Rondo creates the right pools for the space

By Hollie Deese
Photography by Reed Brown

Dana Rondeau had a bad experience one time putting in a pool, but that was before she met her husband, Steve. In 1985, Steve’s father had started a pool design business out of his garage in Arizona, and today that part of the business does about 400 pools a year.

Steve branched out to Nashville eight years ago, bringing his family’s history of excellence — and Arizona’s advanced pool mindset. Now, as part of the family business, Dana loves being able to give people the experience she never had.

Dana handles design while Steve takes care of construction. They only build 50 pools a year, and have a year-long waiting list. They never subcontract out work; everyone is on staff, from the artisans who create the water features to the workers who lay the custom tile.

“We have all of our own craftsmen, people that build waterfalls, and we do everything ourselves,” she says.

They only do custom granite shotcrete pools and will not do vinyl or fiberglass, though they considered adding fiberglass options and interviewed a few people about possibly joining the team. Ultimately, they decided to focus on their specialty.

“We just decided to stick to what we do,” she says.

One thing they do really well is infinity-edge pools, something people in Tennessee want more and more. Unfortunately, Rondeau says, it isn’t always possible. Whatever the options, they work with people to maximize individual landscapes, creating images in a 3D program to show clients a style that best suits the space.

“So many people want a vanishing-edge pool, and they just don’t have the landscape for it,” she says. “Not everyone can visualize. I’m a very visual person, so I have to see it.”

And while their style does trend toward sleek and modern, they are all about putting in a big rock wall, lazy river or craggy grotto if that is what is best for the client and the setting. Whatever the installation, they make sure the technology is at the top of its game.

“The products are there, and they’re not hard to use,” she says. “Being able to turn your spa on while you’re out at dinner so it’s hot when you get home is a simple smartphone connection. And it’s not anything that we’ve developed; you just have to keep yourself educated. You have to go to the conferences, you have to go to the design meetings. You have to keep yourself current.”

Rondo Pools
1400 W. Main St., Franklin
615-200-7220

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