august 2026 pool of the month: an el capitan built through solid rock
starting from a blank backyard
EvoPools‘ August 2026 Pool of the Month comes from Rolesville, North Carolina, where a homeowner reached out to NC Lawnstar to completely revamp a backyard that was a blank slate. The owners had not settled on a specific vision, so the team walked them through a 3D design process to show what was possible within their budget before locking in a plan.
From there, the permitting process moved smoothly, and the project was ready to break ground.
thirty hours of rock stood in the way
Once excavation started, the crew hit an unexpected obstacle about three feet down. According to Tyler Clark, owner of NC Lawnstar, it turned into a first for his company.
“This is actually the first pool that we hit rock on,” Clark said. “We had to bust rock on this one for about thirty hours, kind of granite, sedimentary stone, before we could finally get it ready for the pool.”
Once the rock was cleared, the El Capitan 30 in Glacier Blue went in, and the finished result made every one of those hours worth it.
a raised tanning deck that changes up the scenery
A raised tanning deck sits at the center of the design, giving the backyard a defined space that breaks up the scenery and adds some visual interest. It works as a spot to pull up a table and relax, and it also made room for a built-in water feature.
A lighted sheer descent spills into the pool from the raised deck, and four deck jets flank the steps on either side, spraying into the water for a look that stands apart from a typical pool.
“It kind of gives you a spot for the kids to jump in, and a place for the adults to sit around the table with a cocktail while everyone else swims,” Clark said. “It’s just a nice elevated focal point right in the middle of the pool.”
techo-bloc details from the coping to the tanning ledge
The pool is bordered in Techo-Bloc Raffinato in a smooth AC2 finish, giving it a modern, sleek, rectangular coping with beveled edges instead of sharp points. The same coping wraps around the raised tanning ledge, tying the whole design together. The tanning ledge platform itself is finished in Techo-Bloc Blu 60 in Champlain Gray, adding a pop of color that helps the space stand out as the centerpiece of the backyard.
saltwater, fully lit and fully automated
The pool is saltwater chlorinated, heated and fully lit with LED lighting throughout. It runs on full Hayward automation, so the salt cell, heat and lighting can all be controlled at the click of a button, though this particular installation does not include an automatic cover.
NC Lawnstar handled every part of the project from start to finish, including the concrete work, hardscape and landscaping around the pool.
“We took it from literally nothing to everything you see,” Clark said.
a crane, tight quarters and a whole neighborhood watching
Getting the pool into place was its own challenge. The backyard sat in tight quarters within an established neighborhood, and a full-sized excavator could not fit through the space. That meant craning the pool up and over the house instead.
“We had to set the pool in the back, then do a crane reposition and reset it again,” Clark said. “It was a little tight, but we got it in there.”
As it turns out, a crane lifting a pool over a rooftop is hard to miss.
“Everybody in the neighborhood was out there watching,” Clark said. “It never fails. A crane pulls in and a pool comes in, and everybody likes to watch it fly over the house.”
meet the pool builder: nc lawnstar
NC Lawnstar is a Creedmoor, North Carolina, company that handles pool installations, hardscapes, retaining walls and everything in between. The pool side of the business also operates under the name Clark and Son Pools for marketing purposes, though NC Lawnstar remains the operating entity behind the work. Tyler Clark is the sole owner of the company and makes a point of being on every job site himself.
Let’s get your backyard pool project started today. Connect with a local EvoPools dealer to see what’s in store for you.
