The Mark of Excellence
for over 30 Years.
301-948-6625
Our client in Potomac, MD wanted to reward himself after the recent sale of his company. In lieu of a fancy car or a gold Rolex, he desired to have a backyard landscape designed for entertaining that would knock his guests off their feet.
Despite facing obstacles big and small along the way, we helped him accomplish his goal with a luxurious in-ground pool as the focal point of this one-of-a-kind Potomac landscape.
When we began this in-ground pool and landscape design project, the client’s wish list included:
He was willing to pay for what he wanted and did not want to hear ‘no’ for an answer. We were up to this challenge, but we soon found that this project was about more than a list of desires. Despite facing every setback imaginable, it resulted in a beautiful in-ground pool, resort-style patio spaces, and a client that indeed got everything he wanted and more.
After receiving all appropriate county approvals on our first design, we started to prepare to dig for the in-ground pool. It was then that problems with the plat became apparent. More specifically, the registered plat showed the house in the wrong location and failed to show a 42-inch gas main easement that cut 25 feet into the property.
While clearing trees 60-years-old and over out to make way for the in-ground pool, an inspector stopped by the house and notified us that a gas easement actually passed right through just as we were about to begin digging. Even Miss Utility had failed to mark the gas line! If he had not stopped by that day, we would have come very close to hitting it.
We halted the project and went back to the drawing board—or as we now know it, the computer. Our landscapers completed a massive redesign in a week and permitting was finished the following week. At this point, we were sure that nothing else could go wrong.
We started digging the pool in its new location, only to find an old septic field for the house that was demolished to build this home. We halted the project again to properly abandon the septic field and get all the county approvals we needed to proceed.
Finally, we started to dig once again—only to realize that the area was once filled some 60 years prior when a utility line was installed. So we had to dig down an extra six feet below the deep end of the pool to find stable soil to build up from. This required hauling away 12 extra loads of soil and importing the same in crushed gravel. All the material had to come in and out of the property through a specially granted 8-foot-wide easement.
Besides all this, the project went off without a hitch!
If you want an in-ground pool with patio spaces, a fireplace, and more, like the one we built for our clients in Potomac, we can customize the design for you to reflect your sense of style and blend in with the surrounding landscape. Call us at 301-948-6625301-948-6625 to schedule a consultation in Maryland, Virginia, or Washington, D.C.!