Just Pooling Around
You can get almost anything you want these days in a swimming pool
By Wendy Smith
Ahhh, tis summer. The breezes of spring have given way to the UV rays of summer and, as the temperature rises, so does our urge to dive into a nice, cool pool of water. Luckily, that's not as hard to do as it used to be. Not that long ago, in-ground pools were a status symbol of the upper class. However, in the past few years, the number of backyard pools has dramatically increased. In fact, it's almost an ordinary feature in houses these days.
Pools add a certain air of luxury to a home. There's a sense of leisure to a house that sports a large amount of refreshing water behind it. According to Pat Bright of Prism Pool and Backyard, the pool industry is hopping. She attributes this to several different things. Pat jokes that in an industry not known for making rapid strides, it's unusual to have two or three hot trends happening at the same time. Travis Wright of Triad Pool and Spa is of the same opinion. He says that it's an exciting time to be in the pool business.
According to Bright, the hottest current trend is the outdoor living room. People are creating living spaces out of their entire backyards that include a pool, luxurious furniture, fireplaces and kitchens. The pools have unusual shapes and design elements. The furniture is called “deep seating” because the cushions are thick and look and feel more like the living room couch. The fireplaces can include cooking surfaces or simply be used for ambiance and heat, and the kitchen area can be as simple as a cooking surface or consist of counters, a bar, refrigerator and burners. Anything goes in creating a comfortable, outdoor living space.
Another trend that Bright Pat is seeing a lot of is water features. Stacie Francis at Sequoyah Pool echoes that comment. Water features are things such as waterfalls, mini-jets, fountains and other details that move and direct water. Mini-jets are water jets in the pool deck that shoot water across the pool or in a particular direction. Body jets are water jets in the pool wall that create a current that a person can swim against. Francis says that water jets are very popular this year with body jets increasing in popularity. Slides, she states, are out. Wright notes that deck jets with colored lights are his most popular water feature. Doug Gregg of Farragut Pool and Spa mentions that he's doing a lot of spillover spas. This unique design positions a spa tub next to the pool that overflows into the pool. Another popular style for Gregg is the boulder pool, which is a pool with a large boulder in the middle of it. Water features immediately add interest to the area, whether they are located in the water or on the deck. The idea is to create texture and make the pool more of a design element rather than a flat surface.
LED lightshows are cropping up in many pools. Gregg says that colored lights are a hot trend for him. The lights have up to seven colors, can be programmed and add a lot of style for the money. Gregg notes that most lights these days can be worked with a remote control. He adds that remotes are a big deal now. Wright seconds that. Almost all the parts of a pool – pumps, lights, valves, chemicals - can be operated with a wireless remote, and customers are loving it. Remote control makes pools friendlier and lower maintenance.
Chemicals are doing their part to increase pool popularity. Keeping pool water in swimming condition is a lot easier than it used to be. And chlorine is no longer the only option for clean water. Bright, Francis, Wright and Gregg all mention an increase in the number of salt water pool customers. Salt water pools use salt to keep the water clean. Bright stresses that salt sounds kind of questionable, but unless someone is really sensitive to salt, it's barely noticeable and can't even be tasted. A salt water pool takes a special poolside unit to add the salt, but shocking the pool is just a matter of pressing a button rather than the old cumbersome method of adding chlorine shock and leaving the pool to sit overnight. Francis notes that the only thing a person needs to add is the occasional algae remover. Consumers have found that the salt water is softer and less drying to skin and hair than chlorine, and the cost difference between chlorine and salt is not very large either. Bright says that around 60% of her client's pools are now salt water.
Pool materials are getting fancier as well. The outdoor rooms generally use combinations of various materials on and surrounding the deck. Some rooms have a lot of natural materials, usually stone, and others make use of things such as glass and artistic tiles. It all depends on the final “look” desired – casual, urban, elegant. Although many people are having pools made with glass tile and exposed concrete aggregate, the majority of East Tennessee's pools are still mostly gunite with a plaster finish, what is typically thought of as a concrete pool. But gunite has had a facelift as well. While most gunite pools of the past used to be white, newer pools are being constructed in a wide variety of colors. Bright and Gregg agree that black or dark blue are fairly popular solid pool colors. Another popular style is the diamond pool. A diamond pool has a plaster finish that is imbedded with clear or colored quartz crystals, which add sparkle and glitter to the water. Bright says the blue crystals can make the water look like the waters of the Caribbean. Diamond pools are very poplar with Francis' clients right now, and colored pools with LED lights that can illuminate the pool in various colors are a favorite with Wright's customers.
The options available to pool lovers have never been greater. And this variety allows almost anyone to have a vision of the perfect pool and have that vision met. Nowadays, it's a snap to have a functional, beautiful, low maintenance pool in the backyard.
