Backyard Biography – The Multops | California Pools & Landscape

Every backyard has a story and this story chronicles how Phil & Melanie Multop created their dream outdoor living environment with the help of California Pools & Landscape.

The Multops were looking to remodel their pool and spa while also tying in design elements throughout the property for a continuous design flow. The goal was to blend the Carefree, AZ natural desert environment with a Mediterranean feel.

“When we bought the house we thought it was great as it was, we were really thrilled and happy,” said Melanie Multop. “You know how one thing leads to another and we were like wouldn’t it be nice if we had more deck space? Wouldn’t it be nice if the pool sparkled in the sunlight? Wouldn’t another fireplace be nice? We had all these ideas floating around in our heads and Phil was like you know what let’s just do it. Let’s bite the bullet and make the place the way we want it.”

Choosing A Pool Company In Arizona

The Multops contacted California Pools & Landscape when looking for a pool remodel along with outdoor living additions on the front porch & backyard. Because they were living in the Pacific Northwest, a majority of the project would be completed with them living offsite.

Remodeling & Design Inspirations
The transformation of the Multop estate centered around establishing a classic look and feel to the home.

“This house was originally built in 1985, but we wanted it to feel more like 1965 and not in an old outdated way, but in a classic stand the test of time kind of way,” said Multop.

California Pools & Landscape Project Manager Brian Fox helped bring the vision to life for the Multops.

“Some of the most fun I had was designing this with you guys, really trying to take this house back to what we thought was more era-correct, but with a little modern twist to it and I really think we accomplished that well.”

“We just wanted from pulling up off the street, walking right through the whole house and into the backyard for it to all be one home,” said Multop. “I think my favorite part is the continuity of how the yard flows into the house and back out into the front again.”

For Senior Manager Todd Hutchins, one element of the redesign immediately stands out from the rest.

“What’s really special is when you approach the space from the road you see the grand stonework up on the house and on the columns. It helps break the walls up in front of the home and really creates some definition and like we were talking about that old world feel and that french look and that desert feel that you were going for.”

One prominent item in the redesign of the front entry to the home was a handcrafted fireplace. Stretching from the ground up to the top of the grand entryway, it creates an alluring ambiance in the space.

“My favorite element up here is the fireplace,” said Hutchins. “It’s that really nice warm and welcoming environment that I think we captured. You come up and you see a fireplace, a seating area and then they don’t even get to see the backyard yet.”

A Complete Pool & Backyard Remodel

Only one thing remains from the pre-existing backyard and that is the shape of the pool. Our team completely transformed every other element of the yard.

“We re-did I think it’s safe to say everything back here,” said Fox. “The pool is still the same shape it was, but outside of that, we’ve redone everything. We resurfaced it, we redid the cleaning system on it, new concrete everywhere, got rid of the wood deck. I could talk for an hour straight about everything I love about this backyard.”

In addition to the pool, Fox included water features, a fire bowl, light features, an outdoor shower, and extensive landscaping to the remodel.

“Of course the pool is gorgeous, but I think my favorite part is how it blends with sort of this old-world feel and yet it’s very high tech,” said Multop. “I feel like this could be a villa in France, that’s what I love.”

Creating A French Villa Design

Creating additional usable space in the backyard was necessary to complete the vision for the project. For over three months, our crews worked to demolish a pre-existing wood deck and create a new structure.
Mixing the desert landscape with a Mediterranean vibe involved allowing the desert into the space in an elegant way.

“The design team at California Pools & Landscape figured out a way to make it look beautiful but also blend with the desert. At first, we thought well this is going to be not what we had in mind, but yet we can’t imagine it any other way.”

Bringing a customer’s vision to life is the most rewarding part of the job for the team at California Pools & Landscape.

“We feel like it’s brand new, but the idea was for it to not look brand new. We wanted it to be like an original home from the neighborhood. So to me, that was a success and was thanks to California Pools not even second-guessing what that was.”