A geometric pool surround for a contemporary house.
The owners had built a contemporary single-story house with a vinyl pool, and the pool contractor’s deck was failing within five years (settling, joint heaves, base failure). They wanted a permanent solution — a pool surround that matched the house’s modernist language and would actually survive Vermont winters.
— The brief
What the clients wanted.
The owners had built a contemporary single-story house with a vinyl pool, and the pool contractor’s deck was failing within five years (settling, joint heaves, base failure). They wanted a permanent solution — a pool surround that matched the house’s modernist language and would actually survive Vermont winters.
The challenge.
The existing deck had been built without proper base prep, and the pool shell had moved slightly with seasonal cycles, cracking the existing coping. The new design had to integrate a flexible expansion joint to prevent recurrence, while maintaining the clean visual line the house called for.
— Project specs
— What we built
Project elements.
Demolished existing deck and base. New 8″ compacted base in lifts. Thermal-finish bluestone coping with 1/2″ flexible expansion joint to the pool shell. 2″-thick bluestone deck on properly graded base with 1.5% pitch away from the house. Cedar slat privacy screen 7 ft tall along the property-line side. Native ornamental grass plantings (panicum, schizachyrium) at the deck-to-lawn transition.
Stone
Thermal-finish bluestone
Timber
Cedar privacy screen
Location
Williston, VT
Year
2024
Duration
8 months
Scope
Pool surround + Cedar + Plantings
— How it came together
The Cairn & Cedar Method, this project.
Same Method as every project — site visit, design, quote, build.
Site visit
Two-hour walk with the architect. Light, slope, drainage, microclimate measured. We listen, you talk.
Design
Hand-drawn schematic, then full construction documents. Material specs, sections, footing detail.
Quote
Fixed-price proposal, line-itemed by trade. You see the math. Change orders signed before any change.
Build
Our in-house crew on site every working day. Architect at every milestone. Punch list closed before final invoice.
— The outcome
What happened after we finished.
— Project notes
Worth knowing about this project.
What was unique about this site?
The existing deck had been built without proper base prep, and the pool shell had moved slightly with seasonal cycles, cracking the existing coping. The new design had to integrate a flexible expansion joint to prevent recurrence, while maintaining the clean visual line the house called for.
What materials were specified?
Stone: Thermal-finish bluestone. Timber: Cedar privacy screen. All sourced within 60 miles of the project.
How long did construction take?
8 months from first site visit to final cleanup. Construction phase varied based on the integrated disciplines.
What was the disciplines mix?
Pool surround + Cedar + Plantings
What’s the outcome two seasons later?
The deck has survived two winters with no movement. The expansion joint is doing its work — the coping has not moved relative to the shell. The owners report they use the pool 30+ more days per year than before, partly because the deck no longer has lift edges to trip on.
Can we visit the project?
Some projects we can arrange property tours by appointment, with the owner’s permission. Ask during the site visit if a similar property is available to walk.