A New Image

Eric Herman

One of the themes we touch upon frequently in the pages of WaterShapes centers on the concept that an industry once thought to be the exclusive realm of fast-talking, quick-drawing operators with questionable products has been experiencing a brisk, revolutionary shift toward

quality in design, engineering and construction.

There may still be some out there who have yet to internalize that message, but when it comes to truly custom watershaping, I feel comfortable in saying that the industry’s output is truly becoming an art form. As an interested observer of this process, I must say that watching this revolution has been exciting and gratifying and that it has been a pleasure to support it in print.

One of the issues to be considered in the context of this ever-rising tide is that some industry segments that have been making steady progress are still saddled with the image of being stuck in the past and haven’t received as much credit as they deserve. As a specific example, for as long as many of us in the watershaping industry can remember, vinyl-liner swimming pools have been considered a lesser product than their custom-concrete counterparts – and for good reason.

I’m happy to report, however, that my eyes have been opened in recent months to dramatic changes in that sector in particular: Improvements in the approaches of liner and structure manufacturers have resulted in a new breed of vinyl-liner pools that gives them a legitimate place at the custom/thoughtful-design table.

This being a New Year with the usual focus on new beginnings and resolutions, the time seems ripe to shine a light on this revitalized corner of the watershaping industry: To that end, you’ll find in this issue one of only a handful of articles we’ve ever published about vinyl-liner pools – a startling feature if ever I’ve seen one.

Called “Vinyl Lines,” it’s by Michael Truehart (click here). Truehart is a builder who has been involved in vinyl construction for nearly three decades and has seen his chosen medium go from off-the-shelf, packaged-goods status to a point where he can now make pools in virtually any shape, size or color scheme – a flexibility that has freed him to focus on larger, fully designed pictures that include tasteful amenities, attached spas, grottos, elaborate hardscape, naturalistic surroundings and/or associated waterfeatures.

As he reports in this compelling story of product revolution, this new, custom class of vinyl-liner pools has reached a point where high-end clients and their equally high-end designers are taking notice.

I’ll confess that until I worked with Truehart on this story, I had always been among those who labored under the old idea that vinyl would never be more than a compromise when it came to building pools and spas. Whether or not liners will scale the heights that we’ve seen in vinyl-lined ponds and streams or gunite pools and spas is yet to be determined, but it’s clear from Truehart’s case alone that the aspirations are there and, just as important, are finding an interested clientele.