Beyond building basic pools

By Emma Peterson. 

Experts from Noble Tile and Heritage Landscape discuss how today’s homeowners are embracing fully integrated outdoor living environments. 

In a new OutdoorTalk™, Karol Weyman is joined by Logan Barker, Jamie Jaramillo and John Zaprala for a conversation about building exceptional outdoor living environments. The conversation started with some introductions. 

Logan comes from a background in general construction, with his introduction to the swimming pool industry coming later. He explained, “I was working for a general contractor in commercial construction and then saw an opportunity in the boom of construction in Texas. I moved down here in 2019, a few things just led to another, and I stumbled into building swimming pools. I got to be a part of building a ton of backyards before I came to Noble Tile in August of 2023 and have been here ever since.” 

As for Jamie, her path to Noble Tile was also indirect. She shared, “My mom was an interior designer, and my dad was a general contractor, so I actually started working in that industry running some design centers...I eventually got introduced to the pool industry through a friend and I've been at Noble Tile for a few years now.”  

And last but not least, John is a product manager for Heritage Landscape Supply Group. Prior to joining Heritage, John was a contractor himself. In his own words, “I have over 25 years' experience as a contractor in high-end residential and commercial installation of landscape, hardscape, all aspects of outdoor living.”  

Together, these three and their extensive experience in construction and design made them the perfect panel to talk to about the role of pools, tiles and hardscapes in modern outdoor living spaces. Logan kicked off the conversation: 

Each element plays a massive role in the backyards that you see today. Growing up, pools were pretty basic. You had concrete, white plaster and water. Today, there are so many different elements going on, like tile selection, stone selection, decking selection, etc. 

And the options are not limited to the pool itself. As John put it, “A lot of what we see today is that the pool is the centerpiece, but the whole backyard is the destination. People are really creating cohesive spaces, so not just a pool but also seating, fire pits and more!” Jamie added, “The goal of these spaces is seamlessness. Not only between the components of the outdoor space but also a seamless transition from the indoor to the outdoor.”  

When looking at what’s driving this demand of connected, cohesive design, our panel pointed to COVID. Logan explained, “I think COVID really brought that to life for a lot of people, because they couldn't go anywhere, so they wanted to bring the vacation home by connecting elements such as fire pits, outdoor kitchens, putting greens, you name it, together to create that whole resort feel in a backyard.” 

For contractors working in this space, the homeowner desire for stunning outdoor spaces that are more than just the white plaster and concrete pools of the past is a huge opportunity. 

Listen to the whole episode or Watch the recording on YouTube to learn more about how contractors can deliver next level backyard spaces.