The Ortiz family wanted a pool deck that felt like an extension of their Mediterranean home, not a surface laid on top of it. We sourced silver travertine from a single quarry block to keep tonal variation tight.
§ Time-lapse · 11 weeks
From the first cut.
STAGE 01 / 07
DEMOW1
Demo & haul
Cracked 1990s pool deck out by Tuesday. 84 cubic yards of debris hauled, 14 tons of rebar recycled.
— Jaime · excavation lead
EXCAVATIONW2–3
Subgrade & base
Caliche layer hit at 28″ — deeper than expected. Compacted to 96% Proctor over 4 lifts. Independent test on file.
— Jaime · excavation lead
DRAINAGEW4
Drainage & layout
French drains routed to existing dry well. Joint pattern chalked on the base — checked twice with the homeowner before any stone touched.
— Tomás · site lead
FIRST STONESW5–6
Stone set · field
North half laid first, ~1,840 sf. Dry-laid, then wet-set on bond coat. Three-millimeter joints throughout.
— Ruben · stone setter
COPINGW7–8
Coping & spa edge
22 silver travertine pieces hand-cut to the spa radius — all from the same quarry block. One extra in case of a swap.
— Carlos · setter
GROUT & SEALW9–10
Cure, grout, seal
Polymeric joint sand activated. Deep clean, then a penetrating sealer applied in two coats with 24 hours between. Cured before walk-through.
— Tomás · site lead
FINALW11
Walk-through & sign-off
Two-hour walk-through with the family. Punch-list of three items: one chip on coping piece 17, two grout touch-ups. All resolved within 48 hours.
— Marco · founder
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