Pools & Spas
This was a fun project in lots of ways – not the least of which involved figuring out how to fit a skimmer into the system without completely disrupting the clean look of the coping-only treatment of the pool’s perimeter. Usually, of course, pools at grade level are
Through all the years I’ve spent communicating with other pool designers and builders and in working directly for or consulting with clients, I’ve come across all sorts of design processes and decisions I’d classify as questionable (at best) or just plain wrong, foolish or even actionable (at worst). I’d originally listed them as ten common mistakes pool designers make (and should try to avoid), but a recent incident forced me to expand the list to cover
In far too many cases, lighting in and around backyard swimming pools is an afterthought – and sometimes I get the impression that there’s not much thought involved at all. As I see it, our clients deserve better than an easy, one-size-fits-all approach, and that’s the main reason I developed the brief video presentation linked below: I wanted to give homeowners a bit of information that would help them understand both the importance of good lighting and get them ready to discuss a variety of available design solutions. As I suggest in the video, the old-style, under-the-diving-board placement of a 500-watt incandescent bulb should never
I started making videos and putting them up on YouTube a couple years back to help my prospective clients (and, for that matter, anyone else who might be interested) become better informed about all of the decisions that go into purchasing backyard swimming pools. The one I’m sharing here, for example, is about a detail the average consumer rarely (if ever) considers
When I conduct seminars at pool and spa industry trade shows, I regularly get asked about the validity of a water-management technique known widely as the “acid column” approach. Those who believe in this application method say that if acid is poured into a swimming pool in a concentrated area – producing what adherents variously call a column, slug, well or cloud – the alkalinity of the water will be drastically reduced, but the pH will not drop as much as it otherwise would. By contrast, they say, if that same volume of acid is added by walking it around a pool and evenly distributing it throughout the water, the pH will be
For a while there, it seemed like most pool/spa combinations were being built with raised spas – that is, systems in which the level of the spa was set above the level of the pool, with the connection between the vessels made by means of a spillway of some sort. Recently, however, some of our clients have opted for a different approach in which the pool and spa appear to
Once you’re as well informed as you can be about the business practices of the companies that might end up designing and installing your swimming pool, the hard work of the decision-making process begins. It’s time, in other words, to bring a few of your candidate companies in, ask them to look things over and, ultimately, request bids for the work to be done. A quick heads up: The prices are going to be all over the map, and that’s because, if you’ve done things the way most homeowners will do, you’ve set up a situation in which
People who design and build swimming pools with attached spas are always on the lookout for ways to differentiate themselves in the eyes of the client. The spa, I think, is the perfect place to start. But the cold fact is that a great many watershapers who build spas do so very conservatively, whether out of habit or
It’s a case of familiarity breeding neglect: Pool and deck contractors work with so much mastic through the years that it’s easy for them to take this wonderful material for granted. And that’s a shame, because I’ve run into plenty of clients who are plainly interested in learning what function these rubbery joints serve and why they’re a necessary part of the package. The video linked below offers an
One of the things I like most about working with water is that it makes statements that don’t require much verbal explanation. In fact, I like to think that the projects I build speak volumes about my clients’ desire for something creative and interesting. They also speak to the point that most of my clients grant me the freedom to give my very best effort, both aesthetically and technically, without
