Tropical Lighting Get-Away

By Scott Cohen, The Green Scene

Before this Chatsworth, California project began, the home was purchased as a short sale that was seriously neglected. The homeowners hired The Green Scene with the expressed desire to turn the 5,000 square foot backyard into a pool paradise where the owners could entertain their children, family and friends. Taking a mere four months to complete, the level of transformation was nothing short of amazing.

The bar is a cast-in-place colored-concrete counter that was hand-seeded with recycled colored glass chips in various sizes. The contractor installed fiber-optic cables into the 12-foot long countertop to light up the glass chips at night (see detail photo on page 30). A seperate illuminator and cables down-light the adjacent cast-concrete bench. In the backdrop, a cluster of Giant Bird of Paradise, Queen Palms and Tropicanna Canna were up-lit using Lightcraft brass 35-watt halogen up-lights and bi-pin 20-watt halogens with mirrored backdrop spread lights. The Ficus ?EUR??,,????'??Green Jem?EUR??,,????'?? specimen is ?EUR??,,????'??Moonlit?EUR??,,????'?? from above using two fixtures placed high in the tree and pointed down through the branches.

Once finished, the gorgeous tropical-style swimming pool area included a spa that cascades into the swimming pool, a faux-wood concrete bridge that crosses over a waterslide, a climbing wall, beach entry, an outdoor kitchen, an outdoor bar with cast-in place concrete countertop with embedded glass and fiber-optic lighting. A nearby fire pit was filled with colored glass, surrounded by a seat bench and a bocce ball court.

The lights in the rockwork at the back are low-voltage brass step lights with 18-watt automotive taillight bulbs. The contractor cast and carved concrete around the lighting housings to look like as if they were built into the rock. During the day, there are no visible fixtures; at night only the lighting effect is evident. The pool?EUR??,,????'???s rock structures were custom made by Green Scene masons. Workers started with a steel cage, over which they sprayed gunite. Then they hand carved the concrete and then stamped it vertically with texture stamps taken from real boulders.

The Landscape
To turn the backyard into a tropical wonderland, the contractor planted a wide-range of popular tropical plants, including Bird of Paradise, Pigmy Date Palms, Queen Palms, Tropicanna Canna and a Ficus ?EUR??,,????'??Green Jem.?EUR??,,????'?? To create a mature-looking landscape, the contractor chose fully-grown plant material. The company used a crane to lower in the larger palms, ranging all the way up to a 36-inch box palm. The contractor dug the planting holes 50-percent larger than the box size and then amended the soil.

The fire feature is gas-fed and a series of stainless steel gas rings are stacked for big fire when needed. Polished concrete and the glass cap were under-lit with fiber-optic cables. According to the contractor, step-by-step construction photos are included in their recently published ?EUR??,,????'??Outdoor Fireplaces and Fire-Pits?EUR??,,????'?? book.

The Hardscape
To create a resort-like feel, the company installed Arizona Flagstone and stamped natural gray concrete designed to mimic stone. Workers applied a heavy texture matting with gray and brown release agents to further the look. After the concrete had cured 28 days, the hardscape crew applied acid chemical stains in patinas, amber and tan. As a final touch, they splattered the concrete with white, gray and black mini-droplets of paint to enhance the look.

The Pool
The Green Scene is known for many things, and one of them is their creative pool designs and installations. The firm is a licensed landscape, pool and general contractor, allowing them to handle all aspects of any given project. Workers used more than 110 tons of gunite to construct the pool itself. No less than seven Jandy-brand pumps run the pool system, including one for the main pool filtration, and two more for hydro-therapy in spa #3 that also provide pumping for the over-spa waterfall. Another pump runs the foot jets and bench jets in spa #5. Additional pumps were used for the slide flume, slide waterfalls and one for the mist system. The mist system itself features 50 misters built into the slide, waterfalls, rockwork, palapa and adjacent trees and plant material.

The Green Scene created the pool?EUR??,,????'???s rock structures in-house. Workers spayed gunite over a steel cage to create the rock-like structure. The crew hand carved the concrete and then stamped it with texture stamps molded from real boulders. To create the simulated rock look exterior, they used rubber stamps with stone texture. According to the contractor, creating the hand carved concrete faux boulders took the most time. ?EUR??,,????'??Submersible color changing lights are becoming very popular in my swimming pool projects,?EUR??,,????'?? said The Green Scene?EUR??,,????'???s Scott Cohen. ?EUR??,,????'??The lights can be set in any one of 16 different colors or placed in preset themes that rotate color or just alternate from red, to white, to blue for your next 4th of July party!?EUR??,,????'?? After a four-month production, The Green Scene transformed a dilapidated backyard into an environment as good as any 4-star tropical resort.

Workers installed three 840-watt stainless steel transformers in the backyard that allow for switch-controlling the different zones in the garden, poolside, Bocce court and dining area. Overall, workers installed more than 1,500 feet of 12/2 twisted pair wire. On the far left is a Pigmy Date Palm, in the middle is a Queen Palm, and backdrop of pool is Giant Bird of Paradise. The contractor hauled the 30-year-old giant bird clump off of a client?EUR??,,????'???s property as part of the yard renovation. The hardscape is a combination of Arizona Flagstone and stamped natural gray concrete designed to mimic stone.