We are a Houston based company with 20 years of swimming pool building experience. With Signature Pools, building your vision of a “dream pool” can become a reality. A custom pool is more than just a place to swim. Your pool can be built to accommodate a visual pallet for backyard entertaining, a play pool for kids of all ages, or a tranquil escape made for relaxing. Allowing Signature Pools of Texas to upgrade, create, or renovate your backyard pool opens the door to many possibilities.

After - Blending contemporary forms and lush plantings, this Garden maximizes the sensory experience of the materials and planting from inside and outside the home. The garden occupies an interior courtyard framed by four interior walls. The home, designed by Architect Cliff May was built in 1948 and the following year was featured in House Beautiful Magazine. The clients list of needs and desires was brief. They wanted a space that would complement the mid century modern home and provide visual interest from inside the home. Some form of water was also requested. They had a budget of $30,000. In order to stay within their budget the clients performed the demolition of the old garden. The designer’s intent was to create a garden that would possess a clear sculptural quality and would be as visually striking from inside the home as it would be from inside the courtyard. The strategy behind the design was to use hardscape materials characterized by simple geometric forms and a planting palette that would emphasize form over color, and then to arrange the materials to achieve an interpretation of modern aesthetic. The views from inside the homes three main living rooms present the garden as a graphic composition of space, hardscape materials and planting. Inside the courtyard the edges are defined by stone and planting. The floor is composed of rectangular slabs of Teakwood flagstone with a counterpoint of Mexican beach pebbles set within the joints and around the edges. Concrete along the edges of the Teakwood pads reduces migration of the modified stone and sand base. The contrast of the Mexican beach pebbles accentuates the pattern of the flagstone. The outside perimeter of the pebbles is contained with low profile edging. An existing catch drain was utilized for storm water runoff. A concrete block pier set on a concrete footing is covered with black stucco and provides a perch for a custom made copper bowl that circulates water into the L shaped water feature. The water features subterranean basin is constructed of pressure treated wood with a custom box liner insert. Since the Teakwood flagstone was unavailable as coping for the water feature, the designer chose Shawnee Buff stone to complement the Teakwood flagstone. The subtle sound of water spilling from the copper bowl and the reflective qualities of the water help to create an atmosphere of relaxation. The planting is composed of shades of green with white flowers in order to accentuate the graphic design. ‘Justin Brouwer’ Boxwood, ‘Sum and Substance’ Hosta, white Anemones, black bamboo and ornamental grasses contrast dramatically with the clean lines of the hardscape elements. The black bamboo is set in 30” diameter concrete containers to control the vigorous plant from spreading. The construction of the interior courtyard space challenged the building team. They set up baffles between the front door and the door to the courtyard as well as temporary protection over the floor to allow the process to move forward without too much disturbance to the client’s lives. All of the materials were shuffled through the temporary portal. The clients love the space and recently said that “the design is so well thought out and simple that they would never get tired of it.” The designs sculptural quality compliments the modern feel of the home and creates a sublime yet dramatic view from within the house or within the courtyard. The clients plan to purchase two black Bertoia Diamond chairs with red cushions which should perfectly integrate with the space.

Inspiration for a mediterranean home office remodel in Dallas

Inspiration for a contemporary bedroom remodel in Chicago

Mid-sized minimalist 3/4 blue tile and ceramic tile cement tile floor and gray floor corner shower photo in San Francisco with white walls, a hinged shower door and a niche

Paul Kiefer / Specialty Gardens LLC
This is an example of a small traditional full sun courtyard garden path in Grand Rapids for summer.

Greenport Passive House Exterior. Photos by Liz Glasgow.
Inspiration for a mid-sized modern gray two-story wood house exterior remodel in New York with a metal roof

Open and closed shelving provides plenty of space to display and store your belongings.
Study room - mid-sized modern built-in desk medium tone wood floor study room idea in New York with white walls

Inspiration for a mid-sized contemporary wood wall foyer remodel in Denver

This unique project has heavy Asian influences due to the owner’s strong connection to Indonesia, along with a Mountain West flare creating a unique and rustic contemporary composition. This mountain contemporary residence is tucked into a mature ponderosa forest in the beautiful high desert of Flagstaff, Arizona. The site was instrumental on the development of our form and structure in early design. The 60 to 100 foot towering ponderosas on the site heavily impacted the location and form of the structure. The Asian influence combined with the vertical forms of the existing ponderosa forest led to the Flagstaff House trending towards a horizontal theme.

