That cee-ment pond may have been a move up for Jed Clampett and his kin when they relocated to Beverly Hills, but nowadays when folks start planning for a swimming pool, they want something more. They want a personalized back-yard oasis.
And pool companies are ready to oblige.
You still can order the standard rectangle-shaped pool, but you also can get a free-form shape for any lot size and shape. Want your pool to look as if it belongs in a Roman courtyard? Why not? Prefer to have a pool shaped like the state of Illinois? It’s possible.
“The pools built in the `70s and late `80s were just a pool in the ground, a means of getting wet,” said Kirk Sullivan, president of San Juan Pools in Lakeland, Fla. “Now they’re [pool owners] incorporating pools more into the design of the house. It’s more of a back-yard environment. People are using their pools even when they’re not in them.”
The trend is moving away from deep swimming pools with a diving board to shallower pools used for family games or as a back-yard retreat and entertainment center, Sullivan said.
In part, it’s because smaller building lots require a wider, shorter pool, Sullivan said, but it’s also because consumers are more educated and sure of what they want before they shop. Not only are they asking for different shapes and sizes, but they also want waterfalls, fountains, rock formations and misting systems. They are asking for fiber-optic lighting that turns the water into a rainbow of colors for a dramatic effect. And they’re buying colorful tile mosaics, whimsical accessories such as dolphin figurines and underwater sound systems to create a neighborhood entertainment center.
“People are just having so much fun with their pools,” said Letha Marker, vice president of Noble Tile Supply of Tampa. “They want to put their personal stamp on it with tile. You’re not limited to the existing designs that are out there.”
Marker said he has created mosaics of beer cans, lions, a peacock, even a reproduction of artwork. He said he tells customers “you need to decide what kind of impact you want in your back yard. Do you want a natural look or do you want people to walk in your back yard and say, `Wow, what a cool pool!’?”
Want a turquoise tiled border on the side of the pool that looks like ocean waves? Tile companies have it. Want a mosaic of a shark chasing fish along the bottom of the pool? Tile companies can create it.
Generally, consumers want a pool that is an extension of the home and an outlet for artistic expression. If the homeowners’ decorating style leans toward traditional furnishings, they can create a pool with neutral colors with classic accessories such as urns and columns. If homeowners prefer contemporary styles in vivid hues, the pool area can reflect that with colorful tile and streamlined outdoor furnishings.
The most common pool is constructed from concrete, which can be custom-built to your specifications. The initial installation costs less than fiberglass pools, and consumers have the advantage of unlimited designs. Although prices for a basic concrete pool can start as low as $10,000, the average price is about $26,000.
But fiberglass pools are growing in popularity. They are factory-manufactured and installed in one piece, in less time than a concrete pool. They are more expensive initially but can save money over time because they require fewer chemicals and there is no liner to replace. Fiberglass pools cost from about $16,000 to $35,000, Sullivan said.
“If you need a pool shaped like Elvis’ guitar or something, cement is the base for that,” Sullivan said. “In a fiberglass pool, they are limited to a mold. We have 41 individual molds or shapes. Most people can find one they like from the choices.”
Light show
Many pool owners want to create a romantic or dramatic ambience with state-of-the-art fiber-optic lighting systems. Fiber-optic lighting allows you to get a variety of color choices and special effects in and around your pool.
Fiber optics makes sense for pool use for several reasons, according to Richard Heiner, director of marketing and communications at Super Vision International Inc. in Orlando.
“People are building environments in the back yard now,” he said. “Fiber optics can easily give you a spectacular pool. The reason it’s popular, first of all, is it can change colors. Secondly, it’s safe since there’s no electricity in or near the water. … Also, it’s easy to maintain.”
Use perimeter lighting to outline your spa, waterway or landscape. Add a rotating color wheel to turn water into a rainbow of fantasy colors. Prices start at about $2,000 for perimeter lighting.
Water features could describe anything from a cascading waterfall or splashing fountain to a meandering waterway.
Easy to install in the pool area are natural-looking rock formations constructed of a high-tech blend of polyurethane molding. Some formations are fully equipped units that serve as a rock and waterfall or fountain in one. Others double as landscape planters. You can add a separate waterfall pump to use in fountains or buy them ready to install in your pool.
Tumbled pebbles and cement combine with water to form an interior pool finish or to contour shoreline-like edges.
An innovation from Europe–the infinity edge–is becoming more popular here. This design gives the illusion that the pool’s edge disappears into thin air, as if that side of the pool has no wall.
For a classic look, consider adding statues, urns and columns to the pool area. Brass statue prices start at about $4,000.
Tile continues to be a popular accent, but lately there is a lot more creativity and interest in specialty tiles, said Marker, of the Tampa store. Many pool owners want tiles that have a natural-stone look. Another big seller is a Japanese porcelain tile that can be applied on top of the finished pool surface, giving it a 3-D effect.
Many pool owners also are personalizing their pools with mosaics.
“Believe it or not, people are spending $40 to $50 for these little decorative tiles to put in their pools,” Marker said. “It gives us an opportunity to be creative. If it’s a remodel, people will spend the extra money on the fish [tile] for the pool. If they have kids, they seem to pick dolphins, fish and bright, exciting, fun things.”
Mosaic tile
Many consumers want to create a focal point with mosaics. “If you want turtles walking down your step and walking off into the deep end of the pool, we can do that,” said Andy Hochstetter, president of Artistry Mosaics in Ft. Pierce, Fla. “People have come to us with a lot of their own ideas. If they bring us an idea, we can create it in mosaic tile.”
Prices vary widely, but the average price is about $650, plus about $50 for installation.
Some pool owners prefer to use tile to extend their indoor style to the pool area.
“Five years ago we couldn’t keep teal and mauve, and now I couldn’t give it away,” Marker said. “The most popular trend now is the stone look. People started seeing floor tile and wanted to put it on their pools. They wanted their tile to match their home’s.”
Stone looks start at about $5.50 per square foot. Accent tiles can range from $10 to $50 per tile.
Maintenance will keep your pool in fine shape
Taking a dip in the cool waters of a swimming pool in 90-degree temperatures reawakens your slumbering soul.
Here are some tips from swimming pool professionals to keep your pool the envy of the neighborhood, even if the neighbors aren’t invited to swim.
– Run your pump like crazy: 9 to 12 hours a day.
– Clean out filter regularly. If it’s a sand filter, simply backwash whenever the filter gauge pressure increases five psi (pounds per square inch).
– For DE filters (diatomaceous earth), remove the grids once or twice a season and clean them.
– If using a cartridge filter, clean it with a good garden hose, getting between all the pleats.
– Stop the manual labor. Get an automatic pool floor cleaner. It’s like a robot.
– Shock. That means add a concentration of chlorine or a non-chlorine shock treatment to go after the newly added heavy dose of bacteria and contaminants from body oils introduced by people and airborne particles.
– Use an algaestat. That’s an algae preventative. Clarifiers help too. A clarifier clumps the molecules together so that the dirty molecules get sucked into the filter and trapped there.
– Don’t let algae get out of hand. At the first signs of algae, go after it. When you use an algaecide, it will automatically drop your chlorine level so always add a chlorine shock after using an algaecide.
– Get equipment that automatically adds chlorine to your pool. A regulated chlorinator is one of the most popular.
– Or, consider using the Baquacil Pool Care System that is an alternative to chlorine swimming pool sanitizers, safe for all types of residential swimming pools.
– Stay ahead of problems. Get on a weekly schedule of maintenance that includes testing the water and rebalancing if needed, maintaining a regular chlorine level and shocking.
— Kathy Van Mullekom, Knight Ridder/Tribune.
