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By Chris on February 19th in Featured Projects

In honor of the latest addition to the suite of services Neave Group Outdoor Solutions offers, our newly unveiled swimming pool division, this month’s project feature will focus on one of the pool projects we’re especially proud of.

We first started working with the Boykens on this project in 2010, though they’ve been Neave Group clients for quite a while now; we’ve worked on small construction projects through the years and help maintain their property throughout the year.

Their children are all older and moved out quite a while ago, but Mr. and Mrs. Boyken have dreamed of installing a pool for a long time because it would give them a place to entertain beyond their small backyard deck, but once grandchildren started appearing, it made sense to start considering it more seriously.

When we met to start designing the pool and surrounding area, they’d already cut out some photos from magazines to give us an idea of what they wanted — we love that, by the way (or, better yet, use Pinterest.com) — including a fireplace, pergola and a pool house. After that, it was up to us to bring the dream to life.

The pool itself is a simple rectangular shape, which is perfect because there are so many other things going on in this backyard paradise. For a little extra pop, they added LED laminar jets that shoot streams of water across the pool for the lovely sound of running water while they’re entertaining.

After enjoying the cool shade of the white fiberglass pergola or the warm glow of the fire from the built-in fireplace, the pool house includes a kitchenette, bathroom, outside shower and a guest room, perfect for those nights when houseguests have enjoyed themselves so much that they just can’t bear to leave!

The rectilinear swimming pool with fiberglass pergola and sitting area

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Come on in! The water’s fine!

By Chris on February 8th in Advice and "How To"

With New York temperatures still far below balmy beach weather, and most people’s skin still so pale that its glow long outshines any memory of swimsuit season, of course we’re here to talk to you about Neave Pools, the latest addition to the collection of services Neave Group Outdoor Solutions offers.

Pools aren’t truly new to our business; we’ve actually been taking these projects on for years, but now we’ve brought the whole process, from design to construction and lifetime maintenance in-house.

We’re not just a pool-construction company. We do it all, from plants and trees to hardscape and lighting — and, of course, pools — and everything will be customized to the dream you’ve been building in your mind all this time.

The biggest benefit to working with a full-fledged landscape design/build company for your new pool: You’ll never have to feel like your backyard is a jumble of independent pieces. We take a holistic approach to every project and will include your pool in the total vision for your beautiful, complete outdoor-living area.

There are a few important considerations to make before you jump into building a pool, not the least of which is choosing a great pool designer and contractor — maybe even one that can also help you dream up a beautiful landscape to complete your backyard paradise.

Here are some things to think about: [click to continue…]

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The Bicycle

By Chris on February 3rd in From our employees

Gary Roux, President of Neave Group Outdoor Solutions, FL

This post was written by Gary Roux, President of Neave Group Outdoor Solutions, FL, our new landscape management division serving South Florida.

Anyone who has ever helped someone learn to ride a bike will understand the feeling of starting a new company or division. There’s lots of talk about what exactly to do—how to balance, how to pedal, etc.—and equally important, what not to do!

Once everyone is convinced that today is the day we are riding a bike, then the real learning begins. We hold the bike, run along side it while the rider pedals like mad and focuses on balancing. Then – we let go of the seat and for a while success- then …uh oh…oh no,,, as we rush to the accident scene we calmly reassure the rider (or perhaps ourselves) …it will be alright … come on let’s brush that off… no really you will be OK, come on … get back on the bike, the next ride will be better.

And so it goes. Before long the fear and concerns of both the rider and the teacher subsides and the reward of “Hey look at me!! I can do it!!” is well worth all the pain and anxiety for all.

Neave Florida, our new landscape management division in South Florida, is equally as exciting. I am now up and pedaling, focusing on balance and getting a feel for the terrain. The team at Neave is holding the seat and running along side.

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The Larsens: A Landscape Fit for an Active Family

By Chris on January 22nd in Featured Projects

We first met the Larsens in the middle of 2010 when they hired us to transform their bland front yard and backyard into something a growing family could enjoy together — they already had two young boys, with a baby girl on the way. They shared their concerns with us, then encouraged us to run wild with our ideas. (We love that!)

The house has a walkout basement that led to a dark, damp, dingy concrete slab under the deck. They wanted a space outside that wasn’t covered by the deck so they could entertain and actually enjoy the sunshine and beauty of the Hudson Valley in their yard.

Behind the house, there was an issue with a steep slope that wasn’t safe for the boys to play around. It was also tough to access the backyard entirely because of that — it was either take a precarious clamber down the slope or go all the way through the house to get there.

To address the backyard, we used a lot of the soil we had to excavate throughout the property to level things out and create a nice area for the boys to play and the family to entertain. We also added plantings and meandering, natural stone steps with Belgard pavers for easy, scenic access to the backyard.

These beautiful concrete pavers (from Belgard) replaced the dull, cold concrete slab below the deck

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What Inspires Us: Plants for Winter Interest

By Chris on January 20th in What Inspires Us

Now is the time of year when many of your under-appreciated plants take center stage with their colorful and vibrant foliage, berries and bark.

As landscape designers, much consideration goes into how a landscape will be viewed during winter months and what plants can be used for their year-round interest–especially here in New York.

Below are some of our favorite plants for winter interest. To see more, visit our Pinterest board.