Posted by Marcus Sheridan on Mon, Jul 12, 2010 @ 09:54 AM
Although there are certainly many ways to dress up an inground swimming pool, I wanted to write a brief list showing 11 things (just about all of which are shown in the video) you may consider to dress up the overall appearance of your backyard ‘poolscape’. Keep in mind that as you read the following ideas they are just that-- ideas, and by no means a requisite to having a beautiful pool in your backyard. As I always say, it’s better to have a pool in your backyard without all the options you wanted, than it is to have a beautiful pool with every option you ever dreamed of......in your head……and not in your backyard.
But without further ado, here goes:
1. Colored Pool Finish: White pools, especially if you’re considering fiberglass or concrete, have gone the way of the dinosaur. And to this I say good riddance. Colors make swimming pools look more natural, inviting, and often times create that ‘Carribean’ feel so many are looking for.
2. Separate Coping Color: As shown in the attached video, installing a separate border around an inground pool not only delineates the pool, but it adds a ‘pop’ to the shape itself. Borders can be done in a variety of ways, with an 18” stamped concrete border w/extra cuts the most common method on a fiberglass swimming pool.
3. Decorative Patio: Stamped Concrete and Pavers are two of the most common ways homeowners dress up their pool patio, but there are also many more, like bluestone, CoolDeck/Spray Deck, etc.
4. Gravel Between Pool and Fence: You'll notice on the video that the homeowner layed a white gravel beteen the fence and the pool. This makes for a perfect transition and is also rather low maintenance in terms of yardwork.
5. Dress Up the Fence: As shown in the video, black aluminum combined with brick pillars is very, very pretty. It’s also very expensive, but if you have the additional funds, the elegant feel it brings to the backyard is significant.
6. Arched Gate: This one goes hand-in-hand with brick pillars, but an arched gate has an impressive feel adds a nice flare to the fence itself.
7. Flowers/Greenery/Shrubs/Etc: The homeowner in the video did an excellent job with his plantings around the pool area, especially in the pathways that lead to the pool. When done the right way and with the right selection, plantings can completely change the look and feel of a backyard.
8. Water Features: This is one of the few elements not shown in the video, but water features have a powerful effect on the backyard/swimming pool experience. Even simple waterfalls are popular these days because of their relaxing and tranquil impact on the pool area.
9. Multiple Seating Elevations: In the attached video, the homeowner achieved this with a nicely designed composite deck that had multiple levels, overlooking the pool. This can also be achieved by using landscape blocks to create steps, benches, etc.
10. Contour Your Patio: The homeowners did an excellent job of this in the video, as they put an arch in the concrete on the opposite side of the arch in the Moroccan (fiberglass pool by Leisure), thus accentuating the shape of the pool and adding further to the 'classy' feel of the backyard.
11. Landscape Lighting: It's a shame we couldn't do a night-time video of this pool as well, because all of the landscape lighting has an awesome effect on the overall ambiance of the backyard at night time.
Well I hope this little list and video helps you with further ideas to enhance the look of your backyard swimming pool experience. If you have any questions or comments, don’t hesitate to leave them below.
Posted by Jason Hughes on Tue, Apr 21, 2009 @ 06:04 PM
Pool fences have evolved over the years in many ways. In the past 10-15 years emphasis has been placed on regulating and enforcing fence requirements across the country. This has been a great thing, and has saved many lives, but it has also limited the fence options available to the consumer. There are currently three prominent types of fence used around pools today. This article will give a brief introduction to each of these three styles as well as discuss their inherent advantages and disadvantages.
Ornamental Aluminum
Ornamental aluminum has become the most popular type of pool fence in America due to its durability and elegant appearance. The aluminum is coated with a type of dry powder which is applied as a free flowing agent. This process is called powder coating and differs from conventional liquid paint because it does not require the use of a solvent to keep the product in suspension form. The coating is applied electrostatically and then cured under heat to allow it to form the skin that coats the aluminum. Powder coated aluminum fence is sometimes confused with wrought iron fence which is extremely heavy and has a painted surface. Iron fence is not frequently used around pools because it is much more expensive and time consuming to maintain. The panels for residential aluminum fence come in six foot sections and are composed of individual top and bottom rails and pickets that are fastened together with rivets or screws.
Standard 54" aluminum pool fence.
Advantages:
- Extremely durable
- Low maintenance
- Relatively inconspicuous (especially darker colors)
Disadvantages:
Applications
Ornamental aluminum fence is perfect for any setting where low maintenance is important and a privacy fence is not required. Aluminum fence is also great for waterfront properties or any other setting where you want to limit the obstruction of a wonderful view as much as possible. This is primarily because of the narrow rails and pickets used to construct the fence. This is the only type of fence that requires absolutely no maintenance, and that's a huge plus for most people. Aluminum fence is also available in a variety of colors. The most popular color is black, but many manufacturers also offer white, bronze, or green.
PVC
PVC fence is also frequently used around pools. There are two primary styles: standard fence, which is 48"-54" tall with either solid slats or spaced pickets; and privacy fence, which is 6'-7' tall with the slats butted together to make a solid panel. Many privacy fences have lattice or spindles for the top foot of the fence to add ornament to the design. Let's take a look:
Lattice top PVC privacy fence.
Advantages
- Great privacy fence
- Low maintenance
- Many solid and picketed styles available
- Many manufacturers can adapt their styles to custom heights for little or no additional charge.
Disadvantages
- Gates tend to sag over time
- Pickets and rails are much thicker and considered bulky by some consumers
- White color tends to be very conspicuous
- Mildew can form on fence in wet shady areas
Applications
PVC is the undisputed champion of privacy fences. It's durable, low maintenance, and provides great privacy. What else could you ask for? It's frankly not my favorite choice for a standard pool fence because the bulkiness of the thick pickets and rails. However, we've used PVC in many settings, often when tying in with an existing PVC fence, and the projects have all turned out wonderful. Almost all PVC fences are white, but many manufactures also offer tan as another option.
Wood
Wood is a tried and true building material and continues to be a popular fence material used around pools. Over the past decade it has been overshadowed by PVC and aluminum because of their low maintenance benefits, but thousands of wood fences are still installed around pools every year.
A standard concave wood fence.
Advantages:
- Size and style are totally customizable
- Less expensive than PVC or aluminum
- Can paint or stain a wide variety of colors
Disadvantages:
- Requires more maintenance
- Can warp and twist over time
Applications
Wood has some very strong qualities to take advantage of, if you're willing to do your part on the maintenance end. It is a natural material, and there's power in incorporating various natural elements into a design. In some settings a man-made barrier constructed of plastic or aluminum may not work as well as wood. Notwithstanding the maintenance aspect, there's no disputing the fact that it looks great in any setting and also makes a wonderful privacy fence.
Which type of pool fence is for you? My experience has been that about 90% of inground pool clients go with the 54" black ornamental aluminum fence because of its sleek look and low maintenance unless they are in need of a privacy fence. In which case most go with the pvc. Hopefully this article has been a helpful resource in your quest for the perfect pool fence. More articles on pool fence as well as other aspects of pool and patio design are available at http://www.riverpoolsandspas.com/. You can also visit http://www.poolschool.us/ for more information.