A home on top of a hill with amazing lake views provide the perfect setting for a beautiful "mountain mine" inspired pool with multiple ways to interact with - this active family will never be bored! There is an antique ore cart and rail system that seems to appear from an old mine and gives the homeowner a unique iced-beverage cart. There are boulder steps that lead up to another "mine" entrance that is actually the entrance to the underground slide. This view shows the flagstone beach entry into the pool and the underground slide exit into the pool. In the background you can see the swim-through grotto and natural boulder waterfall with a 14' diving ledge. Hand cut native stone with boulders integrated into the stone retaining wall provides additional patio space with a fire pit above the pool. Landscape/Pool design and construction by Kelly Caviness and Caviness Landscape Design, Inc. Photography by KO Rinearson

Amanda Kirkpatrick Photography
Inspiration for a coastal concrete patio remodel in New York with a roof extension

The planning phase of this modern retreat was an intense collaboration that took place over the course of more than two years. While the initial design concept exceeded the clients' expectations, it also exceeded their budget beyond the point of comfort. The next several months were spent modifying the design, in attempts to lower the budget. Ultimately, the decision was made that they would hold off on the project until they could budget for the original design, rather than compromising the vision. About a year later, we repeated that same process, which resulted in the same outcome. After another year-long hiatus, we met once again. We revisited design thoughts, each of us bringing to the table new ideas and options. Each thought simply solidified the fact that the initial vision was absolutely what we all wanted to see come to fruition, and the decision was finally made to move forward. The main challenge of the site was elevation. The Southeast corner of the lot stands 5'6" above the threshold of the rear door, while the Northeast corner dropped a full 2' below the threshold of the door. The backyard was also long and narrow, sloping side-to-side and toward the house. The key to the design concept was to deftly place the project into the slope and utilize the elevation changes, without allowing them to dominate the yard, or overwhelm the senses. The unseen challenge on this project came in the form of hitting every underground issue possible. We had to relocate the sewer main, the gas line, and the electrical service; and since rock was sitting about 6" below the surface, all of these had to be chiseled through many feet of dense rock, adding to our projected timeline and budget. As you enter the space, your first stop is an outdoor living area. Smooth finished concrete, colored to match the 'Leuder' limestone coping, has a subtle saw-cut pattern aligned with the edges of the recessed fire pit. In small spaces, it is important to consider a multi-purpose approach. So, the recessed fire pit has been fitted with an aluminum cover that allows our client to set up tables and chairs for entertaining, right over the top of the fire pit. From here, it;s two steps up to the pool elevation, and the floating 'Leuder' limestone stepper pads that lead across the pool and hide the dam wall of the flush spa. The main retaining wall to the Southeast is a poured concrete wall with an integrated sheer descent waterfall into the spa. To bring in some depth and texture, a 'Brownstone' ledgestone was used to face both the dropped beam on the pool, and the raised beam of the water feature wall. The main water feature is comprised of five custom made stainless steel scuppers, supplied by a dedicated booster pump. Colored concrete stepper pads lead to the 'Ipe' wood deck at the far end of the pool. The placement of this wood deck allowed us to minimize our use of retaining walls on the Northeast end of the yard, since it drops off over three feet below the elevation of the pool beam. One of the most unique features on this project has to be the structure over the dining area. With a unique combination of steel and wood, the clean modern aesthetic of this structure creates a visual stamp in the space that standard structure could not accomplish. 4" steel posts, painted charcoal grey, are set on an angle, 4' into the bedrock, to anchor the structure. Steel I-beams painted in green-yellow color--aptly called "frolic"--act as the base to the hefty cedar rafters of the roof structure, which has a slight pitch toward the rear. A hidden gutter on the back of the roof sends water down a copper rain chain, and into the drainage system. The backdrop for both this dining area , as well as the living area, is the horizontal screen panel, created with alternating sizes of cedar planks, stained to a calm hue of dove grey.

Highland Custom Homes
Example of a transitional home gym design in Salt Lake City

Snow Creek Landscaping, LLC

Inspiration for a transitional landscaping in Boston.

This is an example of a mid-sized rustic screened-in back porch design in Atlanta with a roof extension.

Beautiful inground swimming pool with walk down steps. Save a trip to the beach and enjoy a nice relaxing drink by the pool. Underground pool installations are available for all of Queens, Long Island, Westchester and more all over New York. Learn more today! (718) 746 – 5005

Example of a large mountain style backyard stone patio design with a fire pit and a roof extension

Inspiration for a mid-sized timeless backyard patio remodel in Portland with decking

A very unique outdoor experience. The outdoor home theater system utilizes a surround sound system complete with underground sub woofers and under water speakers for an awesome movie or music experience. When the video isn't in use both the drop down motorized screen and the rear projector is hidden away leaving just the speakers to provide audiophile quality music above or below the water. The automation system also controls a water fountain directly above the motorized screen.

This is an example of a large contemporary landscaping in Ahmedabad.

Tuscan rectangular pool photo in Houston

Elizabeth Felicella Photography
Home bar - modern home bar idea in New York

Don Wong
Huge minimalist attached three-car garage photo in Minneapolis

Large trendy single-wall dark wood floor and brown floor seated home bar photo with no sink, flat-panel cabinets, dark wood cabinets, multicolored countertops and marble countertops

Charles Hilton Architects, Robert Benson Photography From grand estates, to exquisite country homes, to whole house renovations, the quality and attention to detail of a "Significant Homes" custom home is immediately apparent. Full time on-site supervision, a dedicated office staff and hand picked professional craftsmen are the team that take you from groundbreaking to occupancy. Every "Significant Homes" project represents 45 years of luxury homebuilding experience, and a commitment to quality widely recognized by architects, the press and, most of all....thoroughly satisfied homeowners. Our projects have been published in Architectural Digest 6 times along with many other publications and books. Though the lion share of our work has been in Fairfield and Westchester counties, we have built homes in Palm Beach, Aspen, Maine, Nantucket and Long Island.

Architect: David Kotzebue / Designer: MODtage Design / Photography: Paul Dyer
Hot tub - mid-sized contemporary backyard rectangular hot tub idea in San Francisco with decking and no cover

Inspiration for a contemporary rectangular hot tub remodel in San Francisco with decking