LEGENDARY HOMES

A pool was always the dream for Casey and Lacey Olheiser, but when they built their first house, they decided to hold off. Then, the sale of their first home and construction of a second meant they could decide again whether they wanted to put in a pool or not. “We didn’t put our first house up for sale, but someone offered to buy it, and we sold it. I don’t know if Lacey was super impressed, so she said the only way I’m moving is if we get a pool for the kids. It was all in the works from then to do it,” explains Casey, owner of Legendary Homes.

While Casey built his family’s home himself, he also employed the help of several skilled sub-contractors, including Associated Pool Builders who installed the pool. “They were very helpful,” says Casey. “They gave us a lot of good ideas.” Many of the home’s plans were shaped by the Olheiser’s desire to build a pool in their spacious and private backyard. The pool and backyard were finished in the summer of 2021, right before the Fourth of July, and the family has been taking full advantage of their fun outdoor space ever since.

The pool is 16x32, and Casey designed the patio to parallel the same dimensions. The backyard is the family’s favorite place to spend time, especially for Casey and Lacey’s four-and-a-half-year-old twins, Greyson and Kaia. “The kids love it. They would go in it every day if we let them. Honestly, they go in it almost every day,” admits Casey, laughing. When asked his favorite part of the pool, Casey responded with the slide which was a new addition last summer. “The twins probably go down it a thousand times a day,” he describes. The pool also features a basketball hoop and underwater lights.

To keep their children safe, Casey had a motorized vinyl pool cover put in that can hold the weight of a few adults when it is in place. In addition to being a necessary safety measure, the pool cover keeps the pool clean and acts as a natural heater in the summer. The pool is also vinyl which meant Casey and his family were able to choose the pattern of their pool from a nearly unlimited selection. Vinyl pools have a life span up to 12 years in North Dakota, before the lining needs to be changed out again, a perfect way to refresh the look of your backyard from time to time.

While Casey and Lacey love the pool, their other favorite part of the backyard is the custom grill island they built with the help of Keller Hearth ‘n Home. The island features a Green Egg, a grill, and a fridge. The couple enjoys hosting, so this kind of outdoor gathering space has been at the top of their must-haves list for a while. “We always wanted that in the other house, but never did it,” says Casey. Keller Hearth ‘n Home also helped them install a fire table to match. The area, complete with cozy sectionals and chairs, has become a popular gathering place for the family, from eating breakfast in the morning to stargazing at night.

In the future, Casey hopes to figure out a way to get a motorized screen around the outdoor patio area to keep the mosquitos away during the summer months. Future plans may also include a finished non-slip pool deck surface. Right now the surface is simply unfinished concrete, which is also non-slip, making it a safe surface for young children to play on around a pool. Altogether though, Casey is very pleased with how the pool and backyard as a whole turned out. “It came together well,” he says. “We’re very happy with it.”