Kansas City just became home to a national first.

High Prairie Outdoors is now the nation’s only Class 1 Certified Contractor for luxury outdoor living, powered by their award-winning Legacy Program and delivered by an in-house artisan team using European construction methods that outperform industry standards. Design professionals and homeowners are quickly recognizing the value of having world-class outdoor construction methods and artisan craftsmanship available locally.

A recent High Prairie client reached out regarding a possible project: Focused on investing wisely and building once — correctly — he was already working with a nationally acclaimed architecture firm. Accustomed to global design standards, the architect was thrilled to discover that Kansas City has a local partner capable of executing construction at the same level of durability and material intelligence found in Europe and other parts of the world. He discovered that High Prairie had spent over a decade studying in Germany, France, and Italy learning Trass-bonded permeable hardscape systems, understanding pozzolanic chemistry, observing reinforced pool structures in Europe and South America, and training in-house craftspeople to execute these methods properly.

“The architect always knew there were better systems. They just didn’t think anyone locally could execute them. Once they realized we could, it opened up a whole new level of design freedom for their clients,” says founder and CEO Robyn Schmitz.

American pool construction methods have remained largely unchanged since the 1940s. While those methods protect basic structural integrity to meet code, they do not necessarily reflect maximum longevity or advanced moisture management. Kansas City has high clay ratios, and significant shrink-and-swell cycles with extreme moisture fluctuations. These challenging conditions can create structural issues if not addressed.