Resources
Surrounding your pool with concrete decking can create a beautiful and functional outdoor living space. While you want enough decking around the pool to make it easy to get in and out of the water, a spacious, well laid out deck can transform your yard into an exciting entertainment space. Why Choose Concrete Decking? Concrete is an excellent material for decks because it is durable in all kinds of weather. While it can be applied with a broom finish, it can also be imprinted and colored to look like tile, brick, natural stone, or even wood. While it bears the appearance of other materials, it avoids some of the shortcomings: Unlike wood, it does not mold or rot. Unlike flagstone or bluestone, it does not reach an uncomfortable temperature level and can be made cooler by coloring it in light tones. Unlike brick, it can be made slip resistant by adding nonskid grit into the mixture. Colors and Patterns to Suit Your Design Since the material can be enhanced by stamping designs and patterns and by coloring it, your pool designer can use concrete decking to give your home a high-end, custom look. Using the proper powdered pigments, stains, and antiquing agents, your pool deck can reflect the style and color of your home or present its own distinctive look. Through the use of molded concrete of different shapes and hue, the designer can add contrasting borders to define spaces. Concrete Pavers for Beauty and Convenience Concrete can also be formed in molds to make pavers, a popular configuration around pools. The joints between them absorb the moisture, which makes them cool to the touch. They are also resistant to chlorine and salt while being slip resistant. They can be produced in different textures that are comfortable to the feet and that have enough Read More
Installing an in-ground pool on your property is a costly investment, so it’s important to carefully assess your motives for buying a pool, planning its use, and considering maintenance. Planning ahead and knowing what you can handle – both financially and time-wise – you can make a pool purchasing decision you will be happy with. Why Do You Want an In-Ground Pool? Some prospective in-ground pool owners think of the fun and convenience of having a pool in their yard without carefully considering how they will use it. While some families want one for recreation for their kids and their guests, others foresee using the pool as the site of adult entertainment. Others want one for physical therapy or for personal exercise. Any pool can serve multiple functions, but the design of the pool and the features you add to it are tied to its purpose. For example, if you want it to be an oasis for your friends, you might want a spa or built-in hot tub at one end, mood lighting, landscaping features, such as a waterfall, and a spacious deck with plenty of room for chairs. For a family pool, you would want to stress extra safety features that allow you to control access and prevent accidents. If your goal was exercise or therapy, you might want an elongated design that facilitates doing laps. What Features Do You Need? When you spend some time in a pool showroom, you may walk away convinced you need a huge pool with deep end, a diving board, and other appealing features. However, it’s important to think carefully about what features will actually be used. For example, statistics show that both adults and children spend the majority of time in the shallow end of the pool, especially when they are playing games. While Read More
Gunite pools have been the first choice of homeowners for decades. But is the added cost of an in-ground pool really worth it? It’s hard to get to the bottom of this discussion because, in part, we’re flooded with advertisements that offer both in-ground pools and above-ground at rock-bottom prices, but they fail to mention some significant costs associated with each type. Here are some facts to help you sort out the hype and make the right decision for your home: Initial Cost and Cost of Ownership: We’re not going to mince words, here. Gunite pools cost a great deal more to install than above-ground pools. It’s important to consider all of the costs, though, before making a decision. In-ground pools are insulated by the ground, so they maintain more constant water temperature. If you’re heating your pool to extend your swimming season, an in-ground pool is much more efficient, because it retains the heat you add longer. Because above-ground pools’ temperatures vary more with the outdoor temperature, it’s harder to maintain water quality and chemical balance. You’ll spend more in chemicals and cleaning. Above-ground pools are more vulnerable to damage. Whether it’s from your golden retriever, your children and friends playing, or the neighbor’s tree dropping a branch onto your pool, you’re going to have more damage to repair on an above-ground pool than you would on an in-ground pool. Gunite pools need to be re-surfaced and re-tiled every 10-20 years, depending on use, maintenance, and environment. That’s a significant cost. Above-ground pools, though, will need a new liner every five to seven years, and the structure that holds the liner will last up to 15 years, so you’ll be replacing the entire pool at the time a gunite pool would need resurfacing. Above-ground pools are harder to clean than in-ground Read More