However, getting the design you want can offer its challenges.

Homeowners are often asked to make design decisions they have not anticipated but by doing some simple research and asking good questions, you can achieve the perfect design suited to your needs.

“Numerous options now exist when considering designs for a backyard pool. The traditional swimming pool is now replaced by a swimming haven,” states Gunter Walderon of Hometips.com. Swimming havens can include numerous luxury options. Scanning the internet and magazines can help you find examples of the look and features you may wish for your pool environment.  Options you may want to incorporate include:

• Waterfalls, Fountains & Rock Water Features
• Firepits and Spas
• Unique Lighting and Automation

Starting with a checklist of desired features and a thematic “look” will shorten the design process and ensure you are happy with the results.

Hydroscapes has found that carefully working with homeowners at the beginning is the key to success.  According to award-winning designer Roger Soares II, “Design must be a part of the building process.  Your designer and builder need to be on the same page, which is why we integrate both services in our business.”   

Hydroscapes, LLC, provides a full array of services—from conceptualization to construction. Working with homeowners, architects, landscape architects, and design professionals who have a passion for crafting art from water, Soares develops projects using the highest standards of design and engineering. With over 30 years of construction experience, Soares is able to offer complex solutions to challenging settings. “I like glass, natural stone, custom plasters, and extensive lighting,” says Soares, “but I also care about what goes on underneath the project. I use materials and construction practices that exceed industry standards. If a project does not have structural integrity, then all of its magnificence means nothing.”

Soares and his team have been honored with a number of awards, including the Architectural Design Award for their design role in the 2001 Street of Dreams Project, Troon Highlands, Arizona, and the silver award in the 2002 Home Book Design Excellence Awards, Arizona Region. Hydroscapes was honored in 2010 with the Pinnacle Award from Luxury Pools magazine. In 2005, Soares was presented with the master of design award from a national trade magazine and one of his poolscapes was named project of the year by another. A platinum member of the Genesis 3 Design Group, both Soares and his colleague, Sheri Soares, are certified by the Society of Watershape Designers

Source: LuxuryPools.com

Roger Soares and his wife, Sheri, co-owners of Hydroscapes, were named winners of the 2010 award by a panel of industry peers. The decision-making criteria included “functionality, structural engineering and hydraulics, landscape architecture and appearance on an exceptional project that exceeds the general level of professionalism and creativity in the industry.”

“We’re delighted to be recognized for our dedication and approach to water landscape and pool design. We consider ourselves problem solvers and enjoy thinking outside the box in order to give people more than the ‘usual’ in pool and yard symmetry,” said Roger Soares, “It’s more than sticking a pool in the backyard,” added Sheri. “It’s about creatively working with all the elements: house, lot and pool to give our clients something uniquely special that they will continue to love and use as long as they’re in the home.”

Hydroscapes LLC (‘Creating Art from Water’) works with homeowners, architects, landscape architects and design professionals who understand the Soares’s passion for creating art from water. The couple’s areas of expertise include: using glass in pool design; watershapes (pools, ponds, water features); hardscape design (decking, outside fireplaces, fire pits, retainer walls, lighting and pathways; “green” pools; and the construction and creation of “white noise”, which is believed to have relaxation and healing qualities.

Roger Soares is a Platinum Member and on the Advisory Board of Genesis 3 Design Group, dedicated to developing and advancing the skill level of pool designers and builders through quality education. In addition, Hydroscapes is one of only 30 accredited worldwide members of the Society of Watershape Designers (SWD). Sheri is one of two women to ever be an SWD member.

It is the perfect combination of lifestyle and enduring value.  Your own custom designed Scottsdale pool will not only provide a lasting source of family pleasure, but it creates substantial value for your home.

Sheri Soares, co-owner of Fountain Hills, Arizona based Hydroscapes LLC says, “Our upscale clients are well traveled.  They enjoy exotic resorts, then return home and want to recreate in their back yard the gorgeous environment they have just experienced.”

If you plan accordingly, creating a luxury environment at home can be a fun and enriching experience.  Not only should the pool be a joy to use, but it should create the luxurious lifestyle you deserve.  The design should both impress and be functional.

Getting the perfect design

But getting the design you want offers its challenges.  Homeowners are often asked to make design decisions they have not anticipated.  By doing some simple research and asking good questions, you can achieve the perfect design suited to your needs

“Numerous options now exist when considering designs for a backyard pool. The traditional swimming pool is now replaced by a swimming haven,” states Gunter Walderon of Hometips.com.

When you work with your builder in designing your installation, be sure to ask about the following options…

• Vanishing Edge Pools
• Perimeter Overflows
• Waterfalls, Fountains & Rock Water Features
• Beach Entries and Baja Steps
• Pool House
• Firepits and Spas
• Custom Blended Glass Tile
• Unique Lighting and Automation

Scanning the web and magazines can help you find examples of the look and features you may wish for your pool environment.  Starting with a checklist of desired features and a thematic “look” will shorten the design process and ensure you are happy with the results.

Hydroscapes has found that carefully working with homeowners at the beginning is the key to success.  According to award-winning designer Roger Soares II, “Design must be a part of the building process.  Your designer and builder need to be on the same page, which is why we integrate both services in our business.”

Soares recently had a client who wanted the water to look like what he had seen in Bermuda.  This was a challenge for a desert setting.  “We experimented with a custom blend of glass tiles to recreate an entirely new look for our area.  Samples were presented to our client, so that he could test them and make sure he was getting the perfect result,” stated Soares.  Glass is essential to creating a luxury look and feel, but not all glass tiles are created equal.  “We make sure that the color and mineral composition is just right, so that the desired effect is sustainable over time.  And the client needs to experience how the look of glass changes over the course of the day, as the sun moves,” Soares continued.

Working with clients for a unique look is essential to lasting value and satisfaction.  Visualizing a design before it is built can be a challenge, so patience by both homeowner and designer is important.  A strong working relationship is critical to meeting the schedule and budget.

A significant design issue is construction cost.  The good designer can work to a realistic budget, but a realistic budget may not be known until the design is well along.  Beware of price quotes based on rules of thumb.  There are too many variables to be precise until the design is defined.  Quality materials cost more, yet provide sustained value.  Unique features, such as those listed above, vary in price.  By evaluating options, you can determine what is possible within your budget.  Finally, local site conditions can affect cost.  Steep sites may require extraordinary foundation work or expansive soils must be considered to avoid serious future problems.

Getting the design right before construction is important.  Avoiding changes during construction will not only reduce frustration, but potentially save unwanted cost overruns.

According to Harry Spaulding, writing in Residential Design & Build magazine, “Today’s luxury homeowner wants an oasis offering luxury, state-of-the-art technology and an unreservedly captivating design.”

Do your homework; select a builder who can integrate the design process and you will be delighted with your new luxury pool – and lifestyle.

For more information, please visit: www.hydroscapes.com