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I don’t normally feature my own work on this site but I just received the professional photography back and things looked so good that I felt like I had to share this project. Here’s how this project came to be: the client was going to put a pool in and asked their pool contractor to help them with adding a pool cabana. As they started talking, the pool contractor quickly realized that this project was going to be a bit more than a rock grill and a trellis/ patio. I typically maintain a good relationship with everyone I work with and I get along really well with this particular pool contractor. Based on our relationship and his knowledge of my predilections, he referred the client to me and one of the most enjoyable client relationships was born.
Initially, the program called for a grill, bathroom with a shower and a seating area. As we started working through what they really wanted, the project grew … and grew. The clients still joke with me that they would sit out in the backyard, have a couple of glasses of wine and then start firing off “what if” emails. A good case in point was that the cabana was framed and decked with the roofer on site when the clients decided that they liked how the cabana was turning out so much that they wanted to add a bedroom. Due to setback and space restrictions, that meant adding a second level. (Did I mentioned that the cabana was already framed?…). Glass half full guy says “that’s okay, I like a good challenge” but I love clients who like to ask the question “what if”? We came to have a tub in the bedroom under a similar creative process. While it wasn’t a lot of fun to find a way to slide in 3 more floor trusses into a sheathed building to carry the point load of a tub full of water, I still get a chuckle over the clients willingness to keep asking “what if…?”. I suppose this was only a good thing because on occasion I would have to say “no, we can’t do that” and they were okay with listening to me.
This project is a case study in what can happen when a great client gets together with a flexible architect. I have a lot of pride in this project and that’s the reason I am sharing it with you.
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All Photos © Charles Davis Smith
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