ARTICLES

Advance Search Aquatic Health Aquatic Health, Fitness & Safety Around the Internet Aquatic Culture Aquatic Technology Artful Endeavors Celebrity Corner Life Aquatic Must-See Watershapes People with Cameras Watershapes in the Headlines Book & Media Reviews Commentaries, Interviews & Profiles Fountains Join the Dialogue Landscape, Plants, Hardscape & Decks Lighter Side Ripples Test Your Knowledge The Aquatic Quiz Other Waterfeatures (from birdbaths to lakes) Outdoor Living, Fire Features, Amenities & Lighting Ponds, Streams & Waterfalls Pools & Spas Professional Watershaping Structures (Editor's Notes) Travelogues & History WaterShapes TV WaterShapes World Blog Web Links Around the Internet Aquatic Culture Aquatic Technology Artful Endeavors Celebrity Corner Life Aquatic Must-See Watershapes People with Cameras Watershapes in the Headlines
199902JM0
Inside the NEC
The triennial publication of the National Electrical Code is an event of critical importance to any contractor or subcontractor performing electrical installations or repairs.  First published in 1897 and produced since 1911 by the National Fire Protection Association, the NEC is now enforced in all 50 states and also serves as the basis for codes in several foreign nations. As has been the case with all editions published to date, the 1999 edition of the code is designed to ensure "the practical safeguarding of
Read More
199902SR0
Bridging the Gaps
Take a quick look at the area surrounding almost any pool, spa or waterfeature and you're sure to see living proof that plants and man-made bodies of water go hand in hand.  No matter what form the greenery takes - grass, hedges, trees, shrubs, flowers, even cacti - the fact is that plant life is seen virtually everywhere decorative or recreational water is found. For all of this close physical proximity, however, landscape designers and the installers of pools, spas, fountains and other watershapes have generally tended to operate in
Read More
199902BVB0
A Call for Ambassadors
"To succeed in business or in life, I don't think you need fancy schooling or highly technical experience.  What I think you need is common sense, a commitment to hard work and the courage to go your own way."                                   -- Robert Mondavi   That statement in Robert Mondavi's autobiography truly inspires me.  As I've prepared myself to write this column, I've been even more conscious of how
Read More
New Words for a New Era
Dear Mr. Webster, I have a pair of new words I'd like you to consider for the next edition of your dictionary.
Read More
When he was brought in to replace a pool that had failed because of improper construction for the existing soil conditions, David Tisherman knew he’d have to dig deep to come up with a solution – literally. The resulting structural design defines an approach to building in which at least as much thought and care goes into what’s installed beneath a pool or spa as into how the project ultimately will look to the client.
Integrity Below Grade
When he was brought in to replace a pool that had failed because of improper construction for the existing soil conditions, David Tisherman knew he’d have to dig deep to come up with a solution – literally. The resulting structural design defines an approach to building in which at least as much thought and care goes into what’s installed beneath a pool or spa as into how the project ultimately will look to the client. Some projects are doomed from the start, and it was pretty obvious when I first laid eyes on what was left of the existing pool that this was one of those cases:  Light-duty construction coupled with a complete lack of consideration of existing soil conditions had resulted in a nightmare for the homeowner – and costly litigation for the contractor. But with every failure comes a chance to succeed, and that’s what we’re working toward in this project, which is about 50% complete as this chapter of the story is being written. Our goal:  taking an utter catastrophe and transforming it to a
Read More
When the soil expands beneath a concrete swimming-pool deck, the pressure can turn the finest slab work into an unsightly clash of cracked planes and angles. There are ways to overcome this soil expansiveness, says a veteran structural engineer, but it takes knowing what you’re up against – and a fair degree of patience.
Expansion Solutions
Put yourself in your customer's swim suit for a moment: You're floating in a lounge chair in your pool, taking in the surroundings and proud ofwhat you and your family now enjoy. As you scan the perimeter of the pool, you spot something you're certain wasn't there the last time you looked. Yes, you're sure of it:  A portion of the deck seems to be rising above the backside of the coping. Instead of continuing to enjoy a lazy afternoon's float, you now start to
Read More
When the soil expands beneath a concrete swimming-pool deck, the pressure can turn the finest slab work into an unsightly clash of cracked planes and angles. There are ways to overcome this soil expansiveness, says a veteran structural engineer, but it takes knowing what you’re up against – and a fair degree of patience.
Expansion Solutions
Put yourself in your customer's swim suit for a moment: You're floating in a lounge chair in your pool, taking in the surroundings and proud ofwhat you and your family now enjoy. As you scan the perimeter of the pool, you spot something you're certain wasn't there the last time you looked. Yes, you're sure of it:  A portion of the deck seems to be rising above the backside of the coping. Instead of continuing to enjoy a lazy afternoon's float, you now start to
Read More
On paper, reports Ben Dixon, the design fired everyone’s imagination by taking a garden-variety, linear waterfall and enhancing the visual effect with a set of serpentine twists and turns. But making that effect work on site was a different matter – one that called for ingenuity on the part of the construction crew as well as the waterfall system’s supplier.
Custom Contours
This waterfall could've been built in either of two ways:  A system of internal reservoirs and a long, narrow nozzle could've been formed as part of the structure itself, a task that would've placed huge burdens on the forming crew and the person shooting the gunite; or a manufactured fixture could be used to create the desired effect. Sensibly, the folks at Tango Pools in Las Vegas chose to pursue the latter option, deciding it would be better to
Read More
From standard coping and cantilevered decks to boulders and plants and rock veneers, watershapers are using an ever-broadening palette of edge treatments to accentuate and refine their designs. In this photo-essay, veteran landscape architect Peter White illustrates the boundless possibilities that present themselves when it comes to setting up boundaries at water’s edge.
Designs on Edge
To my way of thinking, one of the most fundamental considerations in any landscape design has to do with understanding how the major elements blend visually with each other and their immediate surroundings.  When that design includes water - be it a pond, stream, fountain, pool or spa - the key to effective visual blending depends to an overwhelming degree on how you define the internal boundaries within the design. This is so because of a couple of crucial visual concepts:  First, we all know that
Read More
‘ASK THE MASTERS’ SHOWCASE