Quick Summary
Selah Pools built a complete outdoor environment for the Gayton family in Colleyville, TX, featuring a 19,782-gallon pool with lion's head scuppers, raised custom spa with spillover, bubblers, and sconce effects.
Key Takeaways
- The Gayton family invested in a complete outdoor environment in one of Colleyville's established neighborhoods, built for lasting use.
- The project includes a 35' x 20' pool, 7' x 7' custom spa with spillover, three lion's head scuppers, two bubblers, and three sconce effects.
- Stepped benches spanning over 80 linear feet and a gradual depth range from 3'6" to 6' create a pool suited to families and serious swimmers alike.
- The raised spa at +18 inches with a five-foot spillover functions as both architectural feature and private retreat.
Colleyville rewards a certain kind of design patience — the kind that resists trend and invests in permanence. The Gayton residence reflects exactly that instinct. The pool's 35-by-20-foot envelope was drawn to feel unhurried, with stepped benches lining more than 80 linear feet of interior edge, offering as much space for quiet conversation as for open swimming. Three lion's head scuppers animate the water's surface with sound and movement, transforming still afternoons into something more alive. The raised custom spa — positioned at 18 inches above the pool deck, with a five-foot spillover — reads as both architectural accent and genuine retreat.
Materials & Finishes
The three lion's head scuppers do more than move water — they set a tone. Cast with classical detail, they establish the residence's character before a single swimmer enters the pool. Two bubblers rise along the tanning area, gentle enough for children, sculptural enough to photograph.
Spa & Lighting
The custom spa holds 578 gallons at 3 feet 4 inches deep, its five-foot spillover releasing a curtain of water that catches the last light of a Colleyville evening. Sconce effects along the pool perimeter shift the entire space after dark — less backlit, more candlelit. The 19,782-gallon pool descends gradually from 3 feet 6 inches to a full 6, giving every swimmer the depth they need without sacrificing the shallow social edge.
Project Highlights
The Gayton family invested in a complete outdoor environment in one of Colleyville's established neighborhoods, built for lasting use.
The project includes a 35' x 20' pool, 7' x 7' custom spa with spillover, three lion's head scuppers, two bubblers, and three sconce effects.
Stepped benches spanning over 80 linear feet and a gradual depth range from 3'6" to 6' create a pool suited to families and serious swimmers alike.
The raised spa at +18 inches with a five-foot spillover functions as both architectural feature and private retreat.
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes lion's head scuppers different from other features?
Lion's head scuppers deliver something most water features don't — a sculptural identity. Where bubblers punctuate the surface, scuppers project water with force and character, each cast form serving as an architectural element even when the system is off. At the Gayton residence, three lion's head scuppers define the pool's personality. Their sound carries across the outdoor living space, establishing an ambient quality that quiets the surrounding neighborhood. Paired with stepped interior benches and sconce lighting, they ensure the environment has presence at every hour.
How does a raised spa with spillover affect pool design?
Raising a custom spa above the pool deck creates a visual anchor for the entire outdoor environment and produces a spillover that becomes a living water feature. Set at 18 inches above the pool surface with a five-foot spillover length, the Gayton spa reads as the design's high point — both literally and compositionally. The spillover catches evening light differently than still water. It introduces movement and sound at the end of the pool where activity naturally gathers. The result is a space that doesn't feel finished when the jets shut off — it continues to perform.
What should Colleyville homeowners consider when planning a pool?
Colleyville lots often carry mature landscaping and established setbacks that shape what's possible before a designer sketches a single line. Working within those constraints while building something intentional requires experience with the city's permit environment and a design approach that treats the lot as the starting point. The Gayton project demonstrates what's achievable within a typical Colleyville footprint. A 35-by-20-foot pool paired with a 7-by-7-foot custom spa, water features, and layered evening lighting fits comfortably when the design is resolved before excavation begins. The heater extends swimming well into fall.
How do sconce effects change the outdoor experience after dark?
Standard pool lighting illuminates from below, which produces a beautiful effect but leaves everything outside the pool in shadow. Sconce effects work differently — they cast light horizontally along the perimeter and surrounding surfaces, creating warmth that feels architectural rather than functional. The shift is closer to candlelight than floodlight. At the Gayton residence, three sconce effects positioned around the pool perimeter transform the outdoor living space after sunset. Combined with dedicated pool and spa lighting, the result is an environment with depth and dimension — not a single bright plane of water surrounded by darkness.
Why does bench and step placement matter in a pool design?
Benches and entry steps define how a pool gets used across every age and occasion. Shallow seating areas invite conversation, give younger children a safe perch, and let adults be in the water without committing to swimming. Eighty linear feet of steps and benches means the pool has no dead zones — every edge is usable. Selah's approach to the Gayton pool placed five stepped elements along more than 80 feet of interior perimeter, ensuring the space functions as well for a quiet evening as for a summer gathering. The gradual depth — from 3 feet 6 inches to a full 6 feet — mirrors that same thinking.
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