Of course, a country house requires a swimming pool. Since 1919, Wagner Pools has been building swimming pools for discerning patrons, including the Vanderbilts, Astors, and Rockefellers. And while it may be the oldest swimming pool builder in the country, the family owned company has always kept up with the latest technology. For example, Wagner Pools was among the first to use gunite, a type of concrete introduced in the 1950s. "Because gunite is sprayed on in one piece, there are no seams and so less chance of leakage," says John Gedney III, sales manager for Wagner Pools. "It also allows pool builders to be a lot more creative. With gunite you can build caves, vanishing-edge pools, grottoes, waterfalls, beach-entry pools, and spas."

Another popular Wagner Pools' innovation is the in-floor cleaning system. "It's aesthetically pleasing because you don’t see a robot hose floating around the pool, and it's much more effective," says Gedney, who recently completed an interesting project in Westchester. The pool has a raised spa with a waterfall spilling over boulders to the water below. A narrow walkway through the spa area gives the illusion that one is walking on the water.