Elite Landscaping created what they call an "easy-to-get-to vacation" for this weekend home in Red Hook, N.Y. The pool, a hidden oasis on the hill behind the house, has three sections: the lower pool, the upper pool, and the shallow underwater lounging patio. Elite Landscaping also completed the entryway, stone paths, two patios, rock waterfall and vanishing edge waterfall.

The Elite Landscaping team made use of readily available materials to make the site look as natural as possible, including bluestone flagging, fieldstone, and indigenous rock. The pool was carved into a natural rock formation, and boulders from the site were used as accents on the waterfall ledge. The pool surface finish is aggregate Pebbletec Pebble Fina.

The vanishing edge waterfall integrates the three pool areas with each other and with the natural surroundings. The waterfall wall was made from fieldstone. A total of three Pentair pumps were used on the pool: two variable speed and one automatic. The pool is heated with a MasterTemp 400,000 BTU propane heater.

The design team worked to make the water features appear as if they had always been there, including using natural stone for the 8' boulder waterfall, which can produce a maximum of 300 gallons per minute. The stones around the boulder were on-site from the construction, and strategically placed to appear as natural as possible. Though it appears to simply spring from the boulder and fall naturally into the pool, the water is treated using an Intellichlor salt water chlorine generator.

Now in its thirtieth year, Elite Landscaping is a full service design/build firm that specializes in residential projects within 80 miles of their Poughkeepsie, N.Y. headquarters. The owners of this weekend home in Red Hook, N.Y., were looking to create an easy-to-get-to backyard vacation space that could accommodate family functions while blending in with the surrounding environment. They originally had the pool placed at the bottom of the hill, behind an existing barn. Elite Landscaping visualized a hidden oasis uphill from the barn, reasonably close to the house proper, but far enough away to be a spectacular escape nestled amongst the natural rock outcroppings and trees.

The Process
Elite Landscaping was involved every step of the way, with anywhere from two to eight staff members on-site at any given time. When pitching ideas to homeowners, they will often map out their vision on the property – even if it means trekking up a slope to no man's land, as was the case for this project. After contracts were signed, Elite Landscaping got to work carving out the pool, which took about a week. Though they subbed out the rock hammer, a designer and project manager were on site at all times to oversee the work.

After the pool was carved into the rock, Elite Landscaping prepared the pool for installation. Outside companies were hired to shoot the shotcrete and to plaster the pool, again with a designer and project manager overseeing the work. Elite Landscaping performed the rest of the work on their own, using Bobcat skid loaders, track excavators, and other equipment to install the hydraulics, waterfalls and waterfall walls, patios, tile, coping, lighting, plants, fence, and surround sound music system.

The two patios by the pool are paved with irregular bluestone pavers. The intent was to make the designed space look like a natural part of the landscape, so readily available materials such as bluestone, fieldstone and indigenous rocks were used. Astilbe sedum ferns, plumbago, Andromeda bayberry, and other perennials and shrubs were planted around the pool and paths to keep an open, natural look. Fencing is woven throughout the trees at a distance from the pool, hidden in the natural growth.

To keep the plant materials and landscape in sync with the existing trees, Elite Landscaping planted astilbe sedum ferns, Andromeda bayberry and plumbago, as well as other ground cover and perennial plants. They used all Kichler line voltage lights throughout the area, including arts and crafts style path lights. Both of the patios and all of the coping are irregular bluestone.

The free-form curvilinear pool uses three underwater IntelliBrite color-changing lights. A deep end therapy bench has eight Waterways jets at its bucket seats. In addition to the landscape work, Elite Landscaping installed audio systems for surround music. A Screen Logic Internet remote interface can control the pool functions (lighting, waterfalls, heat, jets, circulation and chlorination), landscape lighting, and audio system from any desktop computer or mobile device.

The Pool
The pool was carved out of a rock formation on the hillside adjacent to the house, and includes three distinct areas: an upper pool, lower pool, and shallow underwater lounging patio with bluestone finish, connected to the upper pool. The upper and lower pools are split by a vanishing edge waterfall with an overflow capacity of 80-330 gallons per minute. An 8' natural boulder waterfall at the far side of the curvilinear pool, surrounded by more natural stone, flows water treated by an Intellichlor salt water chlorine generator into the pool. There are three IntelliBrite color-changing lights underwater. All of the pool equipment is manufactured by Pentair.

A WhisperFlo pump pulls water through two Bermuda Skimmers and one Paramount debris canister, then pushes it through a Clean & Clear cartridge filter. After filtration, the heater can either be bypassed, or the water can be heated with a MasterTemp 400,000 BTU propane heater. The heater is only bypassed during intense chemical treatments, so as to protect the heater elements. The water then leaves the heater to go through a check valve (for chemical protection) before it reaches the salt water chlorine generator. After chlorination, the water returns to seven return inlets around the perimeter of the pool. With the press of a button, an electronic actuator valve diverts the return water from the return inlets, sending it to the eight therapy jets built into a bench on the far side of the pool.

One IntelliFlo variable speed pump pulls water through a second debris canister in the basin and pushes the water through another cartridge filter before returning to three return inlets around the perimeter of the basin. With automatic controls and pump speed increases, this same pump can pull a larger volume of water from the basin and return it to either the 8' natural boulder waterfall or a manifold built into the side of the main pool. This means the spillway can run with or without the natural waterfall.

Another variable speed pump pulls water from a 3" manifold built into the side of the basin wall and returns to it to either the 8' natural boulder waterfall or a manifold built into the side of the main pool.

Additionally, a Screen Logic Internet remote interface allows control of the pool and Kichler lighting features from a desktop computer or mobile device from anywhere in the world.

The Unique Circumstances
Being on top of a hill made the site difficult to access and created a challenge for the project overall. Due to the accessibility challenges, it took a week to hammer out the rock to carve the pool. One of the company's missions is to never remove any usable material from a client's property: instead, the broken-out rock was used aesthetically around the pool and waterfalls as well as to create berms and grades. Elite Landscaping created a new space from existing materials.

The project broke ground in March 2012, and the homeowners were able to enjoy the pool in time for the Fourth of July holiday. The project was fully finished by the end of August 2012, taking less than six months to complete.