Every family has their own way of getting away from it all. For some it might be a trip to the beach. For others it might be a drive to the casino or even a night at the bowling alley. Whatever it entails, it often takes careful planning and time off work.
But for one Southwest Ohio family, quick getaways are an everyday occurrence. That’s because in just a few short steps, their everyday living quarters moves into a 20,000-square-foot oasis including an indoor pool, bowling alley, poker room, car museum and full-court gymnasium. The family didn’t plan to build an entertainment hub. Rather, it just blossomed from an original plan that was much smaller. “The main thing we wanted to do was add on garage space because my husband was collecting cars and he had them here, there and everywhere,” the home’s owner says. “Then it moved from that to wanting a space where the kids could go and enjoy indoor activities.”
A tropical locale in the Buckeye State
The new addition was built onto the home’s original 15,000-square-foot structure that now sits on a former farm purchased in 1996. Back then, the family lived in the original farmhouse while plans were finalized for their dream home. Little did they know that their estate would eventually become a gathering place within the community.
The addition’s main attraction is its naturally designed pool, which resembles a tropical getaway. While the pool area was the last feature considered for the addition, it now acts as the main body of the new building. The room in which the pool is housed resembles a rotunda, but feels more like the Bahamas. Dry, hot desert air pumps throughout the room, consistently keeping the space at or above the pool’s water temperature to avoid condensation on the windows.
Large boulders make up the pool’s perimeter creating a natural, grotto-inspired look. The pool can be accessed at several points including a graduated beach entry. In addition to the waterfall, a pool slide is tucked inconspicuously into the rocks.
A hot tub haven was made within a cave cut out of the rocks where the waterfall flows into the pool. The cave is accessible via a tunnel cut through the rocks or by simply swimming up under the waterfall. Once inside, the family can enjoy the peace and quiet while gazing up at the LED lighting in the ceiling or they can turn on one of the numerous flat screen televisions that are sprinkled throughout the entire addition.
For those looking for more of an adventurous swim, take a dip into the main pool and float alongside the exotic fish and sharks that inhabit an 8,500-gallon tank in the center of the pool. The kidney-shaped tank, created and serviced by Cincinnati Aquarium Design and Maintenance, is filled with 160 fish—including sting ray and guitar fish—and 16 sharks, which will grow to three feet long. “The homeowners wanted as much variety as they could get so we chose animals that swim close to the bottom as well as those that swim more freely,” says Adam Elkus, owner of Cincinnati Aquarium Design and Maintenance.
Elkus’ crew visits the aquarium three times a week and spends a lot of those hours scuba diving to feed the animals and clean the tank. It’s important to hand feed the animals to make sure they all get fed and to avoid an aggressive behavior that might occur over getting food.
To complete the exotic theme, the pool area is filled with foliage. Much of it is real, with the exception of the palm trees surrounding the pool, which were designed by Shehan Pools in Northern Kentucky. When the family needs a break from the water, they can take a seat at the tiki bar, enjoy a drink, and catch a game on one of the two flat screen televisions behind the bar. A set of pocket doors behind the bar leads to a full-service kitchen, complete with a sink, dishwasher, oven, refrigerator and freezer.
Indoor sports activities
For family and friends who enjoy playing basketball rather than watching it, a full court is waiting just around the bend. The gymnasium is equipped with bleachers and a multi-purpose floor, which allows almost any type of sport to be played including volleyball, tennis and even inline skating.
Sliding glass doors along the tiki bar lead to a two-lane bowling alley, designed and installed by Brunswick. The alley, which includes a bar and seating area, features an ocean-themed decor. A large dolphin sculpture stands in the alley’s entrance and a 900-gallon aquarium provides an underwater atmosphere. Unlike the main aquarium in the pool, this one takes on a more peaceful scene with up to 400 animals including shrimp, snails, clams, corals and crabs. “What is cool about this tank is that you can walk up to it at any point and discover new things that you didn’t know were there before,” Elkus says.
