Only 145 days until summer...but who's counting?

As I sit through what has been declared as an "historic storm" here on the Northeast, I find myself dreaming of pools! While I do love a good snowstorm and the idea of snuggling up by the fire with my family, I can't help but fantasize about some really fun and exciting pool designs.

If you are dreaming of installing a pool in your yard this year, it's best to get started on your plan, at least visualizing it, sooner than later! 145 days may seem like a long way until summer, but it will be here before we know it!


Here are a few tips I like to give my clients before we embark on a pool design project:

* Pools do not necessarily bring greater value to a property, but if they are esthetically pleasing and akin to their surroundings, they will certainly bring greater value to the homeowner and in turn, perhaps the property.

* Make sure you are well informed. Pools generally cost more than you think! Take into consideration hardscape, drainage, slopes, plantings, lighting, fencing, and waterfalls. You may also want to think about special add-ons like Pebbletec finishes, salt water systems or floor vacuums. While not all of this has to happen at once, it's smart to take it into consideration. Sometimes pools are like homes, it's better to see how a space lives and breaths for a while. I do recommend getting in as much decking material (which can also be grass) as you can in the beginning, as kids seem to be able to track in mud from a mile away!

* A planting tip we learned was to keep large leaf plantings away from the splash line. When the large leaves get wet they can get burned by the sun. Low grasses are a good choice.

* If you aren't going to hire a professional landscaper, I would at least suggest getting a consultation. While many plants, trees and shrubs look good right now, your want your pool to last a lifetime. And it is costly, in more ways than one, to move that Norwegian Spruce later on down the road!

Novi Landscape Architects

* Just like you would with an interior design, you should space plan for your pool design as well. Track the sun, take into consideration grade. It will shock you to see how sloped your flat backyard really is! How far should the pool be from the house? Attached spa or not? (If you live in the Northeast, I'd recommend detached. We cold weather people seem to love to hop in the spa when the snow if flying, not when the mosquitoes are out!) Kids or no kids? Diving rock? Where do you like to sunbath? How much seating do you need? How about other activities? Fire-pits are very popular and help extend the season. Pergolas and outdoor seating for dining are among other popular features.

Take a look at a few of the pools I designed last year! In this award winning pool design our goal was to make the pool look as if it belonged there all along. Using the existing surrounding landscape as our inspiration and guide, we set off to use as many earth elements as we could.  

In my opinion, what makes designing outdoor spaces truly special is that it's live! As many of you have heard me say, "What does the house want? What is it saying to us?". It is even more important to listen outside. You must be in harmony with what your site has been and what it wants to be. Sourcing locally and using native plantings just makes good and common sense. Understanding your soil and the impact that the construction will have on your site is important too. What will the impact on the wildlife be?

True story...after installing my own pool, we had to start a daily frog patrol. In the end, we built a relocation pond on the other side of the property for repeat offenders. Frogs were happy, we were happy!

Two of my favorite days during a pool project are the day we choose our boulders and the day we place them. I am a firm believer that everything has an energy, a life. Stone also has a history, a story to share. Quite often I will see a rock from afar. Next I try to examine it from all of the angles I can see (it's actually exciting that you can't see all of the sides, you just never know!). I will then just sit with it, hands outstretched on it and listen. Sometimes for quite a while! (This is the point where the nice young forklift operator starts to give me strange looks and wonders if I'm ok!). That is exactly how I ended up with the wonderful diving rock with blast holes in this photo. It fits perfectly into the space and has a nod of approval. We even noticed in the photo that there's a little ghost fish, popping up to take a look! How fitting!

As always in any of my designs, I do my best to incorporate the earths elements and to also use green, recycled materials.

Maybe it's time you sit in your backyard and listen with all of your senses (ok, maybe wait until the snow melts!). It will tell you what to do!

Don't forget to also check out my Pinterest board Pool & Patio Design for more photos and inspiration!

A Year with a View

If you are anything like me, you can't figure out how you misplaced 2014! Last winter seemed like it hung on forever and then thankfully we had a luxurious stretch of near perfect weather that seemed to slow the pace down for just a moment. That is until we tumbled head long into the holidays (which for the team on the Holiday House Tour started in February!).

I wanted to take a moment and share with you some of my favorite projects from the past year. We were fortunate enough to create luxurious master baths (when the family reptile isn't doing laps in the floating tub, that is).



All photos by Nat Rea



 

Romantic master suites complete with double sided fireplaces. 

A kitchen worth loving again.

And, our crispest little cottage yet, with a nod to Jonathan Adler and Paola Navone.

We took complete advantage of that summer sun and created some fabulous backyard adventures complete with diving rocks, 

decks made with rice hulls and olive oil (no, really!)

 and sparkling blue bottoms to spark the imagination.

