Make a Splash

From computer controls to water features, these are not your parents’ pools.

Written by Peggy Ann Brown

Photo by Ron Blunt, courtesy of Surrounds Landscape Architecture and Construction

Natural Landscaping, fireplaces, and conversation groupings transform backyards into the perfect environments for relaxing and entertaining

Picture yourself lounging beside a sparkling body of water surrounded by lush foliage and natural rock. The gentle sound of water cascading over dramatic boulders relaxes you. An outdoor kitchen-complete with built-in refrigerator and grill-stands ready for impromptu snacks or formal meals. A pergola provides shade from the summer sun, while a stone fireplace helps warm cool evenings.

Sound like your favorite resort? Think again. Such amenities are favorite requests from homeowners adding swimming pools and spas to their property.

From waterfalls and fountains to computer technology and automated cleaning systems, the look and maintenance of today’s pools barely resemble the stereotypical blue rectangle that required hours of upkeep.

“If you can imagine it, it can be done,” says Peter McCambridge, owner of Sunrise Premier Pools of Virginia, of the myriad pool design possibilities. Popular styles include irregular pond shapes and tiers that conform to the landscape and flow into each other.

Photo by Michael G. Stewart, courtesy of Backyard Creations

The sound of water cascading over rocks and boulders
stimulates the senses while soothing away worries

Backyard Vacation

Since 9/11, pool builders have noticed more people staying at home and using money once spent on traveling to improve their properties.

“It’s the cocooning effect,” says Steve Braun, owner of Backyard Creations. “People want to draw family members to their home. Why spend two weeks someplace else when you can create an outdoor environment in which to vacation all season long?”

Burton Gray, president of Town and Country Pools Inc. concurs. “After 9/11, people began developing more of their living/entertaining spaces, and this meant moving outside. Within the backyard, you can design different areas for the pool, the screened porch, grill and spa, as well as various seating arrangements.”

Howard Cohen, vice president of Surrounds Landscape Architecture and Construction, likens these areas to a home’s interior. “These are outdoor rooms, each a little unique but tied together somehow,” he says. “It’s similar to the decorating you do in your home when you might use paint colors to bring rooms together.”

Photo courtesy of Browning Pools & Spas

Aaron Brownig of Browning Pools & Spas says that irregularly shaped
pools are most pleasing because they mimic curves that occur naturally

Getting Started

Adding a swimming pool and spa begins with envisioning their usage. While most people plan on using their pools for entertaining, exercise, and simply relaxing, pool designers go beyond these basics, inquiring, for example, if homeowners want to swim laps or if the pool will be used primarily by children.

The next step is to look at actual pools and backyard arrangements. Most local companies maintain a portfolio of projects and libraries of design options.

“My advice is to look at different types of pools and understand how they work,” says Cohen. “I’m a custom designer so I can draw anything, but the best designs come when people give me some ideas of what they’re interested in.”

Pool designers and builders must also consider the property. “We listen to what the homeowner wants and look at what the yard will accommodate,” says Bob Spero, vice president and co-owner of Maryland Pools. “The final design tries to fit the owners’ wishes but must also fit what the property allows in terms of slopes, elevations and drainage.”

Says McCambridge: “Once we get a feel for what people would like to see, we tie the design to the home and make it work in their yard, blending it with the existing hardscape.”

Homeowners have numerous options when choosing a company to design and install their pools and spas. Choices include full service companies which handle design and installation, working with their own crews or supervising subcontractors; pool companies which design and install pools, and landscape architects or designers who design properties and make referrals for builders. The latter also regularly landscape areas around new or existing pools.

Photo courtesy of Sunrise Premier Pools of Virginia

Fountains combined with stone afford a more formal look.

Bells and Whistles

“Water features can transform a ho-hum pool to a tropical paradise,” says Jeff Reynolds, co-owner with Jeff Jones of Custom Stonescaping, which designs and installs landscaping. Using river stones and boulders, Reynolds creates waterfalls, patios and retaining walls accented with plants and flowers that resemble natural ponds, lakes and rivers.

Some water features are more fanciful. “We’ve incorporated jets into the deck that shoot arching streams of water into the pool,” says Braun. “These can be computer driven and tied into music and fiber optic lights so they actually carry a color with them.”

Other trends complement the new ways people are using their pools. Sports pools‹with two shallow ends‹are ideal for playing volleyball in the pool. Water jets in swim-spas provide the benefits of doing laps while swimming in place.

Because fewer people are putting in diving boards, pools do not need to be as deep. “People tend to congregate at the shallow end of the pool,” says Braun, “so we’ve extended the steps to put in love seats or widened them so you can set beach chairs in four or five inches of water to cool off without going into the water.”

Beyond the Pool

Adding a pool today often includes the star treatment for the whole backyard. In addition to various seating and entertaining areas, builders are adding more permanent structures such as cabanas, gazebos and pergolas.

“When it’s sunny, people who are not getting in the pool want some shade,” says Reynolds. “A pergola with plants growing on an open air trellis creates a living screen and provides shelter.”

Options also abound for creating decks and patios that coordinate with the overall look of the backyard. Flagstone, exposed aggregate, wood and scored concrete are popular choices.

Easy Care Options

While nearly half of Washington, D.C. area homeowners opt for free-form pools, safety and maintenance concerns drive many to choose rectangular shaped pools because of the availability of automatic covers.

