The swimming pool at this residence in Tarzana, Calif., was remodeled by Green Scene Landscaping and Pools, which added a vanishing edge spillway and a tiled spa at one end. To build the fire bowls flanking the pool, the contractors started with precast concrete bowls that were then lined with refractory fireclay. Stainless steel gas rings from Hearth Products Controls Co. and lava rock complete their construction. Their columns are built of block, veneered with honey ledge stone and capped with cast-in-place concrete. The same stone was used on the front of the 30-inch-high spillway. Mosaic tiles were installed on its top and bottom edges. The flooring throughout the project is a mixture of Sweetwater flagstone and stamped, textured and colored concrete. Raised concrete pads across the shallow pool adjacent to the spillway lead to the lower seating area.

Scott Cohen is the author of nine books about landscaping; has been featured on many national television shows including "Cool Pools," and "Get Out, Way Out!" on HGTV; does professional seminars, training sessions and speaking engagements; and as a certified Expert Witness and Industry Expert with the California Contractors State License Board, regularly serves as a mediator and testifies in cases of alleged outdoor construction defects; yet still finds time to be very hands-on with his landscape company's projects.

Case in point is this backyard remodel in Tarzana, Calif. Over the course of six months plus, Cohen's direct involvement in the design and build helped turn a lacking landscape into a rich backyard retreat with multiple tiers.

He and his crew from Green Scene Landscaping and Pools were greeted by the sight of concrete patios, a rectangular pool with no spa, an area of grass with a play set, and a run-of-the-mill bar and cooking counter with a small grill.

The homeowner had been a fan of Cohen's work on HGTV for a decade and looked forward to the opportunity to work with his company. After designing the remodel and receiving the go-ahead, demolishing the old kicked off the build.

A Fortuitous Find
A little research revealed that the wrought iron fence at the rear of the property was shy of the property line, and with the HOA's permission, the fence was moved downslope another 16 feet.

"It opened up the views completely and gave us the opportunity to convert their old rectangular pool into a vanishing edge pool," states Cohen.

To do so, Green Scene worked closely with structural engineer Todd Lacher from Pool Engineering Inc. The team was able to keep part of the pool shell while adding the support structure for the new elements, which besides the spillway, included a lower pool with adjacent seating area in the middle of it, a Baja shelf with integrated fountain on one end of the pool and a raised spa on the other end.

Green Scene installed a tiled Baja shelf in the end opposite the spa. They included a shower of diamonds fountain nozzle from Fountains for Pools. The nozzle produces a three-tiered spinning pattern but lies flush with the pool shell when not in use.

 

Due to HOA restrictions, the outdoor fireplace was custom designed to keep its height below eight feet. It is built from honey ledge stone and cast-in-place concrete caps. The plant bowls on the fireplace were pre-plumbed with a Toro built-in drip system and drain and then secured in place. Designed to burn wood, the firebox was constructed out of concrete. The flooring is stamped concrete with stone texture mattes. All of the furniture was selected by the homeowner.

Sweetwater flagstone and concrete that was stamped, textured and colored replaced the old pool deck and patios. Green Scene relied on a number of sub-contractors to assist with the Gunite, steel, plumbing, and electrical

Some Fire with that Water
The upgrade didn't stop with the water features. A fireplace was custom-built where the play set used to sit. It was constructed of honey ledge stone. Cast-in-place concrete was used for the hearth, mantle and caps. The firebox was made from concrete and built to burn wood. The new cooking and serving counters have cast-in-place concrete countertops hand-seeded with glass chips. Fiber optic cables were fed through the bottom of the counters and attached to individual pieces of glass, which presents quite a sight at night. To finish off their distinctive look, the countertops were ground and polished resulting in a glass-smooth gloss.

The new cooking area consists of a back counter for the appliances and a split-level serve counter with built-in umbrella stands. The counters are constructed of cinderblock with concrete footings. The cells of the blocks are grouted solid with steel and concrete. Both counters have a cast-in-place concrete top with embedded glass chips.

The outdoor kitchen has a tiled backsplash and stainless steel appliances from Viking that include a 48-inch grill, side burner, warming drawer, refrigerator and icemaker. To introduce stone that matches the pool and the fireplace, Cohen built two light columns with cast concrete caps. The lanterns are from Lightcraft.

The new raised spa spills into the pool. The crew tiled it with the same mosaic tile used throughout the project. Its built-in tiled cocktail table sits right at the waterline.

The upper and lower pools each have their own filter and circulation pump. Jandy by Zodiac was the choice for pool equipment, along with an Ozonator water purification system. The Koi are actually Hawaiian-crafted porcelain pieces that are tiled to the floor.

"These are the types of artistic touches that clients are looking for to make their yards different from everyone else's," Cohen says.

For that reason, he doesn't like to install tile countertops anymore. And for another reason, delamination, granite countertops are not favored. This is further explored in "Outdoor Kitchen Design Wookbook," which is distributed through Amazon as are all his books.

The appliances are from Viking. The custom backsplash is decorated with mosaic tile. On either side of the backsplash, the three to five person crew built a column from the same stone as the fireplace and topped it with a Lightcraft Lantern.

On either side of the pool, they added a similar column topped with a fire feature, which was assembled from a precast concrete bowl, refractory fireclay, stainless steel gas rings from Hearth Products Controls, and lava rock.

Elements In Sync
This all brought about a multi-tiered stone and tile backyard retreat with upper seating and dining areas and spa, a center area with cooking facilities, fire features, vanishing edge pool and fountain, and a lower pool, which has porcelain Koi tiled to the bottom and raised concrete pads that allow the homeowners and guests to walk across water to a lounge area and enjoy the waterfall wall, including its soothing sound.

"One thing we forget about with water features is how important sound is," reminds Cohen. "It plays a major role in how it's enjoyed in the yard."

And as evidenced by the final sights and sounds of this project, a well-crafted landscape makes the entire yard enjoyable.