Skip to main content
AE Outdoor Living
Arizona licensed, bonded & insured·Serving Arizona homeowners since 2005·Peoria design showroom·Written, itemized project scopes·Project-specific payment & warranty terms

Learning Hub · Video Library

Every AE video, organized by what you're actually deciding.

61 owner-produced clips from real Peoria jobsites — no stock footage, no ghost-written scripts. Grouped by topic and linked back to the page that goes deeper.

AE LEDs — permanent lighting

Install, app control, manufacturing, cost, and homeowner takes on year-round permanent lights.

Go deeper → /ae-leds

AE LEDs custom track install — 10-ft base lengths, gutter accommodation
Every track cut to the house: 10-ft base lengths, custom front/back runs, gutter-aware detailing
AE LEDs install — rubber-washer screws, track color matched to the house
Screws with rubber washers stop water penetration; track color is matched to the fascia (or a planned repaint) — no shortcuts on a multi-story install
AE LEDs — powder-coated aluminum roll, bent in-shop, drilled 12" on center
Starts as a roll of powder-coated aluminum (any color, or matched to your trim), bent in our shop, drilled 12" on center — lights custom-made to that spacing
AE LEDs manufacturing — trim brake today, extrusion line next
Custom aluminum track bent in-house on our own brake — ~300 ft/day now, ~4,000 ft/day when the extrusion line comes online
AE LEDs manufacturing — powder-coated aluminum, UL-approved lights, tested pre-ship
Raw aluminum → in-house 10-ft powder-coated tracks (any color) → UL-approved lights → wired, tested, and packaged before it ships to your job
AE LEDs app — individually addressable pixels, mood/warning/collision patterns
Every pixel is individually addressable — build your own palettes, mood scenes, and warning patterns from the app
AE LEDs app — preset scenes, DIY colors, and full holiday scheduling
Speed up or slow down effects, pick presets or build your own colors, and schedule them to auto-turn-on for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or any holiday — even when you're out of town
AE LEDs at night — custom color settings, speed control, endless presets
How AE LEDs actually read at night — infinite custom colors and speeds, presets in the app, and full DIY palettes for holidays, teams, or accents
AE LEDs control — Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or manual on/off
Once your AE LEDs are on Wi-Fi you control them from anywhere via the app; Bluetooth works close-range, and you can always fall back to a manual on/off
David Bell — permanent holiday lights, 3 benefits, app-controlled, book now
Year-round use, no ladder every December, weather-resistant low-voltage, app-controlled with 16M color combinations — limited installs before Christmas
AE LEDs installed cost — $27–$35/ft, plus a 10% December pre-Christmas special
Installed permanent-light track runs ~$27–$35/ft depending on roof height and complexity; 10% off if booked before Christmas while installer slots hold
AE LEDs and HOAs — white-only mode qualifies as security lighting year-round
Color modes for holidays and events; white-only mode reads as security lighting, so most HOAs allow year-round use
Homeowner testimonial — permanent Christmas lights worth it
"100% a great investment — seamless every year. No more tangled boxes or ladder work."
Homeowner testimonial — permanent lights, no ladders, great investment
"I am not handy in the least, and I don't have to hang lights ever. Great investment."
AE LEDs Christmas install — limited slots CTA
Christmas install slots fill fast — quote link in the CTA above
Permanent holiday lights vs traditional strings — pick your two weekends back
"Spend two weekends before Thanksgiving on a ladder — or click a button." Permanent lights double as security and accent lighting year-round
Holiday lights — click a button vs Saturdays on a ladder, all year use
Same look as traditional Christmas lights, no ladder — plus multi-holiday and everyday accent/security use from the same fixture

See every AE video in the Learning Hub →

Landscape lighting

Why lighting is the line item that changes a yard at night.

Go deeper → /landscape-lighting-peoria

Landscape lighting — accents stone, adds security, keeps the yard usable at night
Lighting is the first line item people cut — and the one that changes the yard at night. Accents the stone, adds real security, makes the whole project pop.

See every AE video in the Learning Hub →

Pools — build quality, equipment, cost

Shotcrete crew, dedicated vacuum line, Pentair equipment pad + app, heat-cool pumps, and honest cost/value.

