OUR STORY / JEREMY RUBEN, FOUNDER

A better backyard deserved a better beginning.

I sold millions in pool projects and saw where homeowners needed clearer answers. That experience, thousands of pool designs, and professional education shaped LANDOVA.

Read the short story

About 4 minutes · Go deeper wherever you’re curious

Illustrative portrait of Jeremy Ruben seated beside a backyard design in his workspace.
Jeremy Ruben, founder of LANDOVA. Illustrative portrait.
Illustrative re-creation of Jeremy discussing backyard ideas with homeowners during his pool-sales years.
Illustrative re-creation of Jeremy's early pool-sales years.

01 / POOL SALES

I came to talk about a pool. The questions filled the backyard.

I started in commission-only pool sales and became one of my company’s leading consultants. Selling millions of dollars in pool projects taught me how much homeowners needed to understand before making a very big decision.

The more I listened, the more I wanted to explain the whole project: what it included, how it would work, and what needed an answer before anyone signed.

WHAT I CARRIED FORWARDStart with the life you want outside.

My pool experience and training 4 min read
Illustrative re-creation of Jeremy developing a whole-backyard concept at his design desk.
Illustrative re-creation of the shift from pool drawings to whole-backyard design.

02 / LEARNING THE CRAFT

So I learned. And gave the Undo button a very demanding job.

Through GENESIS and Elevate design courses, I studied under Kirk Bianchi and Jason Brownlee—two of the industry’s most respected pool designers. I kept practicing and finding clearer ways to present ideas.

My drawings grew into complete backyard concepts: pools, patios, kitchens, shade, planting, and the connections between them. Every improvement had to answer one question: would this make more sense to the homeowner?

WHAT I CARRIED FORWARDMake the possibilities easier to understand.

How my pool drawings became backyard plans 3 min read
Illustrative re-creation of Jeremy listening to homeowners around a kitchen table with a backyard sketch.
Illustrative re-creation of a kitchen-table design conversation.

03 / DESIGNING TOGETHER

The kitchen table became a design studio.

Working on designs with homeowners changed the conversation. They could move the spa, widen the patio, explore a future pavilion, and see how one choice affected another.

I loved watching the ideas become something they could help shape. A clear picture gave them room to ask better questions. Their everyday lives became part of the drawing.

WHAT I CARRIED FORWARDGive homeowners a real voice in the design.

How homeowners changed the way I design 3 min read
Illustrative re-creation of Jeremy comparing three sample proposals with a backyard plan.
Illustrative re-creation using fictional proposals and a sample plan.

04 / SEEING THE GAPS

Three proposals. Three different projects. One confused homeowner.

I saw excitement turn into stress around unclear scopes, missing details, and expectations that had never quite lined up. A beautiful design could still leave questions about costs, responsibilities, timing, and the handoff to construction.

The gaps mattered as much as the features. Homeowners needed help connecting the design, the written scope, and the work each professional would handle. Good builders benefit from that clarity, too.

WHAT I CARRIED FORWARDClarify the commitments behind the picture.

Why proposals can describe different projects 3 min read
Concept rendering of a suburban backyard combining a pool, patio, pergola, cooking space and planting.
A whole-yard concept: pool, patio, shade, cooking and planting. Concept illustration.

05 / CREATING LANDOVA

I built the business around the person making the investment.

LANDOVA brings together design, planning, visualization, education, and support with bidding and comparison. Its purpose is to help protect your time, your investment, and your excitement by making the project easier to understand before construction.

We help you see the whole vision, consider phases, and prepare better questions for the right professionals. You choose your builders. We help you arrive at that decision better prepared.

WHAT I CARRIED FORWARDPut the homeowner at the center of the process.

Why I built LANDOVA around the homeowner 3 min read
Wooden stars behind a magnifying glass, backyard sketch and pool tile, illustrating a closer look beyond review ratings.
Looking beyond the stars to the details. Editorial illustration.

AND ABOUT THOSE FIVE STARS…

A glowing Google rating is not a construction audit.

I also learned to ask what a review was actually reviewing. A great sales meeting? A completed pool? Help when something went wrong?

Even sincere praise may tell only part of the story. Some online reviews are influenced or misleading. Homeowners deserve more to go on than a star average.

What Google reviews really tell you 3 min read

THE STORY KEEPS GOING

A little perspective.
A better next question.

The same spirit runs through Inside the Pool Industry and our free education: make the complicated parts understandable, leave room for a laugh, and help you decide with better information.

YOUR STORY STARTS WITH YOUR IDEAS

What would make your backyard worth coming home to?

Start collecting possibilities, or talk with us about turning them into a design.

LANDOVA provides design and planning support. Qualified professionals handle engineering, approvals, and construction within their roles.

Explore LANDOVA’s 3D backyard design services and our Pensacola and Gulf Coast service area.