Remaking Nature

Although the landscape appears to meander, it unfolds within an axial plan. Goddard aligned some of the architectural features—a fountain at the entry court, a backyard staircase, serpentine wall, and arbor—with the house’s front door and main view corridor to the back of the property. Next, he mixed open spaces with alcoves and destination points so that being outdoors would feel as comfortable for 250 people as it does for two. The crushed granite paths amble around the property’s edges, connecting to internal points of interest such as a 1,500-square-foot pool cabana with a paved courtyard and fireplace, a wisteria-draped arbor and curving walls set up for weddings, and a series of ponds, streams, and waterfalls that appear to feed the property’s centerpiece—a 6,000-square-foot swimming pool complete with a grotto and sandy beach.

Goddard uses only real rock in waterfall construction, hand-selected from local quarries or from brokers who purchase it from private landowners. And he regularly walks streams in an effort to duplicate nature, observing how water spills over rocks and what conditions create whitewater. “Your eye says that the water comes from somewhere farther up,” Goddard says. “I saw a spring coming out of the side of a stream, and I said, ‘We could do that.’” Here, the upper pool’s sleight of hand involves 18 “springs” created by drilling through large rocks and slowly pumping in recirculated water from the lake. “You won’t see a ripple in that upper pool because of the way we bring the water in,” he says.

With the addition of a beach, fire pit, and walking paths, this 4-acre property offers more than a just a pretty view. Photo: Courtesy Goddard Construction Services With so much heavy lifting involved, Goddard did the equivalent of a mock-up before the layout was set in stone. The entire project was painted on the ground, and elevations were checked on pipes color-keyed to grade changes. During the 33 months of construction, Goddard and his 15 crew members maintained a constant presence, working out of job trailers parked on site. They covered all the necessary trades except for the electrical work and pool plaster. Half of the cast stone was made from molds on the spot. “We usually have two projects going on at once—a main one and a smaller one that might just be a small boathouse for a former client,” Goddard explains. “We aren’t off site trying to run a job this size.”

While the owners are no doubt pleased with their dazzling scenery, Goddard knows that what lies beneath is the key to its success. A 1,700-foot utility loop around the property contains enough piping, wiring, and junction boxes to allow the owners to add features down the road. These outdoor utilities interface underground with some of the house’s electronic systems. Originally slated to go inside, the power room grew in size as the owners added elements during construction. Now a separate 10-foot-by-20-foot power house, which also contains a back-up diesel generator, is tucked into the property’s edge.

Whitewater rushes beneath one of three bridges on its way to the swimming pool. Builder Bill Goddard carefully placed the rocks to generate turbulence. Photo: Courtesy Goddard Construction Services “The water features need little maintenance, but I can check their chemistry every day from my computer,” Goddard says. Except for the koi pond and water garden, which have separate pumps and filters, the backyard water features are tied into an automated salt chlorine generator system. The sandy beach, too, is designed for minimal upkeep. An underwater concrete-and-plaster berm with an external drain system keeps the sand from washing into the pool filters.

Given the thick profusion of tall evergreens, grasses, and colorful alpine plants that anchor this watery oasis, it’s hard to imagine it was once a blank slate. Whether the owners and their guests are swimming under the waterfall to the secret grotto, crossing whitewater over a wooden bridge, or roasting marshmallows on the beach, there’s a sense of openness, intimacy, and discovery. “Where I get the most enjoyment is when someone has been on the property three or four times and says, ‘When did you do that?’” Goddard says. “There’s so much going on that you don’t see everything at once, and we like that.” —Cheryl Weber is a contributing writer in Lancaster, Pa.