Personal Stories

Clients: Lori and Michael Cast     

Project: Custom pool and spa, landscaping, updating appliances in outdoor kitchen

Why: They plan to raise their family in this home and wanted to create an outdoor oasis for their children.

Extreme Exteriors Services Used: Design, Construction, and Retail

When summertime hits,  it’s a challenge to find ways to entertain fussy kids who can’t play outside. It’s also difficult for moms who have to pack a million things into a hot car and drive somewhere to cool down. Lori and Michael avoid these scenarios because they have their own gorgeous pool right outside their back door. “Our pool is our own oasis where we have our own privacy, where we can run out and go back in if we want to,” Lori said. “When you’re extremely hot you want to get into the water but you don’t want to load up everything because it feels like you’re taking the whole house with you.”  Lori loves that her little ones, ages 2 and 1, can easily cool off and play in the beach entry while she keeps an eye on them.

The beach entry, as well as many other elements of the pool, were all things she and Michael discussed with Randy when they met with him regarding their design plan. “The selection process was easy because we had thought about it for so long. We told him we didn’t want a square or rectangular pool. We wanted rocks, a waterfall feature, a spa, and we wanted the color to look kind of like the ocean.” Randy took all these elements into consideration when he designed an amoeba-shaped pool with a beautiful blue plaster finish. Their pool also features two deep ends and a beach entry with bubblers where the kids love to play.

Lori and Michael took friends’ advice when they were thinking about everything they wanted for their pool and spa. One helpful suggestion was to create a smooth surface to go around the edge of the spa.  This way if people just want to sit on the edge of the spa and put their feet and legs in their swimsuits won’t get roughed up. They used the spa for the first time a few weeks ago when they invited the kids’ cousins over and had a fun spur of the moment get-together. Lori loves that her home will be a gathering place for her kids’ friends and cousins now and in the future. She plans to host her kids’ birthday parties here and she’s excited that her home will be the “go-to” place when her children want to play with friends.

Of course, the pool isn’t just for the kids. Lori and Michael had a lot of friends over to watch March Madness and enjoy an outdoor cookout. They didn’t go in the pool, but they were able to enjoy the way the pool looked as the lights changed colors.  Everyone who has visited and seen the pool has really been impressed. Lori said they say things like, “Oh my gosh, how awesome is this! Your kids are going to love it!” Or, “It’s so nice, I love the sound of the waterfall.” Lori loves everything about her new pool and would recommend Extreme Exteriors to anyone who is interested in building a pool. “People will always have negative and positive things to say about anyone, but the reason we chose Extreme Exteriors was that everything was very organized. There was a vision as they walked us through everything.  We definitely got what we paid for.”

The Extreme Exteriors team was able to completely finish the backyard with the addition of a new grill and refrigerator in the existing outdoor kitchen. The team also installed new sod and added some simple, attractive landscaping. As the temperature starts to rise, Lori is looking forward to a summer full of fun times with friends and family. She and Michael plan to raise their family in this home, and she’s very happy that they chose Extreme Exteriors to help create their family’s “outdoor oasis”.

Clients: Jeff and Terry Groban

Project: Pool, Landscaping, Irrigation, Retail

Why: Terry has a high-pressure job and she needs her home to be a place where she can relax and unwind.  Both Terry and Jeff enjoy entertaining and want their home to be very inviting to guests.

Extreme Exteriors Services Used: Design, Construction, Retail

For some people home is not much more than a place to throw a frozen dinner in the microwave, toss laundry into the washing machine, and fall asleep on the couch with the TV on. For others, like Jeff and Terry, it’s a lot more than that – it’s a place to host fun parties with friends enjoying delicious, home-cooked meals. It’s also a place to unplug the phone, unwind with a glass of wine and simply relax.

When Terry and Jeff were house-hunting they knew they wanted a place to host friends, as well as a place to unwind from the stresses of the day. The house they found had a wonderful outdoor kitchen. It just needed a pool! “We had a pool at the other house, said Jeff. “Terry loves laying by the pool on the weekends. She has a pretty stressful job and she talked me into building a pool here.”

Jeff spent a lot of time talking to designer Randy Glenn about how the pool and patio should look. The design uses Holland pavers to blend in very naturally with the outdoor kitchen that was already there. The Extreme Exteriors team also helped Terry and Jeff choose new, comfortable patio furniture that enhances the areas around the pool and outdoor fireplace. 

