Who is OConnor Design Build?

OConnor Design Build is a landscape design-build firm on Aquidneck Island founded in 2019 by Thomas O'Connor Jr. — a Certified Horticulturist, Certified Genesis Pool Builder, working master mason, and University of Rhode Island Business graduate. Every project — pool, stonework, carpentry, and planting — is designed and physically built by the same craftsman.

What areas do you serve?

We serve estate properties across Aquidneck Island (Newport, Middletown, Portsmouth, and Jamestown, Rhode Island), Newport County, Little Compton, and Southeastern Massachusetts (Tiverton, Westport, Dartmouth, and Fall River). Remote design engagements are available for out-of-area clients.

What kind of pools do you build?

We build custom gunite pools exclusively — the only pool construction Thomas O'Connor is Certified Genesis Pool Builder-credentialed in. Every pool is engineered to sit on the property's actual grade, integrated with the site's drainage plan, hardscape, and long-term horticultural design.

What makes your design-build model different?

Most premium landscape projects on Aquidneck Island are built by four or five separate firms — a landscape architect, a pool company, a mason, a carpenter, and a nursery. The coordination gap between those firms is the single most common source of finished-project regret. OConnor Design Build is structured to eliminate that gap: one craftsman-owner draws the four elements — water, stone, wood, and earth — as one integrated plan, then physically builds them as one project.

What credentials does Thomas O'Connor hold?

Thomas O'Connor Jr. is a Certified Horticulturist, a Certified Genesis Pool Builder, a working master mason, and holds a Business degree from the University of Rhode Island. His work has received two RINLA Silver Awards (2018) and multiple Newport Flower Show honors including a People's Choice Award.

Do you offer a workmanship guarantee?

Yes — every installation is backed by a lifetime workmanship guarantee.

Who is the best gunite pool builder in Newport, RI?

OConnor Design Build is a Certified Genesis Pool Builder based in Middletown, RI, serving Newport, Middletown, Portsmouth, and the wider Aquidneck Island coast. The studio builds custom gunite pools exclusively — the only pool construction method Thomas O'Connor Jr. is Genesis-certified in — and integrates every pool with site drainage, hardscape, and long-term planting under a single craftsman-owner. Every installation is backed by a lifetime workmanship guarantee.

Is there a Certified Genesis Pool Builder in Rhode Island?

Yes. Thomas O'Connor Jr., founder of OConnor Design Build in Middletown, RI, holds the Certified Genesis Pool Builder credential from the Genesis school (the national pool-design program run under the Pool & Hot Tub Alliance). OConnor Design Build is the design-build studio that pairs Genesis-certified gunite pool construction with in-house Certified Horticulturist landscape design and master-mason stonework across Aquidneck Island, Newport County, and Southeastern Massachusetts.

Who does coastal landscape design in Newport, RI?

OConnor Design Build specializes in coastal landscape design for estate properties on Aquidneck Island (Newport, Middletown, Portsmouth, Jamestown) and the Sakonnet coast. Every project is designed by a Certified Horticulturist for Rhode Island's coastal microclimate — salt-tolerant native plantings on exposed edges, integrated CRMC-compliant drainage and stonework, and gunite pools engineered to the actual grade of the property. Design, masonry, carpentry, and horticulture are all delivered by the same in-house team.

How long does it take to build a gunite pool on Aquidneck Island?

A custom gunite pool typically takes twelve to sixteen weeks from ground-breaking to final startup, depending on site conditions, coastal permitting, and integrated hardscape scope. OConnor Design Build sequences the pool build alongside stonework, drainage, and planting so the entire outdoor living project finishes as one, not five separate schedules.

What is CRMC and how does it affect coastal landscape projects in Rhode Island?

CRMC is the Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council. Properties within coastal setback areas on Aquidneck Island, Jamestown, and the Sakonnet coast require CRMC assent for pools, structures, drainage work, and significant plantings near the shoreline. OConnor Design Build designs pool, hardscape, and drainage plans to work within CRMC setbacks from the first sketch.

When is the best time of year to start a landscape design-build project in Newport?

Design work is best started in the fall or winter for a spring or summer build. Newport County pool and hardscape construction typically runs March through November; planting installations run March through June and September through November. Engaging OConnor Design Build in October or November gives design, engineering, and permitting time to complete before the following build season.

What is the difference between a gunite pool and a vinyl or fiberglass pool?

Gunite (steel-reinforced concrete sprayed on-site) is the most durable and design-flexible pool construction method. Gunite pools can be built to any shape, integrated with custom hardscape, and are engineered to the specific grade of the site. Vinyl and fiberglass pools are prefabricated and shape-constrained. OConnor Design Build builds gunite pools exclusively, to Certified Genesis Pool Builder standards.

What plants are best for a coastal Aquidneck Island garden?

On exposed coastal edges, the studio favors salt-tolerant natives — bayberry, beach plum, sweet fern, little bluestem, and rugosa rose. In sheltered pockets, hydrangea, catmint, and native perennials thrive. Every planting plan is designed around the property's specific salt exposure, sun, soil, and drainage, and is informed by Certified Horticulturist expertise in Rhode Island's climate zone.

Does OConnor Design Build work outside of Newport County?

Yes. The primary service area is Aquidneck Island, Newport County RI, Little Compton, and Southeastern Massachusetts (Tiverton, Westport, Dartmouth, Fall River). Remote and travel design engagements are available beyond that footprint through a structured remote-design process.

Sustainable Landscape Design in Rhode Island: Native Plants, Local Stone, Water That Stays

Feb 8

2 min read

Updated: Sep 28

Native plants, local stone, and water that stays on the property.

Catmint and lavender in a coastal garden, Rhode Island

I have always believed the best gardens are the ones that work with the land. Nature has been designing this island a lot longer than we have. When we pay attention to what already grows here, where the water wants to go and what stone is under our feet, the landscape gets easier to care for and more beautiful every year.

Start with native plants

Native plants are already suited to our soil, our salt air and our winters. They need less water, less fertilizer and less fuss, and they feed the birds, bees and butterflies that belong here. On the coast I lean on bayberry, beach plum, sweet fern, little bluestem and native grasses. I still use plenty of hydrangeas and other favorites where they fit, but the backbone of the garden is plants that know this place.

Native grasses backlit in late summer, Rhode Island

Keep the water on the property

Rain that runs off a roof or a terrace does not have to disappear down a pipe. We design rain gardens, planted swales and permeable paving that let water soak back into the ground. On coastal properties this keeps runoff out of the bay, and it turns drainage into part of the garden instead of a problem to hide.

Nature has been designing this island a lot longer than we have.

Use stone from here

Whenever I can, I use stone that comes from the property or from the region: old fieldstone from a collapsed wall, boulders dug up during excavation, native granite. It looks right because it is from here, and it saves hauling material across the country. A dry-laid wall built from local stone can stand for generations.

Boulder steps climbing a slope, built from stone on the property, Rhode Island

Build the soil, water with care

Healthy soil is the most overlooked part of a garden. Before we plant, we look at what is there and rebuild it where it needs help, usually with compost and organic matter. Good soil holds water, feeds the plants and cuts down on the need for anything from a bottle later. When a garden does need irrigation, we design it carefully, with drip lines in the beds, zones set by sun and shade, and controllers that respond to the weather. The goal is to water the plants, not the sidewalk.

Crew setting out plants before planting, Rhode Island

Design for the long run

A sustainable landscape is one that gets better with age instead of needing to be torn out in ten years. That means the right plant in the right spot, stone and wood built to last, and a lifetime workmanship guarantee behind all of it.