Insane Pools: Off the Deep End

I'M LUCAS CONGDON, OWNER OF LUCAS LAGOONS,

AND WE'RE REVOLUTIONIZING OUTDOOR LIVING

ONE BACKYARD AT A TIME.

MY GOAL IS TO CREATE

A JAW-DROPPING, OUT-OF-THIS-WORLD PARADISE.

****

A LUCAS LAGOONS PROJECT ISN'T JUST A POOL,

IT'S AN EXPERIENCE.

COME ON OUT.

THIS IS INCREDIBLE. WOW.

I WANT TO CRY. IT'S, LIKE, BEAUTIFUL.

MY GOD.

I HOPE YOU'RE CRYING WITH JOY.

YES.

MY JOB IS TO TAKE THEIR DREAMS

AND MAKE THEM BIGGER THAN THEY COULD EVER IMAGINE.

IT'S ALWAYS A WILD RIDE WITH LUCAS LAGOONS.

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

SO I'M GOING TO VISIT DAVE McCABE AND THE FAMILY.

THEY LIVE ON SIESTA KEY.

IT'S GOT ONE OF THE BEST BEACHES IN THE WORLD.

THEY WANT A KOI POND,

AND I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE WHAT THEY'VE GOT IN THE BACKYARD.

MY NAME IS DAVE. I'M A MARINE BIOLOGIST.

I LIVE IN SARASOTA, FLORIDA, WITH MY WIFE, CATHY,

AND WE HAVE FIVE CHILDREN.

WE FOUND A DREAM HOME IN THE DREAM LOCATION.

IT HAS DEEP-WATER ACCESS.

BUT THE ONE THING IT DIDN'T HAVE WAS A KOI POND.

WE'VE GOT A BEAUTIFUL VIEW ON THE WATER,

BUT IT'S NOT A HUGE SPACE,

SO WE'VE GOT TO FIND A WAY TO INCORPORATE WHAT I WANT - -

A FAIRLY LARGE POND IN THIS SPACE.

SOMETHING OVER HERE, AND I DON'T REALLY - - THIS FEELS NATURAL,

BUT I DON'T REALLY KNOW WHAT TO DO HERE.

I'M THINKING OF A BUDGET IN THE $25,000 TO $30,000 RANGE,

AND I'M HOPING THAT'LL WORK.

I MEAN, YOU HAVE PROBABLY 4,000 SQUARE FEET HERE

THAT WE COULD MAKE BEAUTIFUL LIVING SPACE.

THE WATER LEVEL SEEMS LOW, SO YOU PROBABLY HAVE A LEAK.

OTHER THAN AESTHETICALLY IT BEING DATED,

I CAN SEE YOU ONLY HAVE ONE MAIN DRAIN, WHICH ISN'T TO CODE.

AND SO IT'S KIND OF, LIKE,

A GOOD TIME WHILE WE'RE DOING THIS.

I'M THINKING POND, AND YOU'RE THINKING...

I'M THINKING, LIKE, THE WHOLE,

LIKE, FULL REMODEL, POND, LIKE, JUST ALL OF IT.

WOW.

WHEN CATHY AND I BOUGHT THIS HOUSE, WE HAD A NUMBER

OF REMODELING PROJECTS WE WERE VERY EXCITED ABOUT.

WE WERE GONNA DO IT IN STAGES STARTING WITH THE KOI POND

BECAUSE THAT WAS THE MOST URGENT NEED.

BUT NOW, LUCAS REALLY HAS ME RETHINKING THINGS.

I'D LIKE TO HAVE LUCAS COME AND SEE WHY IT'S IMPORTANT

THAT WE GET THIS PROJECT DONE QUICKLY.

SO I WANT HIM TO COME IN THE GARAGE AND MEET THE KOI.

HE LIVED IN A RENTAL HOME, AND IT HAD A POND THERE.

IT HAD ABOUT A 1,000 GALLON POND.

WE JUST REALLY FELL IN LOVE WITH THEM,

AND WE HAD TO TAKE THEM WITH US.

THAT DOES NOT LOOK VERY STURDY.

I KNOW. IT IS - -

IT IS LEANING, AND IT'S A LITTLE BIT PRECARIOUS.

DAVE SHOWS ME HIS TEMPORARY SETUP FOR HIS KOI FISH.

EVERYTHING'S KIND OF LEANING OVER.

LOOKS LIKE IT COULD FAIL AT ANY MINUTE.

THERE'S ONE MORE THING.