Their home’s location is perfect for them because they have a large lot with no neighbors behind them, so they don’t really have to worry about being the noise level. This makes it ideal for times when they host a lot of people, such as their annual Super Bowl party, where they had about thirty guests over. They also cook out almost every Sunday night with their kids and grandkids.  It also makes it nice for Terry to lay out in the beach entry of the pool and totally chill without noisy neighbors disturbing her peace and quiet. The tranquil atmosphere is only broken by the sound of the water gently cascading from the waterfalls onto the surface of the pool, and that’s relaxing in and of itself!

Jeff described how he originally came up with the idea for the small waterfalls. “I was in Colorado for a meeting on the back side of a golf course. There was a stream running near about six or seven of the holes and I enjoyed the sound of the gently running water. “ Jeff and Randy came up with a plan that included two small waterfalls that can be controlled to increase or decrease the flow of water. The waterfalls add a nice touch of visual and audible interest to the overall look.

It’s early in the warm weather season, and the Grobans have enjoyed the pool a little already and look forward to entertaining a lot more this summer.  Jeff heartily recommends Extreme Exteriors, mainly because the team was at the house almost every day doing something to get the job done. He found that when we said it would be done by a certain time that it was done on time.  Our reliability is something that the Extreme Exteriors team takes pride in, and it’s a quality that sets us apart from the competition. We want our valued clients to know that they can count on us to finish the job right, just like we did for Jeff and Terry!

• Clients: Lee and Lori Owens
• Project: Front Yard and Backyard Landscaping, Outdoor Living, Pool and Spa
• Why: Lee and Lori built their dream home and wanted Extreme Exteriors to create outdoor living spaces that would give life to their new home.
• Extreme Exteriors Serviced Used: Design, Construction, Routine Maintenance, and Retail

Most people would agree that a highlight of  vacationing is seeing things that we don’t get to see every day at home. We always love coming home, but sometimes we miss the beauty of the places we visited. When Lee and Lori Owens asked the Extreme Exteriors team to design their outdoor living space, Lori drew upon her memories of beautiful Mexico and Arizona for some of her inspiration. She also took into consideration how her own tastes had evolved from the time her first pool had been built at her previous home. The result is a breathtaking pool with landscaping that further enhances the overall attractiveness of the entire back patio.

One of the design inspirations was the tall palm trees that Lori truly enjoyed from her times visiting Mexico. The Extreme Exteriors team planted four large palms that really added a dramatic, tropical feel.  Underneath the palms are rose bushes that now show small buds, but will add a lot of pretty color in just a few more weeks. Lori saw this particular variety of rose when visiting Scottsdale, Arizona and wanted them for her home in Abilene.

Lori’s home is a new build and one of the first things a person notices when driving up is the mature trees in the front yard. The trees look like they were part of the property before the home was built. In reality, they were another of Lori’s requests that turned out wonderfully well. Lori asked for mature trees and the design team came up with a plan that looks very natural. A large variety of plants including spiral junipers, pom pom yaupons, Italian cypress, and maiden grass adorn the front yard, and a winding path also creates a warm and welcoming look.

After many months of planning and building, Lee and Lori now have their dream home. The one they plan to grow old in together making wonderful memories with family and friends along the way.  And even if future travel takes them away, whenever they return they will always feel happy coming back to a place that relaxes them, inspires them, and reassures them that they are home.

Greg, Amanda, and Pierce Keys

Clients: Greg and Amanda Keys

Project: Backyard Landscape, Fencing, Patio, Pool and Spa

Why: To celebrate a second chance at life

Extreme Exteriors Services Used: Design and Construction

“Where do you see yourself five years from now?” Have you ever been asked that during a job interview? Sometimes five years go by and things turn out exactly the way we plan, and sometimes life has many unforeseen twists and turns. For Greg Keys, he never would have imagined that when he told Amanda, “Maybe in five years we’ll build a pool,” that they would be fighting for Amanda’s life.  Amanda started having headaches that gradually increased in frequency and intensity until an MRI revealed a large tumor that needed aggressive cancer treatment. They traveled to M.D. Anderson to seek the best possible care for Amanda. While staying in Houston, absorbing the stress and anxiety of cancer treatment, they would retreat poolside at their hotel to relax and unwind. Greg experienced for himself how soothing a beautiful pool can be and so the idea of putting in his own custom pool became more appealing. As Amanda got better and they returned home the pool now took on a whole new aspect – as a way to celebrate Amanda’s clean bill of health and what Greg described as a second chance at life.

