A Vinyl-Liner Pool with Woodsy Charm Shows Design Mastery

A rustic getaway fulfills a young family’s dreams

1 MIN READ

Credit: Sandi MakiLegendary Escapes

Meet the Masters:

Al Curtis and Sandi Maki

Legendary Escapes

Brighton, Mich.


Kevin Webster, Troy Bradberry, John Hodgkin

Xtier Inc. Design & Build Landscape

Clarkston, Mich.

Northern retreat: This Michigan family fell in love with a resort pool and wanted some of its features on their own new aquascape. So they got a multilevel slide, sun shelf, grotto — and more. The project’s Northern backwoods theme fits seamlessly with the home’s location on 30 woodsy acres. The hybrid freeform vinyl pool sports concrete accents such as steps, sun shelf and waterfall. The deck provides space for lounging, and the sun shelf is next to a three-seat swim-up bar. The hand-tiled rock slide on the main pool (left, foreground) leads to a lower splash pool. Legendary Escapes specializes in custom poolscapes, building six or seven annually. This project’s price tag, including landscaping, was in the $200,000 range.

Hideaway: The grotto was specifically requested by the family, which includes children ages 4, 8 and 12. Three or four people can fit in behind the 4-foot-tall waterfall. The interior includes a bench, and uses fiberoptic strands to produce a “starry night” twinkling effect on the grotto ceiling. The project’s extensive rockwork was man-made, using approximately 1 million pounds of concrete. The artists behind the design and sculpting of the grotto, boulders and slide were Legendary Escapes’ Karen Olson and company co-owner Al Curtis.

About the Author

Linda G. Green

Linda G. Green is a freelance writer for Pool & Spa News and Aquatics International. Her career has included work on daily and weekly newspapers, and consumer and trade magazines. Awards include one from Leisure Publications Inc. for outstanding performance, and three Jesse H. Neal Awards as part of the AI editorial team.

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