Verdant Custom Outdoors: An Artisan's Approach to Construction

At the Pattingill Residence, red colored concrete along with black river pebbles were used for the hardscape area. The pebbles were mesh-mounted and therefore easy to install. The orange Venetian plaster in the hardscape was actually installed by the owner, (who happened to run a company that does high end finishing). Litestone concrete was used for the pool exterior. The ?EUR??,,????'?????<

Verdant Custom Outdoors is a custom design-build pool and landscape construction firm. Under the umbrella of Lowry Companies Incorporated, they have been installing custom residential landscapes in San Diego County for over twenty years. The firm is managed and directed by President Keith Lowry, a licensed pool, landscape and general contractor in the state of California.

A member of the California Landscape Contractors Association (CLCA), American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), and the Association of Pool and Spa Professionals (APSP) to name a few, they approach landscape construction with an enthusiasm for things well made and long lasting.

Project

The Pattengill Residence, located in Kensington?EUR??,,????'?????<

The rear garden included a pool and spa, with red concrete installed on the hardscape areas. In addition, orange Venetian plaster was also used along with cobalt blue pool tile.

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The front entry and courtyard uses vibrant colors in the planting and landscape to give the look of a traditional Spanish casa. The custom mosaic was designed by the owner, who cut all the mosaic pieces using a traditional Italian style glass. The pieces were then flipped over and installed by the construction crew.

Challenges

The lot was narrow and small. The back yard originally had a basic lawn and dated plantings. In order to fit the spa and pool while still having space for an entertainment area, Verdant located the pool directly abutting the existing detached garage with a new stone-veneered wall as a backdrop.

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The crew also had a special engineering challenges in constructing the pool, as it was directly adjacent to the garage.

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The clients were concerned about privacy from a second story addition being built next door, so three types of bamboo were used to screen the pool area.

Tools

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Earth Moving

About 70 cubic yards of dirt were removed in excavating the pool.

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The swimming pool is quite small, with dimensions of 10 x 25 feet. Situated next to an existing garage that had to be stabilized before pool construction could move forward, the crew built a special scaffold to traverse the empty bowl. Throughout the construction process, the crew had to work around existing king palms (at left). Protective carpet was wrapped around their trunks to prevent scaring from Bobcats or wheelbarrows. The blue box hanging on the tree is an electronic time clock system Verdant employees use to track their hours. ?EUR??,,????'?????<

Site Specs

Completed in December of 2006, the total project size was just over 1500 square ft. The total budget for the project was about $160 thousand, with $115 thousand going towards the pool and another $44 thousand for the landscape/hardscacpe.

Plant Materials

Plants for this project were selected primarily for their unique foliage color in order to hold their own against the colors used in the hardscape. Black Ginger, ?EUR??,,????'?????<

Company Profile

Company President Keith Lowry has worked in the landscape industry since 1984. He established the Lowry Company in the fall of 1987, which later evolved into Verdant Custom Outdoors. Keith?EUR??,,????'?????<

Kate Wiseman, the in-house Landscape Designer, has been with Verdant for five years. She has a Bachelor?EUR??,,????'?????<

The company employs a crew of 15. ?EUR??,,????'?????<

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The company started in landscape maintenance, but now only work in high-end custom residential. ?EUR??,,????'?????<

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The construction team built the wall at the rear of the pool with arches made of pre-cast concrete. They then installed granite pieces and over-grouted the stone. ?EUR??,,????'?????<