We finished the year with a special gift. Months of preparation and dedication paid off in the first annual Exeter Area Holiday House Tour. 



Photos courtesy of Jaye Carr

Five stunning homes designed by five talent designers, florists, and scores of donated accessories inspired almost 300 touring guests from far and wide.



Photos courtesy of Jaye Carr



All the proceeds went to Womenade of Greater Squamscott, an extraordinary non-profit serving the needs of families throughout the Seacoast Area. 



Photos courtesy of Jaye Carr



Our committee was humbled and awed by the selflessness of all who were involved and couldn't be more grateful for the opportunity.

Stay tuned for a preview of 2015, coming soon!

We now look forward to another bountiful year filled with kitchens and baths, cabins and yet another pool. But most of all we look forward to what makes this business so much more than a business. We look forward to working with the best clients in the world. 

And if you are wondering who that might be? 

Yes, it's you!

Happiest of New Year's to all!

If you have a moment, check out our Best Of 2014 video, you might just be in it! 

Mandeville Canyon Designs Favorite Projects 2014

Cheers,

Renee

 

Pool rules!

I have been lucky enough to get to work on several outdoor projects over the years. These are often times my favorite projects because I love the feel of the sunshine, but I also love the natural beauty and energy that surrounds us outdoors.

 

This summer I have had the opportunity to work on a pool and landscaping project which has been nothing short of exciting. Installing a pool is a daunting project and there is so much to take into consideration. Take a look at these before pictures and wait 'til you discover how we transformed this yard into an oasis!

 

Pool project "before" pictures:

 

Because of the pool construction and prior home construction, the soil was seriously depleted, so something I was equally excited about was bringing back nutrients to the soil. We brought in 14 yards of loam and organic compost and spread that under the sod and tiled it into all the beds.

 

 

I then hand fertilized all the plants and used root stimulator to help with the shock of some of the transplanted items. It was important for us to use what was already in the garden both with plants and boulders first and then augment from there. This helps cut down on costs and one can presume if it's there and it's alive, it must like it. 

 

Beautiful stone work at our recent pool project

I'm a little obsessive about the stone work. I believe that everything has an energy, especially stone due to it's ancestry. I spend a long time working with my clients to choose the stonework for a garden. I love to start with what exists on the land and then work outward, trying to mimic what might be found on the site. In this way we marry the old with, well, the old, but you get the idea.

 

We used a variety of plants in this design that add both visual interest, seasonal interest and year around color and texture. Two of my favorites are the Pinus densiflora 'Occulus Draconis' Dragon's Eye Pine



Dragon's Eye Pine

and the Maple Sango Kaku

 




Maple Sango Kaku

 

Always take into consideration your soil, your site. This site had more all day sun than I have seen in a long time. Add to that a nearly flat grade and it was just begging for a pool, drainage, and native opportunities.

 

 

Pool project "after" pictures:

Also, don't overestimate your interest. If gardening really isn't your thing, stick with the basics. Both you and the flora will thank you.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I've worked on several landscape and pool projects and am often asked about how to keep the plantings around the pool looking lovely longer. For that, I always recommend that you ask an expert, which is what I always do!

So, I have tapped into one of my favorite local garden centers, Churchill's Gardens.  If you live near Exeter and haven't yet visited them, you absolutely need to get there!

Here is some fantastic advice from Linda at Churchill's Gardens:

Now that it is later summer, people are often thinking that their gardens are looking tired. Often they are, but there are some things that you can do to keep them looking fresher. 

Tips for Perennials

• Make sure they are watered if we do not get steady rain. When you water perennials, or trees and shrubs you want to make sure you are deeply watering so that the roots are really getting wet. This year we have had steadier rains and not the extreme heat, so plants are not so stressed as some years, but some rain has come down so hard and fast this year, that it has not soaked in. 
• You do not want to be fertilizing perennials, roses, or shrubs at this point, as you do not want to push lush new growth that will not be hardy for the winter. 
• What you can do though is go through your gardens and deadhead any gone by blooms, remove those gone by daylily stalks, etc. by cleaning up your garden it will not look so tired.

 Tips for Annuals

• As far as annuals go, keep regularly watering them and most importantly feeding them. There is plenty of summer left and you will be surprised that they often make a resurgence as the days get cooler if you are still feeding them.
• Use a liquid fertilizer at least once a week for plants in containers, and it does not hurt to feed several times a week.
• Keep them deadheaded and cleaned up and they will keep going for many more weeks.

Keep in mind that even if we have been a bit cooler, we have had some 100% sunny days that are just as drying for the soil and plants, so they need water and fertilizer to keep looking happy.

Enjoy these last few weeks of summer, before school starts and fall brings us new energy. Soak in the sunshine and enjoy your yard!

Best,

Renee