YOU CAN LINK AN AQUATIC SYSTEM WITH A HYDROPONIC SYSTEM

AND THEN RECYCLE THE NUTRIENTS THAT THE FISH PRODUCE.

BASICALLY THEIR WASTE BECOMES PLANT FOOD.

DAVE'S IDEA TO INCORPORATE A HYDROPONIC SYSTEM

WITH THE KOI POND SOUNDS AMAZING.

I LOVE COLLABORATING WITH CLIENTS,

ESPECIALLY ON NEW IDEAS.

LUCAS, THIS IS MY DAUGHTER CASEY.

HEY. NICE TO MEET YOU.

ONE THING IS, IS THESE ARE REALLY HER BABIES.

SHE LOVES THESE FISH, AND SHE'S ALSO A BIOLOGIST.

ALL RIGHT, SO BE, LIKE, MY ASSISTANT, RIGHT?

THE COORDINATOR? I'M READY TO HELP.

ALL RIGHT. THANK GOD.

I AM A LITTLE NERVOUS ABOUT LUCAS BUILDING US A KOI POND.

THERE ARE LOT OF THINGS THAT HE'S GOING TO NEED TO KNOW

TO BUILD IT THE RIGHT WAY.

WELL, I'M REALLY EXCITED TO SEE WHAT YOU CAN COME UP WITH.

I MEAN, IT'S A MUCH BIGGER PLAN

THAN I HAD THOUGHT OF ORIGINALLY.

HOPEFULLY, YOU CAN GET CATHY ON BOARD.

LET ME DO SOME BEAUTIFUL RENDERINGS OF THIS AREA,

AND I GUARANTEE YOU GUYS WILL FALL IN LOVE WITH IT

AND WANT TO GO FORWARD WITH IT.

ALL RIGHT, I APPRECIATE IT. SOUNDS REALLY AWESOME.

AWESOME, MAN.

I THINK I GOT DAVE ON BOARD NOW TO DO A WHOLE BACKYARD MAKEOVER,

BUT WE GOT TO CONVINCE CATHY NOW.

NOW THAT WE'VE GOT THE PLAN,

I BROUGHT BEN WITH ME, MY ACCOUNT MANAGER,

TO MEET THE McCABES AND CONVINCE THEM TO LET US

TURN THAT DATED BACKYARD INTO AN INCREDIBLE OASIS.

SO, CATHY, THIS IS BEN, AND DAVE, THIS IS BEN.

NICE MEETING YOU. PLEASURE TO MEET YOU.

HE'S BEEN WORKING HARD WITH ME

DOING ALL THE C. A. D. DESIGN AND THE VIRTUALS.

IN BEN APPEL, IN CHARGE OF LEADS, SALES, AND DESIGN

FOR LUCAS LAGOONS.

ANYTHING HE NEEDS ME TO DO FROM PROJECT MANAGEMENT

TO MEETING NEW CLIENTS, YOU NAME IT.

BASICALLY A STUNT DOUBLE.

WE GOT A BEAUTIFUL PLAN FOR YOU.

LET ME JUST WALK YOU THROUGH IT.

OKAY, LET'S SEE WHAT YOU GOT.

SO WHEN WE FIRST CALLED LUCAS, REALLY THE GOAL WAS JUST

TO FIND A HOME FOR OUR KOI. THAT WAS IT.

WHAT WE'RE BASICALLY GONNA DO IS COME IN HERE

AND JUST RIP EVERYTHING DOWN TO THE FOUNDATION.

SO, WE'RE GONNA TAKE ALL THESE PAVERS OFF

AND THEN CREATE YOUR KOI POND UNDERNEATH THE DECK AREA

THAT COMES OUT SO THAT DEAD SPACE TURNS INTO A FEATURE.

AND SO WE HAVE OVER 30 FEET OF WATERFALLS

FOR THE FISH TO PLAY IN.

THE KOI POND APPEARS TO FLOW INTO THE POOL.

SURE.

I LOVE THAT. THAT IS MY FAVORITE.

THAT IS REALLY, REALLY AWESOME.

AND THIS IS YOUR PLAY AREA. RIGHT?

SO IT'S NOT JUST FOR THE FISH.

YOU GET BENCHES TO SIT ON.

OVER HERE, WE'RE GONNA CREATE A GROTTO WATERFALL

WHERE YOU CAN SWIM UNDER AND HIDE BEHIND THE WATERFALL.

AND THE KIDS WILL HAVE A JUMPING ROCK

SO THEY CAN JUMP INTO THE DEEP END OVER THERE.

