A little story about Benjamin… and me….
It’s 4 a.m. and I have been staring at the alarm clock on my night stand all night waiting for it to kick me out of bed. Shotcrete day is coming, and I am more excited for this particular project than any other I have ever been involved with. We are incorporating our first Lautner designed WaterShape feature called a Lautner Edge. When utilized as design intended and constructed with the utmost attention to its incredibly difficult details, this water feature is awe inspiring to say the least.
I had been thinking about this project day and night. Planning for weeks how I was going to execute this build prior to even digging the hole. I was 100% confident that I had thought of everything, or was I? “Wait, is my angle on the weir correct? Is there anything I am not considering?” Instantly, my excitement turned into panic! If I build this edge incorrectly at the shotcrete stage, it will mess up every phase of construction that comes after it.
It’s now 5 a.m. and I am in full panic mode! I am confident that we can deliver a great final product like we promised the client, but with how much trial and error, lost time and revenue? BENJAMIN! I’LL CALL BENJAMIN! Yes, I was that excited that I screamed it out to myself while flying up the highway to my job site. It was 6 a.m. Texas time when I called. He picked up on the first answer. “Hey Jeromey? What’s going on man, kind of early. Whatcha getting into?” I replied, “Well, umm, I am shooting my first Lautner edge pool design and I am a little unsure if how I planned my edge is correct. Do you have any advice?” He replied with a chuckle, “Call me sooner than the day of shotcrete would be my first tip!”
One hour later, I completely adjusted the way the shotcrete day was originally planned. Not only did it make the life of my shotcrete crew way easier and their day shorter, all the crews that followed them had a much easier time completing the design as it was intended by Lautner himself. Benjamin completely saved us.
We made multiple adjustments to the system that we designed and even made improvements on Benjamins system. We just wrapped up one of the most incredible Lautner edge projects we have ever laid our eyes on. Not only because of its beauty but because of its function. The system is SILENT! We have built varying styles of perimeter overflow vessels over the years and there is always some type of sound that come with the system. Not on this one! We pulled out all the stops and the results speak for themselves. Touching on what Benjamin discussed in his article,
adapting to different circumstances and adjusting details that worked for one person to work for yourself is key. There is always a better way to design, build and incorporate details. If you communicate, collaborate and educate yourself there truly are no limits to the value you can create for your clients, which in turn will feed your business.
If you have any questions about Lautner edge pools or anything else discussed in this issue, we are an open book for like-minded individuals.
Contact us anytime at lifestyle@tributarypools.com.
Best Regards,
Jeromey Naugle, SWD Registered
jeromey@premierparadise.net
