A pool threaded between mature live oaks

Live oaks are the reason people buy in this part of Texas, and cutting one down to fit a rectangle is a poor trade. The layout here was set out on the ground first, walking the canopy and the root plates, and the pool shape was adjusted until it worked around what was already there.

The result is a pool with a long clear swimming run and a shallow shelf at one end, with a slide set into the slope at the far side where there was enough clearance. The spa sits raised at the corner with a spillway into the pool.

Decking is travertine, which stays walkable in August in a way that poured concrete does not, and it was laid to follow the irregular edge rather than forcing the pool back into a box.