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CEDAR HILLS, Utah County — A Utah landscaping team is currently in the running for one of HGTV’s Ultimate Outdoors Awards.
Platinum Landscape & Pools, based in Cedar Hills, is a finalist in “The Wow Factor” category, which is described by HGTV as being for “show-stopping features that are Mother Nature’s perfect partner.” Rick Meinzer, Platinum’s president and founder, said representatives for HGTV found his business online and asked if he’d like to submit a couple of projects from his team.
A panel of judges comprised of HGTV employees and industry experts narrowed down the entries to determine the finalists. Now, the winners of six different categories will be determined by a national vote. Members of the public can vote for their favorite project online once a day until April 5.
Platinum Landscape & Pools have been selected as a Finalist for HGTV's Ultimate Outdoor Awards! Please follow the link to cast your vote. You can vote everyday until April 5th. Thanks for your support!
Posted by Platinum Landscape & Pools on Wednesday, March 16, 2016
“It’s a really nice recognition,” Meinzer said. “You look at some of the entrants and there is some amazing work. These are from some of the top landscapers in the country so it’s more bragging rights than anything, but it’s nice for us. I think Utah a lot of times doesn’t get a lot of recognition for the quality of work that we do here in construction and design.”
The project up for the HGTV award was landscaping work done for the Utah Valley Parade of Homes in 2013. It is a modern, contemporary backyard design with a mosaic-tile water feature.
Platinum, which just added pool design and construction to its contracting service in 2015, specializes in taking clients' dreams from concept to creation. One of Meinzer’s favorite projects was for a Park City home patterned after “The Lord of the Rings” that is called Rivendell. The Platinum team helped create a space with hidden gardens and jeweled doors that had elvish writing.
Another memorable project was in Evanston, Wyoming, where Platinum created a three-hole golf course around a home. Meinzer said his team has essentially turned some backyards into private parks, with fire features and outdoor kitchens.
“The crazier the project the more fun we have, because we love trying new things and experimenting with different products and materials,” he said. “Our clients like it because they know we’re not afraid and we’ll get crazy on the design side if that’s what they want.”
The HGTV competition isn’t the first time Platinum has been recognized for its work. In 2012, the team won the Hardscapes of North America Residential Paving Award. It was a runner-up for the same award again in 2014.
The amount of time required for Platinum to complete a project varies, but tends to be in the 4-8 week range. The cost of a project starts at about $100,000, according to Meinzer. He created the company, which now includes 12 people, back in 1998.
“I just loved being able to create and design and take something that was pretty boring and turn it into something pretty cool,” he said. “Over the years, we’ve just continued to really push the envelope and try new things and experiment with different products and materials. We recognized that we didn’t want to just stay in our comfort zone of doing the same thing over and over so we expanded.”
