ometimes pool builders feel a lot like short-order cooks: For instance, some clients want them to “hold” the high-maintenance features and throw in “extra” perimeter lighting.
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On this design, the pool sits on the middle level of the irregularly terraced backyard. A raised bond beam supports the small top tier. Sheet waterfalls come from the raised hot tub and, for added cost, out of the raised brick wall.
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This short-order feeling really kicks in when each member of the client’s family has a special request, and they don’t want to pay an arm and a leg to get it.
Take our family of five: Dad longs for a built-in sports activity, Mom fancies cascading water, and the children want to get in and out of the pool easily without worrying about a deep-end situation.
That’s not all. The property presents issues such as drainage, expansive soil, multi-elevation and access. Another challenge: The existing hardscape needs to be incorporated.
Enter Joe Fleming, sales manager of Hawaiian Pools of Pinellas Inc. in Largo, Fla., who cooks up something for everyone — all within a tight budget.
What was your basic design concept?
The existing spa looked a little rough. I thought it would detract from the new pool and other investments the clients were putting in. They mentioned they would consider a new spa to go along with the pool, so I thought it would be best to replace the existing one and incorporate it into the pool.
How did you come up with this concept?
We wanted to come up with a patio area and upper level that would give them a better view of the mountains. The main idea was to have a seating area on the backside of the pool. I also raised the spa above the pool to take advantage of the view.
What were the main challenges of this project?
One of them was the access area to get our equipment in. The homeowner talked about a 15-foot easement coming up one side of their property and a flood channel on the other. We would check with the people who have the easement to make sure we could go across it and post a bond, or whatever it would take, to use it.
Another was dealing with several different elevation levels. I had to figure out where to put the pool. I felt the same elevation as the upper walkway was the best location for it.
In addition, I wanted to tie the existing hardscape into the pool design. I didn’t feel it was necessary or cost-effective to tear out a lot of existing hardscape. It was a challenge to leave what was there alone and still come up with a design that fit into the space.
Drainage was also a challenge. The water coming at the pool from the north side has to be dealt with so it doesn’t go underneath the concrete deck and start lifting it up — that would create a huge problem. I’ve also got drainage on the downhill side in front of the railroad-tie wall.
Another challenge was dealing with expansive soil. When clay soil gets wet, it expands. As it dries, it gets cracks in it. We’ll deal with that by putting in a proper sub base underneath the concrete and pool.
Finally, working around the existing landscaping was a bit of a challenge. The customers seemed to be leaning toward keeping the silver maple. It was a well-established tree that they wanted to maintain.
What about pool placement?
I tried to keep it toward the rear property line as far as possible to minimize the cost of retaining walls. I like the idea of it being on more level ground as opposed to closer to the house, where it slopes back toward the retaining wall at the patio. The closer you get to the house, the more the mountain view would be diminished. So the topography and keeping the view in mind were important. I also wanted to avoid the silver maple tree.
It’s a kidney-shaped pool. The overall length of the pool and spa is 14 feet by 32 feet. It’s considered a medium to medium-small size pool in today’s industry. I used this size because the site is limited. I also avoided an 8-foot-depth pool because of the children. The clients didn’t request a diving board, so the 6-1/2-foot depth seemed to make sense.
What kind of interior pool surface did you have in mind?
This is a fiberglass pool with a gel-coat finish as opposed to plaster, Pebble Tec or Diamond Bright. One of the advantages of a fiberglass pool is that it has a smooth, nonporous surface.
What kind of spa did you install?
This pool/spa combination is a one-piece unit, so it’s the same as the pool. It’s fiberglass with a gel-coat finish. It’s comfortable to be against and sit in because it’s so smooth. We call it a satin finish.
The spa is raised 4-1/2 inches above the pool. It has a tile/dam wall with a notch and marble insert for a spillway. The marble extends over the top, so it creates more of a sheeting effect — the sound and look of running water.
What kind of coping did you use for the spa, and why?
To tie the pool area into the existing landscaping, retaining walls and walkways, I put a coping on the spa with brick running around the face. The brick coping raises it up, and it also ties in well with the existing hardscape. I have a cantilever edge around the pool itself. I felt it was the best way to finish it off and accompany the brick.
Why did you choose a geometric planter as opposed to a curved planter to accent the deck and pool?
