Building a Chlorine-Free Pool

Source: ptadesign (Flickr)

There are many awesome things about owning an inground swimming pool, but dealing with pool chemicals isn't one of them. Chlorine is a caustic substance that poses a potential danger to anyone who comes in contact with it in concentrated form - which is the form in which it's sold, and stored, for pool treatment. Many people are also sensitive to chlorine even after it's added to water, and may suffer from irritated skin or eyes when swimming in a treated pool.

There are other reasons to avoid using pool chemicals, but you get the point. There's keen interest among many would-be pool owners in finding an alternative to the usual method of pool sanitation. Here are a few of the most popular options.

Natural Pools

Already popular in Europe, natural swimming pools are catching on in the United States as well. These manmade swimming holes feature their own ecosystems that keep the water sanitary through plant filtration rather than chemical treatment. While they might seem radical, they can actually be designed to look much like a conventional swimming pool. The plants are usually separated from the swimming area by some sort of barrier, and a pump can be installed to keep the water from growing stagnant. Maintenance is much cheaper and simpler, as these sorts of pools simply do what comes naturally.

Saltwater Pools

Saltwater pools are another trendy topic among pool people. Technically, these pools are not chlorine-free - they contain chlorine as well, but they produce it by breaking down salt via a chlorinator. The advantage is that you don't have to handle or store chlorine on your property. Plus, water chlorinated this way tends to not be as harsh on skin and eyes. On the downside, maintaining the proper salt level can be tricky and you could risk corroding fixtures if you don't get the balance right.

Other Options

If being eco-friendly is your main concern, then a natural pool is the clear choice. However, if your desire to avoid chemicals is based purely on convenience, there are a couple of other options worth mentioning. One is to get a fiberglass pool, which has an algae-resistant surface and therefore requires less maintenance. The other option is painfully obvious - hire a pool service to maintain your pool chemistry for you.

As you can see, there's no perfect solution for those who want a pool but hate the thought of dealing with pool chemicals. These alternative water treatment options all come with their own tradeoffs. However, if you weigh the pros and cons, you might well find - like many other pool owners - that a natural or saltwater pool is a more attractive choice than chlorine.

Vanishing Act: The Awesomeness of Infinity Edge Pools

Source: Ruben Swieringa

Once a curiosity reserved for fancy resorts, infinity edge pools are becoming more popular with residential pool owners. They'll never be appropriate for the typical backyard pool, but if your goal is to impress people and/or create the perfect environment to enjoy the natural scenery in your backyard, this is sort of the ultimate. These pools create a stunning visual effect that impresses all but the most jaded onlookers.

What is an infinity edge pool? To start, it might be helpful to list some of the other names this type of pool goes by:

• Vanishing edge
• Negative edge
• Zero edge
• Disappearing edge
• Perimeter overflow

Some pool mavens might argue there are differences between some of these terms, but for most people, they represent the same thing - a pool designed to look like one of its edges does not exist. This is done by building one side of the pool shorter than the others. Water spills over this weir wall into a basin and is then pumped back into the pool. From the right angle, this artificial waterfall makes it look like the pool goes on forever (thus "infinity").

Source: David Quick

Infinity edges tend to be reserved for very high-end pools. It's not so much that the mechanism is so elaborate or expensive - it's more about the environment required to pull off this effect. To make it work, you really need a strong backdrop. Many of the pictures you find of infinity pools on the internet show the infinity edge showcasing the ocean, mountains, or sometimes a city skyline. Not many people have the luxury of such surroundings.



Also consider the fact that you must, by law, have your pool enclosed in most areas. Where do you put a fence that it doesn't screw up your infinity effect? It takes the right setting and a healthy budget to address challenges like this.

For those reasons, infinity edge swimming pools will probably never catch on the way, say, fiberglass pools have. It's unlikely that an infinity edge fad will be coming to your neighborhood any time soon (unless you live in a very swanky neighborhood, that is). But for those who have great scenery and some extra money to spend, bringing these resort favorites home has never been more viable.

Pool Landscaping Ain't Just For Looks

Source: Ultimate Pool Remodeling Inc.

When it comes to pool design, landscaping is half the battle. Simply put, you can't have a beautiful and functional swimming pool with lackluster, ugly, or inappropriate landscaping surrounding it. Besides the visual impression it creates, it also serves practical purposes. Here are five reasons pool landscaping is both attractive and useful:

1. Decoration

The primary reason to landscape around your pool is the same reason you landscape anywhere else - it looks good. An inground pool without plants, trees, or other landscaping just looks naked.

2. Privacy

In all likelihood, you will have a fence around your pool (in fact, depending on your local laws, you may be required to). However, trees and bushes can provide additional privacy, blocking anyone from seeing you lounge around in your bathing suit - or acting like a fool with the kids.

3. Cleanliness

Landscaping near your pool deck is helpful for blocking dirt, grass, and other debris from blowing into the water. Less skimming and cleaning = big win.

4. Blocking Wind

Speaking of wind, it can make swimming and sunbathing unpleasant. If your pool is in a location where it gets a lot of wind, you definitely want a few trees and other barriers around to break it.

