ARTICLES Archives - Page 145 of 312

Integrity on Deck

I was recently involved as an expert witness in a case where, among many other flawed parts of the project, I came across a distinctly substandard pool deck. The grout was cracking all over the place, and most of the flagstone veneer was either loose or in the process of breaking free of the substrate. The diagnosis didn’t take long: All I did was dig back a part of the lawn at the edge of the patio, and the not-so-surprising truth revealed itself.

Hillside Gymnastics

By Randy Beard Through the years, I’ve had the good fortune to work on a wide range of difficult sites and been forced to familiarize myself with all of the technologies and techniques that go into making these projects work. The two videos linked below offer a case in point: We were called in to build a pool at the base of an oceanfront lot rising

Time and Tide

As I was putting the finishing touches on my plans for New Orleans and the International Pool|Spa|Patio Expo, one of the people I was trying to set up a breakfast with asked me how many of these shows I’d attended through the years. “Hundreds,” I said, without giving it much thought. Attending shows is, after all, one of the main duties associated

The Soul of a River

Back in October 2001, Hal Hagen wrote “The Soul of the River” about his passion for restoring damaged or compromised stretches of wild water. His insights from back then ring true, perhaps with even greater urgency, 10 years later: ‘At the most basic level, all rivers do is

Test Your Knowledge #42

Investigating an Olympic Swim Team's 'Troublesome Culture'

Ripples #53

Compiled and Written by Lenny Giteck Limbless Aussie Dives into Pool, Gets Out by Himself There’s not much to say about the 14-minute, self-explanatory video

Hydraulics in Hot Water

Of all the features associated with inground swimming pools, attached spas almost certainly have the most complex designs. Achieving proper hydrotherapy-jet action requires the interweaving of air lines, water lines, fittings, jets and associated pumps, blowers and motors in a way that delivers results the customer wants and expects. And making mistakes is definitely costly: Once the plumbing is set in concrete, there’s no easy way of turning back. The bottom line: You have to

Home, Sweet Home

From postage-stamp miniatures to lake-scale behemoths, it’s no stretch to say that ponds come in all sizes. While it’s certainly true that big ones give their owners boundless options when it comes to creating large ecosystems that support plenty of fish and plants, we’ve learned

The Science of Lighting

As I see it, successful landscape lighting is a two-part process: First, the designer applies aesthetic principles that create the art, then he or she supports that artistic vision with scientific and technological savvy. One without the other doesn’t work: You can’t effectively practice the art until

The Pitfalls of Pinching Pennies

Lots of homeowners believe that they can save money by “cutting out the middle man” and supplying materials such as tile and stone directly to a design or construction firm. The theory is that they will avoid markups and will be paying only for installation. That may literally be the case, but it’s