Maryland Custom Inground Pool Design & Installation Contractor

We believe the swimming pool should be part of the landscape design, not a separate entity. This is done by creating plant pockets adjacent to the pool, and possibly introducing rocks & waterfalls or other features that marry the landscape to the pool. An inground  swimming pool can even be made to look like a natural pond or a lagoon.

Swimming Pool Waterfalls, Natural Stone Tile & Copings...

Material choice is a key factor in designing the inground swimming pool as part of the landscaping plan. As mentioned above, plants and boulders help pull the pool into the landscape. Natural stone tiles and coping will also help with the integration process. You want the materials to harmonize with the surroundings. The pool bottom is another important consideration.

Would the design call for a darker bottom or even an aggregate bottom to enhance the natural effect?

Other Water Features

Having the spa cascade into the pool used to be unique. Using stone in the spillway used to be original as well. Creative Land Design, from the beginning, has designed spas as part of a landscape waterfall or stream that becomes part of a natural looking water garden, and once again, part of the landscape design. 

Another exclusive CLD design feature is incorporating Koi(fish) ponds right into the swimming pool,... or so it would seem. Imagine lounging in your new custom built swimming pool on a beach chair under an umbrella, sipping on a frozen Margarita, a serene waterfall splashing at your feet, while feeding the beautiful Koi swimming in a pond that appears to be part of the pool.

You might also enjoy a bubbling fountain rising from below, or  water spouts arching across the pools surface. The possibilities are limited only by imagination. At CLD we are water feature specialists, and have over 20 years in this ever growing field. It is our philosophy that the swimming pool should be an integral part of creating our mission statement...,
“Creating a permanent vacation  without ever having to leave your home.”

Bench Seats

Placing bench seats in strategic locations is important when it comes to enjoying your design efforts. They should be long enough for a few people to comfortably sit on. The seat should also be positioned in an area that provides the best views of the poolscape.  Often we will place a bench seat under a waterfall, another on the other side of the pool to view the waterfalls, and perhaps yet another seat next to the dive rock or landscaped areas.

Baja Steps & Beach Entries

What is a baja step? Simply an overgrown bench seat, or a large step that is a foot or so below water level. This feature allows you to sit, relax, lounge, and even sun bathe in a section of the pool without being fully immersed. These areas also make great locations to set a boulder or two so the rocks come out of the water, creating even more of a natural effect

..Beach Entry?  A beach entry is pretty much what the name implies, minus the sand of course. The pool deck gradually slopes beneath the water and leads you gracefully into the pool without any steps, just like a beach.

Dive Rocks,

 What’s a natural rockscaped pool without a dive rock? Dive rocks vary in nature depending on the purpose. A dive rock can be a tall towering cliff like rock incorporated into a terraced embankment, or  a 6” tall stepper rock hanging over the water. Dive rocks can be placed right next to a waterfall for added effect.

Negative Edge Pools

Also known as an infinity edge pool.  We take one edge of the pool and install it at water level. Water will spill over this edge into a catch basin hidden below. The water is then pumped back into the pool via underground plumbing and therefore unseen. The effect is breathtaking as your pool seems to float above the landscaping. we often perch rocks on this edge or even plants to create an original dramatic effect.