I had a pool growing up, but I lived in a much warmer climate and I am struggling with some of the unique challenges that the environment here presents.
The big decisions left to be made are waterline tile, coping and patio material, and furniture. I would appreciate any and all advice!
Overall Setting
The back of our property is bordered by a traditional New England rock wall and our neighbor behind us is a museum with a large barn and home from the 1700's. Our house is a new build, somewhat transitional colonial with lots of geometric shapes. We want to keep the pool, spa, and patio as much in keeping with the overall landscape as is possible and that is why we are doing a dark rectangle pool. We love the view and will not be doing a privacy fence along back in order to preserve it. However, that means that they will be able to see us as easily as we can see them, so we are trying to be respectful to the overall landscape.
Patio
My old pool and everyone's pool that I knew as a child had brushed concrete patios. I have asked everyone I can think of about brushed concrete and they all act like I am crazy. I am told that I can do stamped concrete or aggregate, but not brushed concrete. My husband thinks that brushed concrete looks industrial or commercial, but I feel the exact same way about stamped. Neither of us like the feel of aggregate on our feet. We both like the price of all of the concrete options especially because we expect to have around 1500 sf of patio. We love the look of Travertine, but it will blow the budget and I am not sure how I feel about the maintenance.
Waterline Tile
Based on what I have gleaned from other threads, it seems like dark or shiny tile will look dirty more quickly then light or matte tile. I assume that larger tiles with less grout are also easier to maintain. In terms of color I can blend it in with the coping, the PebbleSheen color, or do something entirely different. I originally wanted glass tile with lots of shimmer, but I am having doubts. One, because it might look too modern. Two, because I like materials that look clean even when they are not.
Furniture
Is there any furniture material that you can reasonably leave out all winter? If not, everything will have to go down the bulkhead into the basement and therefore needs to be somewhat lightweight so that we can carry it in and out every season.
Pool
16 x 40 ft gunite
3.5 to 5.5 ft deep
PebbleSheen Ocean Blue
Paramount automatic pool cleaner
Saltwater system
Aqua Comfort Heat Pump
Aqualink
Spa
8 x 8 ft gunite
3 ft deep
PebbleSheen Ocean Blue
Sta-Rite 400,000 BTU LP Heater
I am still trying to figure out all of the equipment...
The drawing below is a little out of date. We extended the pool length by two feet, changed the stairs to stacked squares, extended the bench to run the full length of the pool, and we are definitely extending the patio up from the right of the stairs. Our pool and spa have been excavated and the next step is the install of the automatic cleaner.
Look forward to learning more about pool ownership, and sharing our experience!
The big decisions left to be made are waterline tile, coping and patio material, and furniture. I would appreciate any and all advice!
Overall Setting
The back of our property is bordered by a traditional New England rock wall and our neighbor behind us is a museum with a large barn and home from the 1700's. Our house is a new build, somewhat transitional colonial with lots of geometric shapes. We want to keep the pool, spa, and patio as much in keeping with the overall landscape as is possible and that is why we are doing a dark rectangle pool. We love the view and will not be doing a privacy fence along back in order to preserve it. However, that means that they will be able to see us as easily as we can see them, so we are trying to be respectful to the overall landscape.
Patio
My old pool and everyone's pool that I knew as a child had brushed concrete patios. I have asked everyone I can think of about brushed concrete and they all act like I am crazy. I am told that I can do stamped concrete or aggregate, but not brushed concrete. My husband thinks that brushed concrete looks industrial or commercial, but I feel the exact same way about stamped. Neither of us like the feel of aggregate on our feet. We both like the price of all of the concrete options especially because we expect to have around 1500 sf of patio. We love the look of Travertine, but it will blow the budget and I am not sure how I feel about the maintenance.
Waterline Tile
Based on what I have gleaned from other threads, it seems like dark or shiny tile will look dirty more quickly then light or matte tile. I assume that larger tiles with less grout are also easier to maintain. In terms of color I can blend it in with the coping, the PebbleSheen color, or do something entirely different. I originally wanted glass tile with lots of shimmer, but I am having doubts. One, because it might look too modern. Two, because I like materials that look clean even when they are not.
Furniture
Is there any furniture material that you can reasonably leave out all winter? If not, everything will have to go down the bulkhead into the basement and therefore needs to be somewhat lightweight so that we can carry it in and out every season.
Pool
16 x 40 ft gunite
3.5 to 5.5 ft deep
PebbleSheen Ocean Blue
Paramount automatic pool cleaner
Saltwater system
Aqua Comfort Heat Pump
Aqualink
Spa
8 x 8 ft gunite
3 ft deep
PebbleSheen Ocean Blue
Sta-Rite 400,000 BTU LP Heater
I am still trying to figure out all of the equipment...
The drawing below is a little out of date. We extended the pool length by two feet, changed the stairs to stacked squares, extended the bench to run the full length of the pool, and we are definitely extending the patio up from the right of the stairs. Our pool and spa have been excavated and the next step is the install of the automatic cleaner.
Look forward to learning more about pool ownership, and sharing our experience!
Isn't summer just three weeks of bad sledding?
