Published by LANDOVA Design & Planning. Updated October 13, 2026.
By Jeremy Ruben · Founder of LANDOVA
My advice about planning a backyard comes from working inside the pool industry—not simply from drawing attractive outdoor spaces. I sold millions of dollars in pool projects and saw firsthand how exciting improvements could become frustrating when homeowners did not have a clear picture of the whole project.
That experience is why I built LANDOVA: to help you understand the choices, connect the pieces, and define the project before you choose the people who will build it.
Millions in pool projects—and lessons beyond the sale
I started as a commission-only pool sales representative and grew into one of my company's leading sales consultants. I worked with homeowners at a consequential moment: they were deciding how to invest in their property and the life they wanted outside.
The sale mattered. So did everything the homeowner thought they were buying. A pool conversation quickly became a discussion about patios, shade, landscaping, cooking, privacy, and what a family could comfortably afford to do now or later.
I saw the pain and frustration that followed when a beautiful drawing, a written proposal, and the homeowner's expectations did not describe the same thing. Questions about responsibilities, missing work, timing, and the handoff to construction could overshadow the original excitement.
That is an observation from inside the process, not an assumption that every contractor works the same way. Good builders benefit from a well-defined project, too.
Pool knowledge that goes beyond the shape
Designing thousands of pools has given me repeated opportunities to work through layouts, features, constraints, and homeowner priorities. My experience includes pool operation and hydraulics—the way water moves through the system—as well as equipment choices, maintenance access, and the design limitations of vinyl-liner, gunite (concrete), and fiberglass pools.
In a planning conversation, that means looking beyond a photograph. How will you use the water? What should you understand about the proposed equipment? What are the tradeoffs between the pool types you are considering? Which questions need to go to the builder or another qualified professional before you commit?
My role is to help make those decisions understandable and connect them to the backyard around the pool. Project-specific engineering, code compliance, approvals, and construction remain with the appropriately qualified professionals.
Learning from respected pool designers
My professional education includes GENESIS’s Master Designer Methods and Elevate’s design courses. I studied under Kirk Bianchi and Jason Brownlee, two of the industry’s most respected pool and outdoor-living designers.
That education reinforced the importance of designing the whole outdoor space—not just the pool. I bring those lessons into LANDOVA through clearer layouts, thoughtful questions, and a more complete view of how the backyard should work for the people living in it.
Why that experience became LANDOVA
I wanted the planning conversation to begin with the homeowner's whole vision—not stop at the edge of the pool contract. A patio needs room for the furniture. A future kitchen needs a place in the layout. A pavilion should relate to the view from the house and the people using the space.
LANDOVA brings design, visualization, project definition, and the agreed level of estimating or bidding support into that earlier conversation. I do not ask you to choose between unrelated proposals and hope the pieces fit later.
You choose your builders and trades. My job is to help you arrive at those conversations with a clearer plan, better questions, and a more informed understanding of your options.
Start with the backyard you want to live in
If you are researching pool builders, landscape companies, or outdoor kitchen contractors, consider what should be planned before the first contractor call. Begin with how you want to use the space, then connect the features around that purpose.
The free Outdoor Project Plan helps organize your ideas and priorities. For a custom layout, 3D design, and the planning services included in your proposal, explore a paid LANDOVA design engagement. The free tool is a starting point, not a completed custom design or construction quote.