“Covers dramatically reduce maintenance by preventing debris from getting in the pool,” says Gray. “They also can reduce operational costs by helping prevent heat and chemicals from dissipating. Maintaining heat allows you to extend the pool season.”

Automatic cleaning and sanitizing systems can reduce maintenance time to less than 15 minutes a week. “Homeowners don’t want to spend a lot of time working around the pool; they want to enjoy their pool,” says Bob Spero. “Installing these types of systems makes this easy to do.”

Photo courtesy of Maryland Pools

Giving this design a contemporary feel, water from this fall neatly arcs
in a sheet, sleekly rushing into the pool.

Swimming Pool Redux

Homeowners with older pools need not resign themselves to outdated systems and styles.

“Renovation brings pools built years ago back to brand new status,” says Bob Seh, president of B.J. Pool and Spa. “It entails refurbishing the pool interior and the deck and coping. You can add automatic cleaners and water features to older pools during renovation.”

Landscaping also revitalizes pool areas. “Landscaping around a pool is like repainting a room,” says Reynolds. “You’re changing the perception of the same space. Soften a rectangular pool with river rocks, plants, and water features.”

Creating a landscaped backyard offers benefits beyond using the pool in the summer. “It’s relaxing to look out the window at more than just an undeveloped patch of grass,” says Cohen. “If you don’t have time or it’s too cold, you can enjoy the view as much as being in the backyard.”

Do Your Homework

Adding a pool is a long-term investment that requires time for planning and construction. Check references and ask friends and neighbors about their experiences. Call the Better Business Bureau and NBC We Care to ask about companies’ reputations. Membership in professional organizations such as the Association of Pool and Spa Professionals can indicate commitment to current and ethical standards.

Good fences make good neighbors

Photo courtesy of Capital Fence

With local codes and homeowners’ associations dictating the height, spacing, and gating of fencing around pools, knowledge of such requirements is critical, says David MacKenzie, owner of Capital Fence. Besides addressing these safety concerns, companies such as Capital Fence maintain portfolios to help homeowners choose fences suited to their yards.

“Ornamental wrought iron blends in with the heavy landscaping that is popular,” says MacKenzie, who reports that this look is now available in maintenance-free aluminum. “I try to talk people out of fencing just around the pool so they don’t feel like everything is right on top of them.”

Karen Beitzell, owner of Beitzell Fence, agrees that coordinating fencing with the backyard is important, often surpassing privacy issues. “A lot of people are choosing black aluminum fencing, which gives an openness to the surroundings,” she says.

Another fencing option is to add masonry posts spaced every 24 to 32 feet that coordinate with the patio and retaining walls, advises Richard Baker, president of The King’s Masons Inc. His company also designs wrought iron fences, with some homeowners opting for aluminum fencing with a wrought iron gate.

“If you want to pull out all the stops and do something special for an entrance way, the choices are almost limitless with wrought iron,” says Baker. “You can then paint the gate to match the aluminum.”

You say spa; I say hot tub

Photo courtesy of B.J. Pool and Spa

There is no industry consensus on the difference between spas and hot tubs. Some use the term interchangeably while others reserve the latter for freestanding units.

Spas are deep tubs of warm water that bubble away aches and pains, explains Mikki Maxwell, general manager of Leisure Tubs & Pools, except that “everyone still calls them hot tubs.” She clarifies the distinction saying, “Hot tubs are wooden barrels filled with water. Spas are made of acrylic and have maintenance free exteriors.”

B.J. Pool and Spa specializes in stand-alone, portable units, which incorporate as many as 70 water jets, thus providing more therapeutic value than spas connected to pools, says Bob Seh. Models featuring lounge seats and flatscreen televisions increase the units’ entertainment value.

“A stand-alone hot tub can be located close to your home,” says Seh. “You then have this cozy, warm water for your aches and pains during the winter.” Maxwell says that insurance companies recognize the benefits of hydrotherapy and will pay part of the cost of a spa when it’s medically warranted.

“Once people own a spa, they can’t live without one. The number one complaint I hear is that people wish they had bought a bigger unit,” reports Maxwell.

Ready Reference

Backyard Creations Frederick, Md.

poolsbybackyardcreations.com 800-232-9066

Beitzell Fence, Catharpin, Va.

bsekits.com 703-754-0011

Browning Pools & Spas, Germantown, Md.

browningpools.com 800-723-0200

B.J. Pool and Spa, Fairfax, Va.

bjpoolandspa.com 703-323-1333

Capital Fence, Poolesville, Md.

capitalfenceonline.com 301-972-8400

Custom Stonescaping LLC, Falls Church, Va.

customstonescaping.com 703-407-8663

The King’s Masons, Manassas Park, Va.

kingsmasons.com 703-396-8807

Leisure Tubs Inc., Manassas, Va.

leisuretubs.com 703-361-5260

Maryland Pools, Columbia, Md.

marylandpools.com 800-252-7946

Sunrise Premier Pools of Virginia Inc., Fairfax, Va.

sunrisepoolsofva.com 703-289-1111

Sun Room and Hot Tub Store, Ellicott City, Md.

410-750-2828

Surrounds Landscape Architecture and Construction, Sterling, Va.

surroundslandscaping.com 703-430-6001

Town and Country Pools, Inc., Springfield, Va.

townandcountrypools.com 703-451-6660