Changing tides: These homeowners requested a sleek design to enhance their view of Lake Michigan — without being a distraction. Because the lake’s hue changes with the weather, Bill Kantor needed a color palette that would create a seamless view, from the pool to the lake beyond, at any time. The San Juan fiberglass pool shell has a gel-coat finish in Iridium Granite, and the Vitrex Mosaici by Casa Italia tiles are in Grigio, a mix of grays, to complement the environment. To marry the design to the homeowner’s property, Kantor suggested that the weir wall below the vanishing edge be faced with the same stone as the home’s chimney.
Winter is coming: Building a pool on the edge of the lake meant planning for winter. Kantor selected an automatic cover system by Cover Pools to winterize the project. He decided to utilize two fabrics. In winter, the water is lowered below the tile line and the winter fabric lays directly on top of the water. Engineering a solid pool base on a sand dune at the edge of the lake also presented challenges. Kantor constructed pilings to provide a stable foundation for the pool so the homeowners wouldn’t have to worry about erosion issues. The construction also needed to be precise to accommodate a matching overflow sump basin and an automatic pool cover. “Your tolerances are really tight as far as making sure you get the weir wall right, hiding the track and that the track is still positioned so that it will run smoothly,” he adds.
