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River Pools & Spas Blog
The most educational swimming pool blog in the country, providing fiberglass pool articles and videos, as well as information on inground concrete and liner pools.
Installation & Construction | Options and Accessories | Retaining Walls, Fence, and Landscaping
Note from Marcus: This is a guest post from one of the most prominent landscape designers in the Northern Virginia area, David Marciniak of Revolutionary Gardens.
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DIY Fiberglass Pools | Finding A Pool Contractor | Installation & Construction | Retaining Walls, Fence, and Landscaping
Lately it seems that a lot of homeowners I am meeting with have slopes in their backyards. Some of these slopes range in a grade difference of 1’ to 6’ from where the pool deck starts and finishes. What this means is that your fiberglass pool, when set in the ground, may be even with the ground on one end or side and 1 to 6 feet out of the ground on the other end or side. In such occasions, retaining walls are often the necessary solution, although moving the pool to another more flat location can at times work as well. I had one customer who could have moved their pool to an area in the backyard that would have alleviated any walls, but they wanted the added visual effect the walls would give them.
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Don't blindly wonder if a fiberglass, concrete, or vinyl liner pool is right for you. Our educational ebook does a deep-dive comparison of the 3 types, all while noting the advantages and disadvantages of each.
Fiberglass Pool Manufacturers | Options and Accessories | Pool Videos | Retaining Walls, Fence, and Landscaping
When purchasing a swimming pool, many homeowners debate as to whether or not a water feature, such as a pool fountain or a waterfall feature, is a worthy investment. Although arguments could likely be made for both sides, I would emphasize here that a pool is an AWESOME addition to a back yard and to your family experience with or without such a feature.
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Installation & Construction | Pool Videos | Retaining Walls, Fence, and Landscaping
One of the most challenging aspects of buying an inground pool is visualizing what the finished project will look like, and this is especially true on a sloping lot where retaining walls are needed.
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Fiberglass Pool Information | Installation & Construction | Patio and Coping | Pool Design Guides | Pool Videos | Retaining Walls, Fence, and Landscaping
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.
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Finding A Pool Contractor | Installation & Construction | Patio and Coping | Retaining Walls, Fence, and Landscaping
If you want a crash course on the finer details of a fiberglass pool installation, then you've come to the right place. Contained in this article are points of a fiberglass pool project that are NOT frequently covered on the internet, or possibly even in your backyard with your contractor, but are absolutely essential to a successful installation. These are the things you absolutely should know before the first piece of equipment shows up.
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Cost and Pricing | Fiberglass Pool Information | Finding A Pool Contractor | Pool Design Guides | Retaining Walls, Fence, and Landscaping
We see homeowners frequently asking questions about why pool builders charge such wildly different amounts for the same project. Comparing proposals can be challenging and sometimes exasperating, especially when it feels like you're comparing apples to oranges. Heck, sometimes it's even difficult to spot or even understand the differences between proposals. But how do you know that a proposal covers everything needed? In many cases it's very tempting to move forward with the cheapest proposal, but these situations can lead to surprise expenses for you, the homeowner. While surprises can be fun in situations like birthday parties or gifts, they're not fun when they come in the form of unexpected or hidden costs in the middle of your pool project.
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Fiberglass Pool Information | Finding A Pool Contractor | Installation & Construction | Pool Design Guides | Retaining Walls, Fence, and Landscaping
My life in the pool industry began at age 15 as a humble laborer in a small family owned pool business. The term “green-horn” doesn’t even begin to describe my naiveté at the time. I realized I had a lot to learn when one day, on an above-ground pool installation, my boss sent me to find the “wall stretcher” behind the seat of the truck. I returned after thirty minutes of tearing the truck apart looking for the thing to find my two comrades rolling on the ground with laughter. It was then I realized the stupid tool didn’t even exist. Well, some things never change; I still have a lot to learn. But since my partners and I started River Pools and Spas in 2001, we have added over 1,000 inground fiberglass pool customers to our reference list. One thing’s for sure: we’ve seen plenty of the good, the bad, and the ugly of fiberglass pool installations.
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Patio and Coping | Pool Videos | Retaining Walls, Fence, and Landscaping
If someone is considering the purchase of a swimming pool and their yard is not flat, then there is a good chance they may need a retaining wall. Retaining walls come in many different forms and materials, such as railroad ties, centerblock, brick, landscape blocks, and poured concrete. A retaining wall made of concrete, also known as a turn-down slab, is very cost-effective.
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Pool Maintenance | Pool Videos | Retaining Walls, Fence, and Landscaping
This video introduces the benefits of aluminum pool fencing and discusses some basic pool fence requirements.
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