Go deeper → /pool-buyer-education/quality-pool-builder-not-cheapest

Shotcrete crew set-wires — piano-wire grades before the shell goes in
Set wires (same wire used in pianos) run the grade for shotcrete — an extra ~$600 that saves the whole coping run
Owner-GC risk — cheap shotcrete shows up when tile and coping arrive
Save on the shotcrete crew, become the GC — and inherit a coping run that won't sit straight or level
Showroom mini-pool — same shotcrete crew we use at your home
Rebar, then mechanically-applied shotcrete for higher compressive strength — the shell built to last, same crew we send to your home
Dedicated vacuum line — standard on our pools, even with an in-floor system
A dedicated vacuum line ships standard with our pools so you can vacuum without pulling skimmer parts, even alongside in-floor cleaning
Pentair app — heat, cool, lights, cleaner from your phone
Warm the pool from dinner, cool it from the road, let the kids turn on the lights while you're away — all from the Pentair app
Pentair equipment pad — VS pump, cartridge filter, in-floor cleaning, automation
Full Pentair pad on this pool: variable-speed pump, cartridge filter, in-floor cleaning, three-way valves, and IntelliCenter automation with color-changing lights
Full backyard remodel — pool, dog run, Pentair equipment, app automation
Demo the old yard, convert existing turf into a dog run, add a heat-cool pump and Pentair automation
How the heat-cool pump works — heat exchanger, both directions
Like an A/C unit but for pool water — reverses to heat in winter and cool in summer via a heat exchanger, so the pool works year-round
Heat-cool pump — real installed cost and the electrical requirements
Installed around $8–$10k depending on the run: dedicated 60A, load calc for most cities, and full year-round pool use in return
North Peoria — old concrete patio converted to a heat-cool family pool
Demoed the existing patio, put in a family-friendly pool with heat-cool so it works year-round even when it hits 120°F
Project challenges — demo, layout, tree removal, patio cover, heat-cool pump
Real trade-offs on a mid-size yard: shrink pool width, extend sides, remove messy trees, add a patio cover, add heat-cool to extend swim season
Pool value in today's market — inflation, resale, and the right equipment
Pool cost has moved with inflation, and the right pool with the right equipment still moves the house

See every AE video in the Learning Hub →

Glass pool fence

Glass vs wrought iron — longevity, hardware, and a Peoria upgrade in progress.

Go deeper → /sonoran-glass

Glass pool fence vs wrought iron — no rust, no repaint, self-close mag latch
Glass looks better, doesn't rust or need repainting, and comes standard with self-closing / self-latching magnetic gate hardware — a fence you keep
Peoria pool build — glass fence upgrade instead of wrought iron
Homeowner upgraded from planned wrought iron to a glass pool fence — keeps the yard open, and pre-set now so the dog can still use the yard during the build

See every AE video in the Learning Hub →

Pergolas & patio covers

500 sq ft shade impact, ~$100k premium builds, and fully permitted additions.

Go deeper → /pergola-phoenix

500 sq ft patio cover — real house-cooling impact on a southwest exposure
A 500 sq ft patio cover on a southwest exposure dropped indoor cooling load more than the homeowners expected
Owner on a ~$100k patio project — where premium materials actually go
Screws not nails, commercial-grade MC cable instead of Romex, rebar fountain shells, premium travertine — where the money goes
Patio cover addition — fully permitted, 4 columns 3-ft deep grouted, tongue-and-groove ceiling
Existing 14×10 patio extended with a fully permitted cover: 4 columns 3-ft deep and 3-ft wide (solid grouted), rough-sawn tongue-and-groove ceiling, low-voltage lights, ceiling fans, extra outlets
Phoenix small-yard remodel — 500 sq ft patio cover, kitchen, water feature
Small yard, still functional: 500 sq ft patio cover for real house-cooling, stone columns, low-voltage lighting, turf, water feature (in place of a pool), full outdoor kitchen and bar

See every AE video in the Learning Hub →

Materials & showroom

Faux vs natural stone, polymeric joint sand, and why in-person material selection matters.

