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By Nora Firestone
Correspondent
LYNNHAVEN
Ric Reineke and The Pool Guyz Inc. made a big splash recently at Matt and Amy Roloff's 34-acre farm, the setting for TLC reality show "Little People, Big World."
Reineke, president of Virginia Beach-based The Pool Guyz, flew to Hillsborough, Ore., at the request of manufacturer Viking Pools to meet with the Roloffs.
Reineke was joined by Brent White, his vice president of operations, and installation team leader Nakia Shawha n to build the family of six an in-ground pool and spa.
The three men worked in 15-hour stretches alongside the Roloffs' local electrician and masons an d TLC's non-stop television film crew.
The team installed a hot tub and 16-by-40-foot heated pool in five days. The project was valued at $75,000.
"They were like a SWAT team, " Matt Roloff said in a phone interview. "The most powerful part of the experience was their ability to step in at the last minute."
His physician had prescribed more cardiovascular exercise, which can be difficult for Roloff, a little person who partly relies on mobility assistance from crutches and a scooter.
"Swimming is ideal," he added. "I've increased my lung capacity in two short weeks (since the install). Now I'm swimming the entire length of the pool."
The Roloffs left most of the design ideas to Reineke and his men. However, they did request customized steps with a shorter rise and plenty of patio room with low-texture, stamped concrete as opposed to the more dramatic, high-texture design that Reineke typically recommends.
Other custom touches included an automatic pool cover and fiber-optic-colored lighting.
Reineke assisted Roloff in incorporating boulders he'd collected into the surrounding landscape. That bonding experience, Reineke said, was one of the highlights.
"What a really, really cool family," he said. "They're hard workers and so appreciative. We got to hang out with them for the week, and we had a blast."
The Pool Guyz, headquartered on Viking Driv e, builds about 130 pools in Hampton Roads each year. It s next cross-country venture takes place on the set of "Extreme Makeover, Home Edition" in Seattle.
Roloff was thrilled with the experience.
"We felt like we had the best in the world out there," he said. "We're loving the pool."
He s aid it's one thing the whole family gets together for these days.
The project will be featured this fall season, probably mid- to late-November, Roloff said. A schedule has not been set.
Nora Firestone, nfirestone@verizon.net
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