Our Designer Sophia was recently featured on the Paloola podcast episode exploring the benefits of swimming in nature. Sophia goes into the design and building process of our natural swimming pools as well as a basic review of how we maintain water clarity using built-in biological filters. She discusses the joy of making a swimming pool that looks as if it was always meant to be there, and that brings joy year-round to any nature lover.

We encourage you to listen to this podcast as the rest of the featured guests also share their stories of the joy and pleasure they experience from swimming in natural bodies of water.


Paloola is a monthly podcast written and hosted by Paula de la Cruz. It explores topics in art, design, health and technology inspired by botany and nature.

Find this episode of Paloola and more everywhere you listen to your podcasts

We are so excited to have one of our favorite projects featured in DesignKC Magazine, which showcases the best in Kansas City architecture and outdoor living! We designed and built this contemporary Natural Swimming Pool in 2019. Visit our Projects page for more info about this natural pool. For more articles and media mentions of Total Habitat, see our In the News page.

At Camp Prairie Schooner's new Aquatic Center in KCMO, our goal was to create a naturalistic climbing experience that would excite and challenge campers for years to come! The main attraction, an enormous, themed concrete boulder features a carved climb-able face which users can swim up to (one at a time) and free climb, without the use of ropes or harnesses. Once to the top of the wall (or as far up as they can get) users fall or jump back into the water, ensuring a safe yet challenging climbing experience. The camp's new Aquatic Center, which also features a naturalistic splash pad and several other themed concrete edge boulders is open to campers as of Summer 2019!

To do your part for the planet this Earth Day check out your local government and parks and recreation department for volunteer clean-up opportunities, or check out the ​earth day website​ to find out more what Earth Day means and how you can help with even small efforts. If you are local to the Kansas City area like us, check out​ Friends of the Kaw​ or ​Bridging the Gap​ for volunteer or donation opportunities!

Reminiscent of a nautilus shell, this pool design features an underwater pebble pathway which spirals down into the circular swimming area. This pebble beach path (shown on the left below) is bordered by a mossy sandstone rock bubbler and a trio of "floating" stepping boulders.

This circular, 25,000 gallon Natural Swimming Pool is approximately 30ft overall with a 25ft x 20ft swimming area. Constructed of dry-stacked sandstone, this pool features a built-in biological filtration system, which keeps the water clean and clear without chemicals. This nautilus inspired pool can be built in 3-4 weeks for $70-75,000!

Top Left: Initial enclosure concept rendering   Bottom Left: During construction   Right: Finished gecko enclosure 

Left: Enclosure in progress     Right: Finished gecko enclosure

Designed and built by Total Habitat, this 12 foot deep, spring-fed Natural Swimming Pool/Pond is nestled in the heart of the rolling Tennessee hills. Completed this summer (2017), this swimming hole offers unlimited fun with an 18 foot waterslide, gentle-entry pebble beach, and waterfall with hidden grotto!

This gorgeous new Natural Swimming Pond, tucked deep in the forest near Seattle, Washington, is both a peaceful retreat for its owners and a never-ending source of fun for their Australian Shepherd, Indie! Constructed of big, beautiful, locally-sourced boulders, this NSP also features a weather-proof TimberTech and cedar jumping pier. As always, this NSP is completely chlorine (and salt) free, cleaned instead with our powerful built-in biological filtration system (tucked behind the boulder walls and under the river rock floor)!

Indie, surveying his new chemical-free Natural Swimming Pond!

We are proud to announce that this week Total Habitat was awarded a Building Congress and Exchange Craftsmanship Award for our Exhibit work at the Baltimore Zoo! Using shotcrete (a type of concrete that is sprayed onto an armature then artistically carved/stamped and colored) we created a stream for the zoo's Marsh Aviary habitat. 

​Photo credit & info about other award winners:
http://www.bcebaltimore.org/about-the-craftsmanship-awards/

In Progress: Mick & Dale finalizing the overall stream shape in preparation for shotcrete. 

In Progress: Structure coat underway (structural concrete layer over rebar w/ shape roughed out). Next, will be "theme" coat (top layer of concrete that will be artistically carved/stamped). 

In Progress: Stamped mud texture (left). Stream with "theme" coat applied and carving underway (right photo).