Design of The Month -August 2026
Every backyard has a story before it ever has a pool. This month’s featured design started with a challenge most builders would have talked our client out of — and ended with one of our favorite builds yet.
Design of the Month: When a Sloped Backyard Says No, But the Client Says Yes
This lot had a serious slope. When our client first started getting quotes, other pool builders all landed on the same answer: build the pool at the bottom of the hill. It’s the easier path, structurally and financially — you work with the grade instead of against it.
But that wasn’t what our client actually wanted. They wanted the pool level with the house — right off the back, part of the everyday flow of the home, not a hike down the yard.
The Solution: Helical Piers and a Pool That Sits Above the Slope
Instead of telling our client their vision didn’t work, we asked what mattered most to them — and then figured out how to build it. The answer was helical piers: deep foundational supports that let us essentially set the pool on stilts, level with the house, without fighting a losing battle against the hillside underneath it.
It’s not the simple route. But it’s the right one when the goal is a backyard that actually works for how a family lives — not just the yard.
The Result
What you see now is a full outdoor living space built into that slope: a linear pool with a sun shelf, a raised spa with a sheer descent waterfall spilling into the pool below, a sunken fire pit lounge with built-in seating, and multiple zones that all flow naturally from the home’s back deck. Every element earns its place on a lot that most builders would have said couldn’t hold it.
This design came from Joe Dover of Dover Living, whose vision for the space was the starting point for everything our team engineered to make it real.
Why It's Our Design of the Month
This build is a reminder that “no” is sometimes just the easy answer, not the right one. Our clients came to us with a vision that other builders weren’t willing to engineer for — and we built it anyway.
Want to see if your backyard has more potential than you’ve been told? Reach out to our team — we’d love to talk through what’s possible for your oasis.
Watch the full behind-the-scenes video with our team walking through this build — link below
At PalmSet Pools, we don’t just build the pool; we set you up for success.
PalmSet Pools
Building More Than Pools – Building Memories.
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