With the decision made to add the pool, Greg and Amanda began to pull together pictures and ideas for the Extreme Exteriors design team. “The design process was great,” Greg said. “They were good about keeping us informed on where we were in the process and they made good suggestions along the way.” Greg mentioned how the designers noticed palm trees in many of the design inspiration pictures that Greg and Amanda shared, which is something that they hadn’t consciously considered as they gathered ideas. They liked how the Extreme Exteriors team noticed details like the palms and included them in the design.  They were also very happy with the suggestion to include an in-floor cleaning system. Amanda likes how it cleans the pool so effectively and that this avoids having a large, unwieldy hose lying on the surface of the pool.

Since the pool’s completion, Greg and Amanda have entertained friends more often because it’s a fun place to be together. The photo is a great example of this – they hired a musician, a caterer, and invited a ton of people over to celebrate the pool’s completion. When they’re not entertaining, Greg said he likes to take a patio chair and a book and sit in the beach entry to relax. He and Amanda also built the pool in mind for exercise as well, and he likes to take advantage of the length of the pool for swimming laps.

Greg and Amanda also love how they can adjust the lights at night, creating different moods and enjoying the look of the lights as they play off the water. They also like the lily pads in front of the spa, which was another design feature that they agreed would like great. Overall, the Keys said they’re very pleased with the result and they are happy with the service they received from the Extreme Exteriors team.  At Extreme Exteriors, we like to say that we help create the background to the story of your life. Greg and Amanda’s story has had its share of struggle and triumph, and we hope that as time goes on, there will be many more joyful occasions to celebrate.

• Client: Toni Isbell
• Project: Outdoor kitchen, fireplace, fire pit, fencing, water feature, and landscaping including raised flowerbeds and sod
• Why: She lives on 25 acres of rugged Texas land and she was ready to create a beautiful sanctuary that she could come home to and enjoy.
• Extreme Exteriors Services Used:  Design, Construction, and Maintenance

Before the Extreme Exteriors team began work, Toni described the backyard as “waist deep in tumbleweeds and sticker burrs.” Toni built a covered patio area about five years ago but she had dreams of transforming her simple patio into a dynamic outdoor living area.

The dream started to come together last fall when she presented company president and designer, Randy Glenn, with an abundance of ideas. That included adding a large outdoor fireplace to the existing patio. Toni is exceptionally knowledgeable and talented, and once considered building everything on her own!  “I have sixteen years in residential construction, so if I had wanted to, I could have done it myself. The time came where I was in a position to just have it done.” As she consulted with Randy, she developed total confidence in Extreme Exteriors’ ability to meet her ideals.

One of the most pleasant features in the new outdoor area is the water fountain, especially this time of year when plants are dormant. Toni thought about having a waterfall cascading into a pond in a back corner of the property, but during the design phase she agreed that a water fountain would be more suitable in the proposed location. Now when she’s inside her home, she can look out and watch the water gently splash from the fountain. An altogether more pleasing view than a pond built further away would have offered. The outdoor fireplace made from Oklahoma flagstone is also clearly visible and even when it’s not in use the seamless visual flow from house to outdoor area provides a striking aesthetic.

Adjacent to the outdoor fireplace is an outdoor kitchen made of Leuders stone, complete with Bull grill, refrigerator, sink, and bar seating. Toni had praise for Randy when describing how he cooperated with her to come up with the right look: “We were able to bounce ideas back and forth until we came up with this design.” She was also very happy that during the entire building process she was listened to and respected. Jake Griffith, the construction manager, always told her when he could be there and he stayed on top of things. This was very reassuring and raised her confidence in the entire team.

Now that everything is complete, Toni’s already hosted a few large events, such as gathering for Thanksgiving and for her brother’s 50^th birthday party.  When guests come, there’s an abundance of options for sitting out and relaxing by the fire. Friends can pull up a cozy chair next to the fireplace, or they can chat comfortably around the fire pit. “We had over 50 people here for my brother’s birthday,” Toni said. “People were enjoying the patio and kids were roasting s’mores at the fire pit. My nephew was playing his guitar and my fiancée Martin was on the drums — everyone was jamming!”

Toni also really enjoys the raised flower beds. She’s looking forward to spring when plants such as desert willows and crape myrtles will bloom. She will also add more flowers in preparation for her daughter’s June wedding. She knows her beautiful home, with its remarkable outdoor features, will provide the perfect setting for this special event. Toni looks forward to more memorable events ahead with her grandson and other friends and family.  We feel honored that Toni chose Extreme Exteriors to build her spacious and beautiful outdoor living area. We know that she will enjoy it for many years to come!