The railroad ties come in 8-foot-long sections, so they’re not going to curve. The yard slopes away, so we have to retain the dirt between the pool and lower retaining wall. They’re highly pressure-treated and will last for years. Instead of building another block wall with brick caps, which is what they have and would put us over budget, I used the railroad ties. It also creates a pretty wall.
The plant material covers up the railroad ties, so they’ll eventually disappear.
If you could choose the plants for the yard, what would be your choices?
I’d like to create a semitropical look. I would continue with some of the palms. I would also use perennials in the flower garden. I think it’s a good idea to keep the plants low, so they don’t block the view.
Why did you use the salt finish for the concrete decking?
I wanted to match the existing concrete work. The salt finish also has the benefit of not having your foot come in contact with a flat surface, so it’s cooler to walk on. You take rock salt and throw it in when the concrete is still wet, and steel-trowel it in. When it’s hosed down the next day, the salt dissolves and leaves pockets in the concrete.
It gives it a nice texture and appearance. I also didn’t want to use another material around the pool. I wanted to make it look like it was all done around the same time.
Talk a little about the basketball hoop.
The homeowner mentioned pool games in the initial interview, so we decided to bring in a backboard and hoop on the deep end of the pool.
The basketball hoop can be moved to any location in the pool.
Does the price include the table and lounge chairs?
There’s no patio furniture or landscaping included in the price. The yard would be graded and raked, and ready for landscaping.
What about the location of the chairs?
I wanted to take advantage of the view toward the mountains. I feel there’s enough patio space to turn them in different directions.
Why did you place a dolphin water fountain on the deep end of the pool?
The homeowners mentioned they’d like to incorporate some kind of feature spouting water into the pool. I thought this would be a novel way to do it. It gets the sound of running water in the backyard.
I chose the location because I didn’t want to block the view from the sitting areas. I didn’t want to put it on the house side of the pool.
What kind of landscape lights did you use?
I used a combination of pagoda and flood, which is pathway and landscape lighting. Otherwise, it would be pretty dark if you’re not close to the house. I then used spotlights to accentuate the taller palm trees and silver maple.
How about your choice of a 300W, 6-inch-diameter underwater spa light [Spectrum AquaLight, aka SAL] with a color wheel for this project?
Yes, I put a SAL in the spa. And I put a 300-watt, 11-inch-diameter SAm [Spectrum Amerlite] underwater light with a color wheel in the pool.
I didn’t want to go to the full expense of perimeter fiberoptic lighting. I thought this would be a good compromise to get some color into the pool.
What was it about the clients that most affected your design?
They wanted something functional. They also mentioned they wanted something simple and were inclined toward matching the look of the existing landscaping and brick patio. Using the circles and radiuses on the pool and decking goes along with their original theme.
How did you customize the project to fit the family’s lifestyle?
I wanted to keep it simple. I didn’t want to do too many multilevels. It’s basically all one level except for the spa and small area behind it. I tried to keep it functional by not using a lot of steps around the pool and spa. They have small children, so I didn’t want to make it difficult for them to get out of one particular side of a pool. By keeping the pool perimeter at one level, it makes access easier.
What did you like best about this project?
The setting of the pool, and the backdrop with the existing foliage. I liked the idea of the pool sitting up to take advantage of the view over and beyond the house.
What would you have done differently if you were dealing with actual people?
There are many more questions I might have asked. There are some additional items related to equipment — like cleaning equipment, lighting and heating — that we would be able to offer them.
One of the things we would discuss with the owners is the advantages of a fiberglass pool over other types. You’ve got less chemical and electrical costs on a monthly basis. There’s also no need for future resurfacing like acid washing, complete resurfacing or liner replacement.
How does this budget compare with what you’re normally used to for a pool/spa in Florida?
In Florida, everything is so flat. We rarely get into hillside situations — the retaining wall, dealing with the elevations, drainage problems and access issues. Our typical budget is normally within the $20,000 to $35,000 range. We also don’t have to deal with expansive soil, which adds to the cost of the sub base for the concrete.
What were you able to do on this budget that you normally couldn’t?
We were able to incorporate a new spa with the pool. We were also able to include features like the SAL and SAm lights and a raised brick area around the spa. Plus, we added two nice seating areas.
