Because the sand-colored pool interior harmonizes with the Spanish-style home.
Because the brick coping hides the fiberglass pool’s lip and plays off of the crimson tones of the metal roof.
Because the coping rests on a fully supported, concrete footer, preventing it from sagging over time.
Because three sets of in-pool seats provide a perfect perch for bathers during those sunny Southern afternoons.
Because topiary plantings soften the hardscape.
Because the aquascape leads to a formal garden that features an eye-catching grid of pavers and grass.
Desiring aesthetics and practicality, the Alabama homeowners had one major requirement for their spacious backyard: a fiberglass pool. Friends had tuned them in to the benefits of a low-maintenance, fiberglass pool, and they would accept no substitute for this upscale project.
They turned to Andrew Barber, president of Birmingham Aquaglass Pools. His design allowed them to focus solely on the beauty of the aquascape and the gardens beyond rather than on its upkeep.
Before installing the pool, the firm, based in Leeds, Ala., first had to overcome a hilly site. “There’s not a flat yard left in our area,” says Barber, formerly an engineer with an Alabama power company. Working within the constraints of a retaining wall that runs parallel to the home, the firm spent time cutting into hills, backfilling low spots and leveling out the spaces in-between to conquer the elevation differences.
To achieve a high-end look for their pool, the homeowners opted for top-of-the-line equipment and materials. In particular, they chose a sand-colored, granite-like interior finish that gives the water a soft, aquamarine tint. “The look of these granite-coat pools is very similar to that of an inground gunite pool,” Barber says. “The surface repairs wonderfully, and it finishes out great.”
Details, such as the brick coping, give the project extra flair. “Sometimes people leave the fiberglass lip exposed,” Barber says. “I refuse to do that. It looks like a bathtub sitting in the backyard. It would just make the pool look cheap.”
And there is nothing cheap about this fiberglass masterpiece. The poolscape and formal garden play off each other beautifully — and the homeowners couldn’t be more pleased.
