Better not bigger pool trend

Post on: 2011-08-26 By: admin

Move over, large lap pools. Smaller swimming holes are making a
Sure, the economy is playing a role in making this luxury
littler: Smaller pool equals smaller budget. But it's more than
that, says Brett Berry, owner of Landscape Renderings, a Missouri
business that designs and builds outdoor-living environments.
"You can create a fantastic sense of intimacy and atmosphere
with a small pool," says Berry, who has tucked small pools into
courtyards and secluded spots. "It's easier to make an outdoor
living area feel like an extension of a house when it's a small
Plus, care and maintenance are less with a small pool, says
Berry, who grew up with a 20-by-40-foot backyard pool that had to
be vacuumed and chemically treated each day. "Most people,
especially working parents, want a hassle-free pool."
When Berry was working with Don and Lucie Black of Prairie
Village, Kan., on replacing their deck, he suggested a small
in-ground pool instead of an above-ground hot tub. Initially, they
"Before we moved into this house, we avoided looking at houses
with swimming pools," Lucie Black says. "I couldn't imagine taking
care of a lap pool every day."
But what Berry envisioned with brothers Kirk and Dennis Strobel
of Land and Water LLC, a swimming pool design and construction
company in Kansas City, Mo., was much different than a rectangle
that soaked up a lot of real estate in the backyard. They came up
with an 8-by-12-foot hybrid hot tub and pool that some in the
industry refer to as a "spool."
"Too big to be a spa, too small to be a pool," Kirk Strobel
says. The average hot tub is 7 feet in diameter, and a conventional
The Blacks' spool looks more like a natural water feature than a
swimming pool. The backdrop is a water fountain that flows down a
rock ledge into a gunite basin. A U-shaped bench inside the pool
surrounds spa jets. The front end is for swimming. The typical pool
raft takes up the width of the pool.
"I wouldn't want it any bigger or any smaller," Don Black
"The pool, combined with a pergola, has given us a whole new
place to entertain. We sit out here on evenings and have the family
over. Our granddaughter plays here."
WHAT ELSE IS HOT IN POOLS?
• Ozone for cleaning: Ozone gas is an active form of oxygen that
reacts with bacteria, viruses, algae and other water impurities. At
low concentration levels in the water, it has no effect on your
skin and eyes. Many municipal water-purification plants use ozone
to treat drinking water. When the ozone gas dissolved in water
comes in contact with impurities, it oxidizes them as chlorine
chemicals do. It also causes particles and body oils to clump so
the filter can more effectively remove them. An ozone generator is
installed in the existing pool or spa filter plumbing. The
generator injects ozone gas into the pool water through a small
tube. An ozone system is not chemical-free because you still need
to keep a level of chlorine in the pool water, about 20 percent as
much. There are two types of ozone generators: ultraviolet, which
uses a fluorescent light to create ozone as the sun does; and
corona discharge, which uses an electrical arc inside a generator
to create ozone as lightning does. Ozone is often used in
combination with saltwater (salt-generated chlorine) pools.
• Sun ledges for lounging: These 6-inch deep integrated areas
allow people to sit in the water without fully submerging. "People
who go to pools at the hotels in Las Vegas experience these and
want to bring them home," says pool designer Jim Dott of Blue Haven
Sources: www.poolcenter.com; Blue Haven Pools
Copyright 2011 Arizona Daily Star. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Sunday Star home delivery just 99¢ per week!
Sunday, August 14, 2011 12:00 am
Get the dirt on hydroponic gardening
The Smart Collector: Royal memorabilia at prices fit for commoners
Centenarian blends with modern lifestyles
Calendar
Sage draws butterflies, hummingbirds
Walton to join Pastner's Memphis staff

Arizona Wildcats football: JC transfer overtakes Zendejas at kicker

Ashley lists Arizona as one of four finalists

Why is Pima County's tax rate nearly three times Maricopa's?

Tucson scrap yard focus of stolen car investigation

Tucson man, cousin charged in Wallow Fire

Expect Foles to say, 'Go deep' a lot this fall

Arizona football: Bursting on the scene
Sierra Vista Apartments
Green Valley Apartments
Sierra Vista Attorneys
Green Valley Attorneys
Sierra Vista Auto Dealers
Green Valley Auto Dealers
Sierra Vista Auto Parts
Green Valley Auto Parts
Sierra Vista Auto Repair
Green Valley Auto Repair
Sierra Vista Beauty Salons
Green Valley Beauty Salons
Sierra Vista Car Rental
Green Valley Car Rental
Sierra Vista Insurance
Green Valley Insurance
Sierra Vista Mortgages
Green Valley Mortgages
Sierra Vista Restaurants
Green Valley Restaurants
Tucson Tax Preparation
Sierra Vista Tax Preparation
Green Valley Tax Preparation
Benson Tax Preparation
Find Tucson Area Businesses
Readers’ Photo Gallery
Subscriber Services / EZ Access
Tucson Festival of Books
Arizona Daily Star Store
Search Yellow Pages Tucson Apartments Tucson Attorneys Tucson Auto Dealers Tucson Auto Parts Tucson Auto Repair Tucson Beauty Salons Tucson Car Rental Tucson Dentists Tucson Doctors Tucson Flowers Tucson Hotels Tucson Insurance Tucson Loans Tucson Mortgages Tucson Movers Tucson Pizza Tucson Realtors Tucson Restaurants Tucson Storage Tucson Tax Preparation Tucson Travel Featured More...
Popular Searches Apartments in Tucson Attorneys in Tucson Auto Dealers in Tucson Auto Parts in Tucson Auto Repair in Tucson Beauty Salons in Tucson Car Rental in Tucson Dentists in Tucson Doctors in Tucson Flowers in Tucson Hotels in Tucson Insurance in Tucson Loans in Tucson Mortgages in Tucson Movers in Tucson Pizza in Tucson Realtors in Tucson Restaurants in Tucson Storage in Tucson Tax Preparation in Tucson Travel in Tucson Featured More...
A Lee Enterprises subsidiary
© Copyright 2011, Arizona Daily Star, 4850 S. Park Ave. Tucson, AZ | Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Article original from: http://azstarnet.com/lifestyles/home-and-garden/5888f2b3-95fb-57b1-8492-0037b2b65862.html