Lakeside Serenity

“When I first bought my new home on Westlake Island, I had no intention of putting in a pool. (Famous last words.) But I knew instantly that I wanted to improve and maximize my view, starting with changing out the windows and getting rid of the white wrought iron fencing across the back (which totally obscured the small ribbon of lake my house sits on). I’d fallen in love with bi-folding glass doors, so they were a given. But…I soon realized that, in effect, they would “bring the backyard inside” and guess what? My backyard kinda sucked. A slab of cement and some grass. Ugh. I started thinking about water features. Being a Google kinda girl, I browsed the Internet for local pool contractors but nearly every site I landed on left me uninspired. Bland, boring pools. Nothing caught my fancy.

Then, as luck would have it, the next day I got a flyer in the mail from Scott Cohen’s Green Scene Landscaping and Swimming Pools. At last! I was immediately drawn to the sophisticated flare of the designs as well as the innovations that set them apart from what I’d been seeing online. When I first met with Scott, my vision was nonexistent. Pool…spa…maybe just a fountain…I didn’t really know what I wanted nor what I could fit into my seemingly minuscule backyard. As I recall, Scott guided me through the process of describing my “ideal”—which, as it turned out—was the dream to have an Infinity (or vanishing edge) pool. Surely, that was beyond my limited backyard space, right? Maybe not, he said. Next, he was able to help me land on the vibe I was looking for—a resort vibe, I concluded, and if you can throw in a swim-up bar, all the better. Still, you really have to picture it—I don’t have one of those sprawling Southern California backyards. Surely, turning my humble little space into what I was describing would be impossible, right? It wasn’t. Within a week, Scott presented a beautiful colored rendering of what he envisioned that included everything I’d asked for. Was it cheap? No. But hey, the stuff in life that’s worthwhile never is.

I signed a contract that very day. I’d be lying if I said the road from that point forward was smooth and even. Hardly. HOA permits, City/County permits, extra engineering, blah blah blah…it seemed never-ending. But one thing I truly appreciated was that I rarely had to deal with any of it. Scott and his staff represented me and my interests during all facets of the process. And in a very professional manner. I know it’s a cliché, but something I learned about this project is that everything truly is a journey, and there’s no sprinting for the end-line. About two weeks ago, the final milestone happened—the filling of the pool. Seeing that gray pit turn into a remarkable structure of beauty was its own reward. I’ve heard through the grapevine that this was no ordinary project—that, in fact, a lot of pool contractors either wouldn’t or couldn’t have taken it on. So I’m thankful that I discovered The Green Scene in the mail that day. And I’m congratulating myself on not skimping on the extras that I wanted—the fiber optics in the bar-top…the cool color wheel offering a myriad of lighting effects…the Jandy touch screen to control everything from inside…the beautiful fire pit…and yes, I even got my swim-up bar in the Jacuzzi. Everything I wanted. Let the parties begin!”