5. Shade

When you're a pool owner, the sun is your friend - most of the time. In many cases, it's helpful to have trees near your pool deck to make it more comfortable during the hottest days of summer. In hot climates, you may even want some shade over your pool to keep the water cool and refreshing.

It's doubtful that anyone needs to be convinced that pool landscaping is a good thing. Most people understand that, but might not get just how important landscaping is to pool design. Thinking about its many uses gives you a good perspective from which to begin planning.

While landscaping can be done at a more leisurely pace after the pool is built, it's a good idea to start thinking about it early in the process. It's one more part of the equation that can alter your thinking about other aspects of pool design, such as size, shape, placement, and materials. In particular, if you don't have unlimited space to work with (like most people) you need to be somewhat anal in your planning to make sure your backyard comes together just right.

Are Fiberglass Pools Good?

Source: Casa Pools

Fiberglass swimming pools are in a weird place. On the one hand, they're highly sought after (and correspondingly higher priced). On the other, a lot of people don't know much about them, or may have out-of-date notions about what a fiberglass pool can be.

Thus the question: Are fiberglass pools good?

The answer is yes - with the predictable caveat that you have to buy the right pool and hire the right company to install it for you. While fiberglass swimming pools were once criticized as glorified bathtubs, many of the options on the market these days are pretty amazing - and they're getting better all the time. This is why many homeowners are willing to pay the extra price to get a fiberglass pool.

In the past, the main criticisms of fiberglass pool shells were:

• Too small/limit to how big they could be
• Limited shapes and styles
• Painted finish frequently forms spider cracks
• Risk of pool wall bulging
• Lack of optional features like spas, beach entry, tanning ledge, etc.

Since the bad old days, the options have greatly increased and the problems have become more like "things to watch out for" rather than issues endemic to fiberglass pools. In other words, as long as your pool builder has evolved along with the quality of fiberglass pools in general, you should be just fine.

Of course, there's still the issue of cost. Fiberglass pools tend to be significantly more expensive than vinyl and perhaps a touch pricier than concrete. Ultimately, the choice to go with fiberglass boils down to how it stacks up in other areas. Here are some of the main advantages:

• Smooth surface (as opposed to concrete)
• Ease of installation (fiberglass pool shells are relatively simple to drop into a yard)
• Reduced maintenance (nonporous fiberglass surface doesn't allow algae to take hold as easily)
• Overall looks

Fiberglass is still the last thing most people think of when they envision a backyard pool, but that could be changing. Not too long ago, fiberglass pools were considered unusual at best, and substandard at worst. Nowadays, they have a large and ever-growing number of fans.

The 5 Minute Guide to Pool Design

Source: Alexisrael at en.wikipedia

Thinking of getting your very own swimming pool? You have a lot of work and research ahead of you. There's no way to get up to speed in one blog post, but you can get a high (really high) level overview of what lies ahead. Here's my attempt to lay out some of the major decision points that every would be pool owner faces.

Above Ground vs. Inground vs Something Else

It might seem like a minor detail, but how your pool sits is the biggest - and earliest - decision you have to make. Above ground pools sit on top of the ground and cost a fraction of the price of inground swimming pools. Inground pools tend to look swanky, but the cost of these built-in pools can be exorbitant. In between are semi inground pools (or, depending on how you look at it, semi above ground pools) that are only partially buried. A variety of wraparound deck options also blur the lines here, as they give inground and semi inground pools an inground look and feel.

Vinyl vs. Concrete vs. Fiberglass

Nearly as major is the decision on what types of materials to use for your pool. Vinyl is the cheapest, but brings with it the most upkeep. Concrete (gunite) is much more expensive, but is also more durable and offers unlimited customization options. Fiberglass is also pricey, but offers some advantages the other types of pools don't.

Shape, Size and Placement

These decisions are all intertwined. Obviously, if you have a smaller yard, you might not have a lot of choices when it comes to size and placement - and even shape may be dictated for you somewhat. With more real estate comes more options - rectangular or freeform, large or small, close to the house or far away? There are too many questions here to even summarize properly.

Source: Tibor Végh

Fencing, Decking, and Landscaping

When it comes to dressing up your pool, you might be tempted to take the attitude of "eh, I'll worry about that later." That way lies danger, as a lot of other decisions are intertwined with your landscaping choices. What fence you decide on could also be a matter of law in your area, as most places have laws requiring pools to be enclosed with fences meeting certain specifications.

Spas, Diving Boards, and Other Optional Features

Almost every pool has optional features such as attached spas, diving boards, water slides, and many more choices. Which and how many of these things you decide on are critical not only for determining how much you enjoy your new swimming pool, but how much you have to pay for it.

Seem a bit overwhelming? The good news is, you have a lot more than five minutes to make these decisions. If you're smart, you'll take your time, read some design books, and get advice from people who know what they're talking about.

Unfortunately, there's also some bad news, which is that good pool design is only one part of a successful project. There's also financing, hiring a pool builder, and many essential details that probably aren't as fun to think about. To get through it all, you'll likely be constantly reminding yourself of what your pool will look like when it's done - one more reason to make sure your future pool is flawlessly designed.