Go deeper → /showroom

Showroom walkthrough — one inclusive place to pick every material
Stone, tile, pavers, pool equipment, BBQ appliances — one appointment, no running to 15 suppliers
Showroom CTA — one place for every material in your project
Stop driving to 15 suppliers — touch, feel, and pick every material in one outdoor design center. Book a consultation below.
Why we insist on seeing material in person — the silver-vs-marble story
"He said 'that's the silver.' It wasn't — it was marble. Photos lie. That's why the showroom exists."
Don't spend $70–$100k and regret the material — book a showroom appointment
The regret you can't undo is picking a stone from a photo. Schedule an in-person materials appointment.
What faux stone is — and why pigment can fade or reveal damage
Manufactured/cultured stone is pigmented; over time it can fade or show damage where natural stone wouldn't
Why we recommend natural stone around pools and water features
Faux stone can look great and we install it — but natural stone holds up better in the elements around water
Natural stone — real color blend on-site
That blend of colors is what makes a natural-stone wall read right once it's installed
Showroom natural stone — bigger sample so color variation reads right
Small chips lie about natural stone; a bigger on-site sample is the only way to read the true color spread
Showroom splash pad + pond — National Pool Tile, Noble Tile, Rain Deck partners
Full splash pad + pond loop recirculates back through the pool — coping, tile, and splash surfacing supplied by our vendor partners
Outdoor showroom walkthrough — fountain, pavers, shade, sound, vendor partners
Trenched water lines, patio cover + shade over pool/splash pad, full outdoor sound — built with Rain Deck, Pentair, National Pool Tile, Emperor Concrete, ANS Tile, RWC partners
Owner walkthrough — outdoor showroom becoming a multi-purpose events space
Pool, splash pad, kitchen, fireplace, splash — planned as an event space for customers, employees, and charity days
Vision — realtor networking, filming, and community events at the showroom
Realtor networking Saturdays, filming backdrop for partners, and a sponsor banner going on the outdoor wall
Showroom — outdoor display and Pentair training events for homeowners
Peoria showroom becomes a Pentair training space so homeowners can learn their own pool equipment and catch problems before they get expensive
Outdoor showroom build-out — 70×70 one-stop design area
70×70 outdoor design area under construction — stone/tile samples, BBQs, fireplaces, smokers, patio covers, pond, and pool all on display so you can pick materials in one place
Polymeric joint sand — flexible, locks in place, won't wash out
Not grout — polymeric joint sand flexes with movement and won't wash out under a hose the way silica or mortar sand does

See every AE video in the Learning Hub →

Water features

Fountains built like pools — cemented base, skimmer, chlorinator, lighting.

Go deeper → /designs/water-features

Water feature done right — cemented base, skimmer, pump, chlorinator, lighting
Fountains we build get a cemented base, full skimmer/pump/filter loop, automatic chlorinator, and color-changing basin + accent lighting

See every AE video in the Learning Hub →

Putting greens

Contoured design-build with lit cups and chipping approaches.

Go deeper → /putting-green-backyard

Putting green with 70-yard chipping pad and cups that light up at night
Contoured green (not flat), 70-yard chipping approach, lit cups for after-dark play
Putting green — real design-build in the field, not paper-perfect
Putting greens are design-build — the same crew builds the elevations on site so contours read right instead of forcing a paper plan

See every AE video in the Learning Hub →

The company & giving back

Company overview, cost lessons, facility tour, jobsite culture, and the giving-back story.

Go deeper → /about

David Bell on why to hire an established outdoor-living company
20 years in Peoria, 80+ combined years in the field — and why HGTV timelines aren't real
David Bell — AE Pools & Landscape, AE LEDs, Sonoran Glass overview
One family-owned Peoria company across pools, hardscape, glass fencing, and permanent lights
David Bell on estimating hard costs and the most rewarding part of the work
"That $18k plumbing job that came in at $30k — that's not the homeowner's fault, that's my lesson"
AE facility tour — 1.5-acre yard, light-build shop, tempered glass and hardware storage
1.5-acre Peoria facility: light-system build shop with brakes, in-house tempered glass and pool-fence hardware — vertically integrated so jobs move faster
Jobsite banter — moving an 800-lb boulder (10 basketballs worth)
Real-jobsite AE culture — sizing up an ~800–1,000 lb boulder in basketball units before rigging it. Crews that laugh together lift together.
David Bell — the near-death story behind why giving back is the point
"Doctors told me I was here for a reason. Giving back to the community that took care of us — that is the reason."
Liberty High School Coop preschool — donated play area (sandbox, garden, turf)
Peoria's Liberty High Coop preschool — donating a sandbox, garden, and turf play area for the students who teach the kids

See every AE video in the Learning Hub →

Explore the Learning Hub

Related guides

Keep learning before you build.