After a family-friendly bowling tournament, the adults can make their way to the nearby poker room, which is designed and decorated with serious card playing in mind. The homeowners love to play cards with their friends and were excited to build a specific place dedicated to this one activity. The poker room’s main room features two tables and seven flat-screen televisions. It’s in the poker room that the décor takes on a more mature look with ornate materials like dark wood, leather and marble countertops.
The poker room offers a separate room for the men who might want to enjoy a cigar with the game. The adjoining cigar room includes one poker table and a ventilation system overhead that carries the smoke out of the room. The idea was to create a country club-like feeling and the homeowners did that with the cherry woodwork and a wall mural painted by artist Mickey Harris.
A car enthusiast’s dream
In addition to the poker room, you can also find the men of the house in the garage, or as the homeowners like to call it—the Museum. The area holds nine cars and has a large bay where a Prevost bus is held. The homeowner displays his large array of cars including his 1967 Camaro, his Mercedes and Hummers. The space is a car lover’s dream with custom-designed flooring, an elaborate mural, and just the right lighting to make the collection come to life.
As one can imagine, the home has become a place for many parties. The family has hosted everything from birthday parties to the couple’s class reunion. But it is the low-key evenings with family and friends that they really enjoy. During card nights, you’ll find the adults gathered in the poker room and the kids splashing around in the pool.
Above all else, the addition has created an amazing escape from the gray Ohio weather in the dead of winter. “We didn’t get to go to Florida for Christmas this past year,” the homeowner recalls. “But I remember saying that if we can’t be in Florida for Christmas at least we can still feel like we’re there.”
LIGHTS OUT
Let technology do the work for you
When you add on 20,000 square feet of space to a home you’re talking about a lot of light switches to turn off at night. Couple that with 31 flat screen televisions and a state-of-the art audio system and it becomes an even bigger giant to put to bed.
“The problem with an addition of this size is figuring out how you are going to control everything,” says Lee Howell, whose company, Audio Video Design Group, was hired to create a solution for the homeowners so that they didn’t face such a dilemma.
The Dayton-based company created a one-of-a-kind software solution to control all the technology in their new entertainment addition. Over a matter of months, four people wrote code for the system used to control the lights, sound, video and security throughout the house. That doesn’t include the other special features like the pool’s waterfall or fog system.
Audio Video used two main software applications: Crestron to control the audio and visual technology and a Lutron Light System to control the lighting. Both work hand in hand to funnel the control of everything down to small screens placed throughout the addition. Now, with one quick touch, the homeowners can control everything from the flow of the waterfall in the pool to what movie is being played on the large television screen by the gymnasium. One small touch can also put the entire addition into themes such as party mode, which pre-programs lights, sound and even the waterfall to a certain mood or feeling. Security cameras also allow the homeowners to view any room at any time.
The homeowners chose to show off some of the technology that operates their home by showcasing the server behind the glass door in the cigar room. Additional equipment is hidden in a closet behind the server.
Perhaps the most amazing thing about the system is that the homeowners don’t have to be in the room to turn off the lights or turn on the music. All they need to do is pick up one of the portable devices in any room and get an idea of what is happening next door.
article resources
Outdoor landscape: Natorps; Indoor landscape: McCarty Gardens; Outdoor pool: Pools By Design; Waterfalls: Natorps (cigar garden); Centerville Landscaping (rear), Shehan Pools (indoor pool); Outdoor kitchen: Kohl’s Landscaping; Grill, appliances and countertops: Take it for Granite; Indoor pool, hot tub, grotto and fish tank: Shehan Pools; Fish tanks and maintenance: Cincinnati Aquarium; Bowling alley: Brunswick; Audio/video system: Audio Video Design Group; Furnishings: Observatory House; Basketball court: Cincinnati Flooring; Kitchen and bar design: Observatory House; Cabinetry: Plain & Fancy; Tiki bar construction: Vinup; Appliances: Custom Distributors; Countertops: Take it for Granite; Murals: Mickey Harris; Flooring: Tile, supplied by Superior Flooring; Flooring installation: JLG; Carpet: Observatory House; Pavers: Installed by Decorating Paving
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