Mountain style cable railing deck photo in Boston with no cover

Photo credit: Scott McDonald @ Hedrich Blessing 7RR-Ecohome: The design objective was to build a house for a couple recently married who both had kids from previous marriages. How to bridge two families together? The design looks forward in terms of how people live today. The home is an experiment in transparency and solid form; removing borders and edges from outside to inside the house, and to really depict “flowing and endless space”. The house floor plan is derived by pushing and pulling the house’s form to maximize the backyard and minimize the public front yard while welcoming the sun in key rooms by rotating the house 45-degrees to true north. The angular form of the house is a result of the family’s program, the zoning rules, the lot’s attributes, and the sun’s path. We wanted to construct a house that is smart and efficient in terms of construction and energy, both in terms of the building and the user. We could tell a story of how the house is built in terms of the constructability, structure and enclosure, with a nod to Japanese wood construction in the method in which the siding is installed and the exposed interior beams are placed in the double height space. We engineered the house to be smart which not only looks modern but acts modern; every aspect of user control is simplified to a digital touch button, whether lights, shades, blinds, HVAC, communication, audio, video, or security. We developed a planning module based on a 6-foot square room size and a 6-foot wide connector called an interstitial space for hallways, bathrooms, stairs and mechanical, which keeps the rooms pure and uncluttered. The house is 6,200 SF of livable space, plus garage and basement gallery for a total of 9,200 SF. A large formal foyer celebrates the entry and opens up to the living, dining, kitchen and family rooms all focused on the rear garden. The east side of the second floor is the Master wing and a center bridge connects it to the kid’s wing on the west. Second floor terraces and sunscreens provide views and shade in this suburban setting. The playful mathematical grid of the house in the x, y and z axis also extends into the layout of the trees and hard-scapes, all centered on a suburban one-acre lot. Many green attributes were designed into the home; Ipe wood sunscreens and window shades block out unwanted solar gain in summer, but allow winter sun in. Patio door and operable windows provide ample opportunity for natural ventilation throughout the open floor plan. Minimal windows on east and west sides to reduce heat loss in winter and unwanted gains in summer. Open floor plan and large window expanse reduces lighting demands and maximizes available daylight. Skylights provide natural light to the basement rooms. Durable, low-maintenance exterior materials include stone, ipe wood siding and decking, and concrete roof pavers. Design is based on a 2' planning grid to minimize construction waste. Basement foundation walls and slab are highly insulated. FSC-certified walnut wood flooring was used. Light colored concrete roof pavers to reduce cooling loads by as much as 15%. 2x6 framing allows for more insulation and energy savings. Super efficient windows have low-E argon gas filled units, and thermally insulated aluminum frames. Permeable brick and stone pavers reduce the site’s storm-water runoff. Countertops use recycled composite materials. Energy-Star rated furnaces and smart thermostats are located throughout the house to minimize duct runs and avoid energy loss. Energy-Star rated boiler that heats up both radiant floors and domestic hot water. Low-flow toilets and plumbing fixtures are used to conserve water usage. No VOC finish options and direct venting fireplaces maintain a high interior air quality. Smart home system controls lighting, HVAC, and shades to better manage energy use. Plumbing runs through interior walls reducing possibilities of heat loss and freezing problems. A large food pantry was placed next to kitchen to reduce trips to the grocery store. Home office reduces need for automobile transit and associated CO2 footprint. Plan allows for aging in place, with guest suite than can become the master suite, with no need to move as family members mature.

Bathroom - 1950s bathroom idea in San Francisco

This modern green home offers both a vacation destination on Cape Cod near local family members and an opportunity for rental income. FAMILY ROOTS. A West Coast couple living in the San Francisco Bay Area sought a permanent East Coast vacation home near family members living on Cape Cod. As academic professionals focused on sustainability, they sought a green, energy efficient home that was well-aligned with their values. With no green homes available for sale on Cape Cod, they decided to purchase land near their family and build their own. SLOPED SITE. Comprised of a 3/4 acre lot nestled in the pines, the steeply sloping terrain called for a plan that embraced and took advantage of the slope. Of equal priority was optimizing solar exposure, preserving privacy from abutters, and creating outdoor living space. The design accomplished these goals with a simple, rectilinear form, offering living space on the both entry and lower/basement levels. The stepped foundation allows for a walk-out basement level with light-filled living space on the down-hill side of the home. The traditional basement on the eastern, up-hill side houses mechanical equipment and a home gym. The house welcomes natural light throughout, captures views of the forest, and delivers entertainment space that connects indoor living space to outdoor deck and dining patio. MODERN VISION. The clean building form and uncomplicated finishes pay homage to the modern architectural legacy on the outer Cape. Durable and economical fiber cement panels, fixed with aluminum channels, clad the primary form. Cedar clapboards provide a visual accent at the south-facing living room, which extends a single roof plane to cover the entry porch. SMART USE OF SPACE. On the entry level, the “L”-shaped living, dining, and kitchen space connects to the exterior living, dining, and grilling spaces to effectively double the home’s summertime entertainment area. Placed at the western end of the entry level (where it can retain privacy but still claim expansive downhill views) is the master suite with a built-in study. The lower level has two guest bedrooms, a second full bathroom, and laundry. The flexibility of the space—crucial in a house with a modest footprint—emerges in one of the guest bedrooms, which doubles as home office by opening the barn-style double doors to connect it to the bright, airy open stair leading up to the entry level. Thoughtful design, generous ceiling heights and large windows transform the modest 1,100 sf* footprint into a well-lit, spacious home. *(total finished space is 1800 sf) RENTAL INCOME. The property works for its owners by netting rental income when the owners are home in San Francisco. The house especially caters to vacationers bound for nearby Mayo Beach and includes an outdoor shower adjacent to the lower level entry door. In contrast to the bare bones cottages that are typically available on the Cape, this home offers prospective tenants a modern aesthetic, paired with luxurious and green features. Durable finishes inside and out will ensure longevity with the heavier use that comes with a rental property. COMFORT YEAR-ROUND. The home is super-insulated and air-tight, with mechanical ventilation to provide continuous fresh air from the outside. High performance triple-paned windows complement the building enclosure and maximize passive solar gain while ensuring a warm, draft-free winter, even when sitting close to the glass. A properly sized air source heat pump offers efficient heating & cooling, and includes a carefully designed the duct distribution system to provide even comfort throughout the house. The super-insulated envelope allows us to significantly reduce the equipment capacity, duct size, and airflow quantities, while maintaining unparalleled thermal comfort. ENERGY EFFICIENT. The building’s shell and mechanical systems play instrumental roles in the home’s exceptional performance. The building enclosure reduces the most significant energy glutton: heating. Continuous super-insulation, thorough air sealing, triple-pane windows, and passive solar gain work together to yield a miniscule heating load. All active energy consumers are extremely efficient: an air source heat pump for heating and cooling, a heat pump hot water heater, LED lighting, energy recovery ventilation (ERV), and high efficiency appliances. The result is a home that uses 70% less energy than a similar new home built to code requirements. OVERALL. The home embodies the owners’ goals and values while comprehensively enabling thermal comfort, energy efficiency, a vacation respite, and supplementary income. PROJECT TEAM ZeroEnergy Design - Architect & Mechanical Designer A.F. Hultin & Co. - Contractor Pamet Valley Landscape Design - Landscape & Masonry Lisa Finch - Original Artwork European Architectural Supply - Windows Eric Roth Photography - Photography

