Published by LANDOVA Design & Planning. Updated October 6, 2026.
By Jeremy Ruben · A chapter in the LANDOVA origin story
LANDOVA grew out of a question I kept asking throughout my work in pool sales and design: how could this process make more sense for the homeowner?
I had watched excitement become confusion around unclear proposals, missing details, and expectations that had not been aligned. I had also seen how much more involved people became when they could understand a design and help shape it.
I wanted to build a business around that difference. Homeowners deserved help connecting the project before committing to the work.
The pieces already existed
3D design existed. Site collection tools existed. Homeowner education existed. Contractors knew their trades. I was interested in bringing those pieces into a process that started with the person making the investment.
The backyard needed to work as a whole. A pool influenced the patio. The patio related to cooking and shade. Planting affected views and maintenance. Drainage, utilities, and access raised questions that did not disappear just because the rendering looked finished.
Someone needed to help the homeowner keep those connections in view.
What protecting homeowners means to me
It means helping people understand what they are buying, see their options, and ask questions while they can still change direction. It means keeping assumptions, exclusions, and unresolved decisions visible.
It also means respecting the time and emotion involved. An outdoor project competes with work, family, routines, and the rest of a household's plans. Learning every trade should not become a surprise evening occupation.
A homeowner can want a beautiful pool without wanting a second career in proposal interpretation.
Planning cannot remove every construction risk. LANDOVA's contribution is clearer preparation: design, visualization, project definition, and support with bidding and comparison. Qualified professionals remain responsible for engineering, approvals, construction, and other work within their roles.
Room for the whole vision and the first phase
Some homeowners want to build everything together. Others want a useful first phase and a thoughtful path toward later additions. Both deserve a coherent design.
Planning future possibilities does not require pretending they are funded or scheduled. It helps identify the connections worth discussing now, so the first phase is considered in the context of the larger goal.
That is why LANDOVA brings multiple outdoor elements into one planning conversation. The household lives in one backyard, even when several specialists will help create it.
Education is part of the business
The same purpose runs through the free planning tools, Pool School, and the homeowner education I have been developing for Inside the Pool Industry. I want people to leave with a better question and a clearer way to evaluate the answer.
You can begin with free education, collect your ideas in a project plan, or talk with LANDOVA about a design project. Each offers a different level of help.
I started by selling pools. LANDOVA is where I brought together what that experience taught me about helping homeowners prepare for the whole project.
