Pools & Spas

Heater Help
The presence of unwanted cold water can lead to call-backs for builders and technicians who install heaters improperly. That's not good, notes Mike Fowler, who writes that keeping customers warm and happy requires following these sizing, selection, installation and maintenance procedures.
Failures of Trust
  Engineers carry an almost sacred trust, with watershapers relying on them to design structures and systems that are reliable, science-based and code-compliant. When that trust is broken, says Dave Peterson and Bill Drakeley, the consumer's investment is at risk -- as is the watershaper's reputation.
Fighting Dementia
As our population ages, concerns about preventing dementia are becoming more and more pronounced. Getting involved with water is one of the possibilities a group of researchers has identified as a way to push back the tide of this debilitating cluster of impairments and conditions.
Mastering the Long View
This story is an example of what can happen when preparation meets opportunity. It started way back in 2014, when the client first hired me to build an acrylic fountain at an office building she owns in the Los Angeles area. She liked the results and asked me get involved at her residence in Rolling Hills, an upscale enclave on the scenic Palos Verdes peninsula overlooking the ocean, where she had a pool that was experiencing
A Checkerboard Beauty
Creating works of watershaping art requires close attention to countless details and complete control over the installation process, says design and builder, Joan Roca. To demonstrate his point, he recently profiled a spectacular project on Wolfpack Webinar Wednesdays.
Lessons in Frustration
Upgrading a tired classic kidney pool should not have been a particularly tall order, or so thought homeowners Kris Anna Andersen and R Lee Steele. Little did they know the depth and complexity they would face in trying to reclaim the pool's classic beauty and updating its equipment. 
Detail: S034
Installing structural steel in a swimming pool means negotiating a variety of fittings, contours, corners…
Exploring New Efficiency Rules
It might be the biggest change the pool industry has seen since passage of the Virginia Graeme Baker Act: The U.S. Dept. of Energy is banning most single-speed pumps and changing the way all of these devices are rated.
A Study in Contrasts, Part 1
Most watershape designers and builders I know largely rely on referrals to generate new business. That's certainly been true in my case and I've learned that word of mouth is extremely important, and arguably the best form of marketing. It is unusual, however, to have one referral from a satisfied client turn into two massive projects at the same time. That's exactly what happened, when one of my past clients
Detail: A201
This time, Dave Peterson shares a simple, reliable way to extend stone veneer from the deck surface all the way down into the pool's interior. It's a great way, he suggests, to create a transition from dry to wet surfaces that is durable, graceful -- and visually seamless.