IT'S PRETTY EVIDENT

THAT HIS STRENGTH IS IN HIS CREATIVITY,

HIS PASSION AS AN ARTIST.

RIGHT HERE IS YOUR STONE BRIDGE.

NOW, YOU'VE STEPPED ONTO SIESTA BEACH.

YOU'VE GOT THE WHITE SAND,

YOU'VE GOT THE FIRE PIT OVER HERE.

A LOT OF COMPANIES HAVE A SALESMAN

THAT JUST DESIGN IT AND SELL IT.

I DESIGN IT, BUT I'M ALSO OUT THERE BUILDING IT,

MAKING SURE IT'S PERFECT.

I MEAN, THAT'S LIKE A DREAM COME TRUE REALLY FOR OUR BACKYARD.

THIS IS KIND OF HOW WE'VE ALWAYS WANTED

TO BE ABLE TO LIVE.

THIS IS THE PLACE THAT WE WANT TO LIVE IN, YOU KNOW,

FOR THE REST OF OUR LIVES. REALLY OUR FOREVER HOME.

ARE WE GOOD?

IT'S A GO. YEAH. OKAY.

I'M SO EXCITED THAT THE McCABES

ARE ON BOARD TO DO THE COMPLETE BACKYARD REMODEL.

THE McCABES AGREED ON A $165,000 BUDGET AND A 6-WEEK TIMELINE.

NOW IT'S TIME TO GET THE TEAM TOGETHER

AND START BUILDING THE McCABES THEIR BACKYARD OASIS.

THE McCABE PROJECT IS A TRICKY ONE.

IT'S BOTH A REMODEL AND NEW CONSTRUCTION.

WE'RE REDOING THEIR OLD POOL, BUT DIGGING A NEW KOI POND.

BUT LIKE ANY PROJECT, IT'S GOT TO START WITH DEMOLITION

AND GETTING A CLEAN SLATE.

SO, WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?

IT'S A PROJECT THAT STARTED OUT AS JUST A KOI POND,

AND I CONVINCED THEM TO ACTUALLY REMODEL THE WHOLE THING

AND MAKE ONE GIANT LAGOON HERE WITH A CREEK ACROSS IT.

THAT MAKES SENSE. IT'LL BE KICK-ASS.

BEFORE WE CAN START ANY OF THIS,

IS WE GOT TO GET ALL THAT BIG EQUIPMENT THROUGH HERE.

I'M JANE, ALSO KNOWN AS WOMAN.

I'M LUCAS' MOM.

EVERYBODY CALLS ME WOMAN,

AND I DON'T TAKE ANY OFFENSE TO THAT.

I ACTUALLY SEE IT AS A POSITIVE THING.

I'M STRONG. I'M INDEPENDENT.

I'M THE EPITOME OF WOMAN.

BEFORE WE CAN EVEN START ANY KIND OF ROCK WORK,

THERE'S A LOT OF OTHER WORK

THAT GOES INTO PREPARING FOR THAT.

IT STARTS WITH BASICALLY DEMOLISHING WHAT'S THERE.

WE KNOW IT'S GONNA BE MESSY.

I LIKE DOING THAT PART.

WHAT YOU GOT?

TRYING TO DRAIN THE POOL,

AND IT'S NOT SEEM TO BE DRAINING.

ARE YOU SURE THAT'S THE MAIN DRAIN?

THAT'S THE MAIN DRAIN.

MY NAME IS CHRIS OR A. K. A. CRASH.

BEEN AROUND WITH LUCAS LAGOONS SINCE THE START.

SO, I'M GONNA, LIKE, PUT A BUNCH OF POOL PUTTY IN HERE

'CAUSE IT WAS OBVIOUSLY LEAKING.

WELL, YOU WANT ANOTHER SCREWDRIVER?

OR WHAT DO YOU NEED OVER THERE?

ANOTHER JANKY BAND-AID FIX.

GREAT. I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS.

THE POOL MAIN DRAIN'S TOTALLY CLOGGED.

I MEAN, THIS IS SUPPOSED TO BE THE EASY PART,

JUST GETTING THE WATER OUT OF THE POOL.

WE GOT TO RIP ALL THE PLUMBING OUT OF HERE AND START OVER.

AW. THIS IS SO CRAPPY.

MAYBE DIVE DOWN THERE

AND PULL THE - - SEE IF THERE'S ANYTHING IN THERE.

WE GOT TO USE THE MAIN DRAIN TO DRAIN THE POOL.