubai, the unwritten rule is: If it doesnât exist in its natural form, dig, scrape or shape it until you have an amusement park-style copycat of -- or improvement on -- the real thing.
Soon, that rule will apply to a large manmade lagoon that has the same clarity as a swimming pool: In other words, a lake that nature might have formed if it had a board of directors.
As Dubai has made the leap from desert backwater to glittering metropolis, the Persian Gulf emirate has accrued some of the most prodigious and over-the-top works of modern engineering on Earth. To lure outsiders to a seemingly uninhabitable swath of Arabian sand required creating desirable amenities from scratch, including comfortable climates, on a micro scale. Along the way, Dubai has elevated the concept of the artificial environment to a new level.
There have been complications in this remastering of nature, including staggering energy shortages and tourists swimming amid raw sewage, but Dubai remains undaunted in its quest to become one of the worldâs most cutting-edge luxury destinations.
The cityâs latest venture is a colossal, artificial lagoon, fed from brackish groundwater, that stretches across nearly 90 acres of desert. The huge water feature, which has a surface area equivalent to some 330 Olympic swimming pools, is the mainstay of a $7.1 billion development project in Mohammed Bin Rashid City, in the heart of Dubai, and, when complete, will be the largest manmade lagoon of its kind in the world. The first phase has been completed, and the full 90-acre project is expected to be done by 2020.
The company behind Dubaiâs latest indulgence is Chile-based Crystal Lagoons, whose artificial lagoons have cropped up across Latin America and the Middle East and have just begun to make their way into the U.S. market. The concept is that beachfront property can be created that includes the uncomplicated comfort of a massive swimming pool -- but with fewer chemical additives, on a scale that enables residents and tourists to enjoy water sports like kayaking and even sailing.
Not surprisingly, developers say the revenue potential is huge; promoting their projects is part of their job. But others in the industry say such carefully regulated manmade water features do hold the potential to be the next big thing in residential development, much as golf courses once were.
âDevelopers are getting more sophisticated in how to deploy this as a business tool,â Kevin Morgan, chief executive of Crystal Lagoonsâ U.S. subsidiary, Crystal Lagoons USA Inc., told International Business Times.Â
Crystal Lagoonsâ enormous water projects have made headlines before for their dramatic appearance. Since it completed its first large lagoon project in Chile 17 years ago, Crystal Lagoons has worked on dozens of similar projects and has hundreds more in various stages of development, including one for a planned community in Florida called Tradition Florida where groundwater will be used to fill the lagoon. The latest Crystal Lagoon opened this year at a resort in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
What it comes down to is âlocation, location, location,â Jennifer Languell, who owns Fort Myers, Florida-based Trifecta Construction Solutions, which does green and sustainable consulting work, told IBTimes. âYou have to have an amenity that attracts people. This type of amenity is so unique.â
Languell added that Crystal Lagoons âseems to have found an interesting niche, especially in the Middle East, where they donât have the beaches like we have.â
Morgan said Crystal Lagoons has completed more than 50 projects around the world, varying in size from a few acres to upwards of 30 acres. Its largest lagoon, before Dubaiâs is completed, is in Egypt.
While some developers are doubtful of the lagoonsâ ability to spur economic growth, others say they have the potential to draw clients to plots of land that would have otherwise remained undeveloped. Â
âItâs the same approach that was used back with golf courses,â said John Gerner, managing director of Leisure Business Advisors LLC in Richmond, Virginia. âBecause theyâre very scenic and unusual, you can use them as a selling tool.â Instead of green fairways, such developments offer crystal-clear water to an otherwise dry landscape, and, according to Gerner, people will pay a premium to live near a state-of-the-art water feature.
Golf courses, once a major draw for homeowners and developers to remote suburbs, are no longer the gold standard, as they were 20 years ago. In the U.S., because of the high costs of maintaining hundred-plus-acre golf courses, many are being chopped up and sold in pieces to luxury home builders.
âWater has a broader appeal than almost anything,â John Rymer, president of Rymer Strategies Real Estate Advisors in Tampa, Florida, told IBTimes. âWhat I think [Crystal Lagoons] has tapped into is the need to supercharge that water amenity and make it more desirable than just a standard lake.â
In other words, such lagoons are not simply large impoundments of water that can become muddy or otherwise unattractive to swimmers.
Thanks to talk of a Crystal Lagoon, Rymer said, some Florida developers are considering locations further from the beach that they might not have looked twice at before.
Morgan says the costs of these projects vary based on location and topography, but that the average cost per acre of Crystal Lagoons technology is between $200,000 and $300,000 USD. He said maintaining a Crystal Lagoon pond is cheaper than keeping up a golf course.
Part of the low cost, he said, involves the companyâs technology, which uses ultrasound to move all the sediments (and any accumulated trash) in the lagoons to the center, where they can be easily retrieved by mechanical means. The lagoons are monitored remotely from a single location and any needed changes in water composition can be made via remote telemetry, reducing the cost of having staff on the ground.
Whether people will flock to relatively sterile yet pretty lagoons remains to be seen. And there are environmental considerations, particularly in places like Florida where flooding or filling wetlands is closely regulated.
âItâs all how you manage the surrounding land that will determine the environmental burden,â Languell said. But, she said,âsustainability has to have an economic component.â
In Dubai, a manmade lagoon wonât likely have many detractors, and developers say itâs a safe bet that people will be attracted to a clean, clear lagoon in the otherwise urbanized and arid environment.
Nevadaâs premier pool builder and landscaper Desert Springs Pools and Spas can turn your backyard or rooftop space into a veritable oasis. For more discussions on home pool and spa building, subscribe to this blog.
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REPOST: How to Create Privacy for Pools
Demand Media's Kent Page McGroarty, writing for SFGate, offers a few suggestions on adding privacy to the landscapes near swimming pools.
Create a private sanctuary at your pool by using fencing around the pool perimeter. This not only keeps pool activities private from neighbors, it helps prevent unwanted neighbor pets or wild animals from getting into the pool area. A privacy structure also keeps children away from the pool when necessary. Choose from commercial and natural barriers to create a private oasis on your property.
Image source: sfgate.com
Plant shrubbery around the pool perimeter. Choose evergreen varieties, which are easy to maintain and provide a thick barrier between the pool area and the rest of your yard. Research wintergreen, boxwood, holly, laurel and nandina shrubs to find ones you like. All of these varieties drop very few leaves.
Erect a solid fence around your pool perimeter. Use wooden fence varieties for the most privacy, and hire a contractor to install the fencing, or do it yourself with the help of an assistant. Paint the fencing, if desired, or leave it bare. Look for fencing that will provide the most privacy, such as red cedar, white cedar and spruce dog-eared or scalloped board fences. Panel, panel-lattice and liberty-style fences are also good privacy fence options. Choose from pressure-treated and non-pressure-treated varieties. Also ensure your fencing choice meets your municipal and state fencing requirements, as California and other states have strict regulations concerning pool fencing. If you are unsure as to your state's pool fencing regulations, contact your local code enforcement office.
Plant tall ornamental grasses around your pool. Look for varieties suited for your region, such as San Diego sedge, California fescue, lavender, blue oat grass, deer grass and giant wild rye. Stagger the grasses or plant them in close proximity to one another to create a thick border.
Tip
Avoid flowering plant and shrub varieties to keep unwanted insects and mammals away from the pool area.
Allow family members to paint sections of a wooden fence to create an unusual fence feature around your pool.
Use large planters, fountains and large sculpture in between ornamental grasses or shrubs.
For more on pool design and landscaping, visit the Desert Spring Pools website.