Casual Living Magazine November 2014

Dive into design

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C A S UA L L I V I N G . C OM

d e s i g n f e at u r e

by E ri c Carson

Reflecting on a California glass mosaic tile pool and spa

Jimmy Reed custom installed the light blue glass mosaic tiles on a steep grade for this beautiful water feature that’s thought to be the very first of its kind. The larger, four-sided perimeter overflow pool sits well above the smaller infinity spa on this canyon top overlooking Malibu. Photo courtesy Douglas Hill

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rom the glamorous foothills of West Los Angeles to the private, celebrity-filled enclaves of luxury homes that cluster in every exposed clearing or flat rock in the rugged Santa Monica Mountains, the name Jimmy Reed has been synonymous with excellence when it comes to the installation of glass mosaic tile for more than three decades.

Reed has installed some of the most technical, customized glass mosaic tile pools and spas

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for the Hollywood stars and so many other kings and queens of industry.

Reed’s artistic custom tile designs and flawless installations have done nothing to disprove L.A.’s infamous reputation for gossip. He’s landed countless new projects over the years that were generated by his last one.

But like any professional, the respect of your colleagues can be especially gratifying. Reed has earned plenty of both.

In fact, he’s the exclusive glass mosaic tile pool and spa installer for a good-sized con-

tingency of the top pool builders and designers in America.

That pretty much tells the story of how Reed landed on another skyward clearing above Malibu for his most recent project. This pool and spa feature was so complex and previously unheard that it almost never happened. Reed was hand-picked by Paolo Benedetti, one of the innovative pool designers and builders in the world as the owner of Aquatic Technology Pool & Spa in Morgan Hill, Calif.

“There’s no question that

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Jimmy (Reed) was the right guy for us,” Benedetti said.

“He’s a true professional. Given the magnitude and complexities of this pool and spa, that could even be the first of its kind, there was no room for compromise. I let the project architect know it was important to have Jimmy take care of installing the tile in both vessels. We’re very happy that he did. Jimmy’s work was stellar.

He did a fantastic job.”

The spectacular backdrop for this waterscape feature that begins somewhere around

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2,430 feet above Malibu with nothing but postcard ocean views in every direction, but the project still presented a few unique challenges to overcome.

Balanced on the second highest canyon peak in Topanga (Native American for “above”) already means that special attention will be needed to determine the precise grade of the property for the design and installation of two raised perimeter overflow vessels.

Making adjustments based on the grade of a property is nothing new for California pool and spa builders. What kicked up all the dust surrounding the design and engineering of the Topanga water features was actually man-made. What

turned out to be one heck of a special pool and spa was drawn up by lead architect Michael J. Sant, AIA, principal of Sant Architects.

Sant is the first to make it clear that he’s “an architect and not a pool designer,” which is really at the heart of this entire project. Sant has always delegated the waterscape for his projects out to the appropriate channels. But recently he said enough is enough. He’s troubled when he finds another luxury waterfront home with the special, rare opportunity to establish a strong connection with the ocean but somehow continues to miss the boat.

Sant wasn’t about that for this surreal site less than 10

miles from Saddle Peak Lodge, an infamous Hollywood hideout on Cold Canyon Road above the Pacific Coast Highway. The primary goal was to “create the feeling that the ocean has come right up to the property line.”

His most noble intentions led to a concept that represented the first water features of its kind (literally).

Sant’s layout placed the considerably smaller 8x8-foot infinity spa directly downhill from the much larger, 18x36foot four-sided perimeter overflow pool on the graded face of a steep canyon in Topanga.

The first problem he had was tracking down a pool designer willing to take on the project.

His highly unconventional plan

quickly scattered the first handful of pool and spa pros that visited the site – all confident that it simply couldn’t be done.

Luckily for Sant Architects, many were kind enough to leave behind the name Paolo Benedetti. And in just a matter of days Benedetti was walking the site with Sant to observe just what he was getting himself into. In lieu of gravity and the unlucky steep grade of the property, the idea of placing the much smaller custom glass mosaic tile infinity spa on-grade though directly below the larger main overflow pool was rife with the potential for catastrophe.

For his first trick, Benedetti had to go back to the lab again

This modern knife-slot edge, four-sided perimeter overflow vessel – successfully built on such a steep grade above the much smaller spa – required incredible precision and skill, not to mention a bulletproof hydraulics system to help fight gravity on Saddle Peak. Photo courtesy Douglas Hill

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and develop what ultimately became the lynchpin the project needed to keep moving forward. In order to eliminate that threat, Benedetti engineered a bulletproof hydraulics system that prevented any chance of the two vessels trying to equalize – a critical detail as he noted, “gravity is always turned on, and water flows downhill.”

Benedetti might not have parted the Red Sea, but what he did learn and test live on top of Topanga could open another door for someone else on another project and so the beat goes on.

That’s only if, and when, Benedetti decides to let anyone in on his “magic vent.” And for now he’s content with calling it the first “elevated perimeter overflow pool.”

“This was a very unique and complex water feature that could be the first of its kind,” Benedetti said. “But only MacGyver could figure out the ‘secret vent’ that prevents the pool water from backing up during the return process. There’s no threat at all of the two vessels trying to equalize.”

As soon as both vessels were sound it was time for Reed to reappear on the scene. The top-expert and leading installer of glass mosaic tile was back on-site to officially put the finishing touches on this cliffside waterscape in Malibu. It’s worth noting that at this point the entire project still had every chance to bomb on Sant if the tile colors and materials fell short of his original design.

Sant’s desire to connect the new home with the ocean and the new pool with the sky still hung in the balance.

Considered among the most difficult water features to design, build or tile, most will agree that perimeter overflow pools are worth the trouble.

The stunning glass-like pool surface interacts with its surroundings and provides a perfect mirror for the sky,

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For perhaps the first time ever, the smaller, 8x8-foot infinity spa vessel sits downhill from the larger, 18x36foot pool on Old Canyon Road, just a few miles up from historic Saddle Peak Lodge. Photos Courtesy Rock Solid Tile, Inc.

capturing and returning the same spirit that inspired Sant’s original vision for Topanga.

When the time came for Reed to make his presence felt, he would again deliver glass mosaic tile craftsmanship that will always set his work apart.

It all came together when Reed finished installing the glass mosaic tiles and it became very obvious that something special had just been created.

Reed installed the same series of paper-faced, three-

quarters-by-three-quarters-inch glass mosaic tile sheets in a faded blue color and finish style.

In order to truly get the desired effect, Reed created a customcolored neutral epoxy grout he blended on site. The extra effort

by Reed proved invaluable by subduing the grid pattern to help ensure the surface water would always have the opportunity to showcase uninterrupted reflections of the sky.

And per usual, Reed’s masterful installation lent a certain

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sophisticated elegance for this one of a kind pool and spa (in that order). Yes, the first “elevated perimeter overflow pool” was perfectly surfaced with glass mosaic tiles, included stylish custom end corner steps that ease into the shallow (3.5-foot) end of this truly original pool.

“Paolo (Benedetti) is definitely one of the few good guys out there,” Reed said. “We both share a real passion and commitment for raising the bar when it comes to the pool and spa industry. Projects like this one help keep both of us motivated to be the best in the world at what we do. It’s nice to still be learning about new pools and new possibilities when sometimes you think you’ve seen it all. The hydraulic design that Paolo created for this project was very cool and forward-thinking.”

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