Designed by Malia Schultheis and built by Tru Form Tiny. This Tiny Home features Blue stained pine for the ceiling, pine wall boards in white, custom barn door, custom steel work throughout, and modern minimalist window trim. The Cabinetry is Maple with stainless steel countertop and hardware. The backsplash is a glass and stone mix. It only has a 2 burner cook top and no oven. The washer/ drier combo is in the kitchen area. Open shelving was installed to maintain an open feel.

Atherton has many large substantial homes - our clients purchased an existing home on a one acre flag-shaped lot and asked us to design a new dream home for them. The result is a new 7,000 square foot four-building complex consisting of the main house, six-car garage with two car lifts, pool house with a full one bedroom residence inside, and a separate home office /work out gym studio building. A fifty-foot swimming pool was also created with fully landscaped yards. Given the rectangular shape of the lot, it was decided to angle the house to incoming visitors slightly so as to more dramatically present itself. The house became a classic u-shaped home but Feng Shui design principals were employed directing the placement of the pool house to better contain the energy flow on the site. The main house entry door is then aligned with a special Japanese red maple at the end of a long visual axis at the rear of the site. These angles and alignments set up everything else about the house design and layout, and views from various rooms allow you to see into virtually every space tracking movements of others in the home. The residence is simply divided into two wings of public use, kitchen and family room, and the other wing of bedrooms, connected by the living and dining great room. Function drove the exterior form of windows and solid walls with a line of clerestory windows which bring light into the middle of the large home. Extensive sun shadow studies with 3D tree modeling led to the unorthodox placement of the pool to the north of the home, but tree shadow tracking showed this to be the sunniest area during the entire year. Sustainable measures included a full 7.1kW solar photovoltaic array technically making the house off the grid, and arranged so that no panels are visible from the property. A large 16,000 gallon rainwater catchment system consisting of tanks buried below grade was installed. The home is California GreenPoint rated and also features sealed roof soffits and a sealed crawlspace without the usual venting. A whole house computer automation system with server room was installed as well. Heating and cooling utilize hot water radiant heated concrete and wood floors supplemented by heat pump generated heating and cooling. A compound of buildings created to form balanced relationships between each other, this home is about circulation, light and a balance of form and function. Photo by Philip Liang Photography.

Open concept kitchen - large contemporary u-shaped open concept kitchen idea in San Francisco with an undermount sink, flat-panel cabinets, gray cabinets, marble countertops, brown backsplash, wood backsplash, stainless steel appliances and an island

This unique project has heavy Asian influences due to the owner’s strong connection to Indonesia, along with a Mountain West flare creating a unique and rustic contemporary composition. This mountain contemporary residence is tucked into a mature ponderosa forest in the beautiful high desert of Flagstaff, Arizona. The site was instrumental on the development of our form and structure in early design. The 60 to 100 foot towering ponderosas on the site heavily impacted the location and form of the structure. The Asian influence combined with the vertical forms of the existing ponderosa forest led to the Flagstaff House trending towards a horizontal theme.

A vibrant meadow filled with California native foliage provides a beautiful view from the home. Can you see the retaining wall? An abundance of tree canopy, the only pre-existing foliage, cools both the home and garden.