Our Process | turnstone

Mountain Retreat in Suncadia, Washington

The images in the slideshow below depict the process of building a naturalistic pool, spa, and stream for a client's residence in Suncadia, Washington. (Design by Darr Webb Landscape Architects)

Mountain Home

Our client wanted to build a system of water features in the backyard of their mountain home.

Layout

A layout in paint is derived from the plans, allowing the clients to visualize the feature in full scale.

Excavation

The earth is sculpted carefully according to the layout with the sides tiered to allow for natural rock placement.

Rebar Armature

The pool shell is reinforced with a rebar grid. Some of the plumbing is installed at this point.

Spa Armature and Jets

The spa is formed, rebar is installed, and therapy jets are set at custom heights that are determined by the client.

Shotcrete

Concrete is pneumatically placed, encapsulating all the rebar and plumbing. The surface is broom finished to allow for the proper bonding of a flexible cementitious waterproofing that will be applied next.

Water Test

After the waterproofing is complete, a flood test is conducted to ensure we have a water tight shell. The stream next to the pool has been formed and rebar is then installed.

Rock Setting

Once the concrete has come up to strength, rock setting begins. Our artists select each stone for specific locations that have been formed to properly accept that stone. Pictured here is a stone with interesting geologic features at the crux of the stream.

Pool Rock Setting

Working with the same stone used for the mountain home foundation, Turnstone placed boulders to replicate an outcropping based on a photograph of a natural Montana shale cliff.

Rock Carving

The underwater surfaces of the pool are hand sculpted in concrete with textures that simulate the Montana shale stone.

Floor Texture

Lastly, the floor is completed with surfaces that appear natural and are comfortable to bare feet. Utilizing carved concrete in the underwater areas allowed us to keep all surfaces "swimsuit-friendly," easier to clean, and also provided cost savings to the owner.

Spa Carve

The spa is completely hand sculpted. It is not unusual for a client to delicately sit in our wet concrete to produce a custom fit.

Staining

Although our concrete contains an integral color, the surface is stained to more accurately replicate the colors of the natural rock.

Mechanical

A custom designed mechanical system provides efficient sanitizing, filtration, and water effects for the three separate features.

Head of Stream

All stone placement within the concrete shell has been carefully considered to achieve natural water flows and aesthetics.

Finished Stream

Finished Hot Tub

View From the Balcony

Pool Waterfall

Aegis Rodgers Park - English Gardens

A retirement home builder came to Turnstone with two empty courtyards and a desire to create an old English Garden theme for the residents. This slideshow depicts the versatility of concrete as well as different stages of the design in its conception and execution.

Empty Courtyards

To start, Turnstone was shown courtyards that were attached to the building that had some planting opportunities, but were basically blank slates.

Reference Photos

The Client expressed their interest, through some photo references, in creating Old English Gardens in the barren courtyard spaces. Archways, creeping ivy, old stone walls held together with crumbling mortar were just some of the ideas expressed.

Conceptual Drawing

Turnstone filled their artistic blender with all the reference photos and raw desires of the client, then tamed them with logistical parameters and budget concerns. This smoothie recipe gives us a conceptual drawing that gets us one step closer to building.

Conceptual Drawing

We fine tune the clients wants and needs, addressing things like stone size, plaster color, depth of water, climbability and containment....

Plan Sections

Andrew, our in-house Landscape Architect and CAD guru, analyzes and designs how our work can interphase with the existing structure.

Structural Art

Our three dimensional shapes are formed out of epoxy anchored rebar and lath. After the shotcrete is placed, the formations become a structural element.

Irrigation and Drainage

The architectural elements with planters get sleeves for irrigation and drainage piped into our rebar and lath matrix.

Removable Forms

Before we can age and give character to the stones that will make up the archways and windows, we need to form the shotcrete as if it were new stones. The concrete carving technique, with few exceptions, is a subtractive process.

Removing the Forms

OMG, is it starting to look like something? The faux stones are carved revealing textures and the maturity of hundreds of years of outdoor weathering. Now the wall is ready for the artistic stucco.

Stucco

The stucco, which is comprised of our structural concrete mix, is mechanically bonded to the substrate with anchor pins and wire mesh.

Grotto

Here, the coping of the grotto and the flanking pillar planter are textured while the structural coat of the pillar and grotto are still developing. The uppermost part of the grotto is a two foot deep planter with irrigation and a drain.

Grotto

Irregular stones are carved as they would have been stacked. A nice contrast to the symmetry of the coping stones.

Garden Folly

In English gardens there is such a thing as a Folly, which is something that is constructed primarily for decoration. In this case, a Great Horned Owl to discourage seagulls and crows from taking over the place. This owl was sculpted out of clay, molded, then cast in concrete.

Paint

The stones are painted to characterize each stone. Darkening of the cracks and crevices adds depth to an essentially flat horizontal structure. The stucco is a warm beige.

Sun Dial

At this point, the client noticed that after their allotted furniture was placed, there would be some empty space, and asked if we had any ideas. We always have ideas!! How about a sweet sundial?!

Water

Our structural water feature is coated with a flexible cementitious waterproofing compound, and all penetrations are sealed with rubberized boots ensuring a watertight shell. We at Turnstone are experts in the waterproofing field.

Trial Run

The feature is adjusted to maximize efficiency in the pump and thoroughness in the filtering operation.

Moss Detail

This feature has a very living feel to it with the inclusion of the broad plantings so we decided to give our concrete creation the premium treatment of replicated mosses.

Stacked Rock Detail

A detail shot of the stucco and stacked stone column.

TURNSTONE CONSTRUCTION INC.

Mountain Retreat in Suncadia, Washington

The images in the slideshow below depict the process of building a naturalistic pool, spa, and stream for a client's residence in Suncadia, Washington. (Design by Darr Webb Landscape Architects)

Aegis Rodgers Park - English Gardens

A retirement home builder came to Turnstone with two empty courtyards and a desire to create an old English Garden theme for the residents. This slideshow depicts the versatility of concrete as well as different stages of the design in its conception and execution.

Work in Progress