Inground in the Future
Backyards offer opportunities for incorporating personalized resort features in the pool area, including putting greens, fountains, fireplaces, mood lighting, patio play and entertainment spaces. These types of amenities will entice people to spend more time outdoors, socializing and enjoying the natural refuge from traffic and everyday stress.
Auditory, tactile and visual elements are necessary additions to any pool owner's wish list to establish aesthetic and practical appeal.
Music is a poolside necessity. High-tech surround sound systems allow pool patrons to play concert hall-quality CDs or downloadable tunes. Speakers can sit in numerous backyard locations, whether in an outdoor room, built into a pool or in a garden area. Misting stations create another way to appreciate the soothing feel of the water, while helping keep sunbathers cool.
Grottos and caves, too, provide relief from the sun, allowing swimmers to escape into an inner sanctuary shaded with the effects of cascading water.
Visually, dramatic lighting can be expected to enhance after-sundown activities. In the pool itself, LED lighting provides colorful hues. Low-voltage fixtures and spotlights illuminate trees and other lush resort-type vegetation surrounding the pool. Appealing to multiple senses, Bellagio-style lit fountains with dancing water choreographed to music are making their way to home pools. On the deck, luminar jets combine moving water with colorful lighting, and fountains splash into the pool.
Similarly, faux rock attracts the eyes as it evolves to become even more remarkably lifelike. If faux rock appears out of place in regions with few natural formations, concrete waterwalls can deliver the same auditory and visual effects with a contemporary twist. Such formations direct attention toward the pool and away from neighbors' homes or fence lines.
Pool Design Updates
Builders and consumers aim to create a wow factor, while still complementing home styles and lifestyle needs. The demand focuses on unique pool designs with individualized special features.
Fiberglass pools are on the upswing, as consumers research pool possibilities, seek less maintenance and become aware of the multiple designs and options available. Manufacturers are constantly creating new molds for pools with vanishing edges, spas and features, such as inset mosaic tiles, to accommodate the desire for one-of-a-kind pools. Modular components allow more creativity in terms of pool shape, as well as the addition of extras, like beach areas and splash pools.
Vinyl-lined pool manufacturers are developing new designs with freeform and creative shapes, giving this lower-cost alternative a trendier look. Cut-in steps with return jets and swimouts add to the upscale feel. Liners mimic concrete pools, sometimes creating results nearly indistinguishable from each other. Connecting spas remain popular for all types of pools, providing another venue for relaxation, socialization and hydrotherapy. The spillover feature, filling the pool area with soothing sounds, entices pool owners.
Adaptation will drive future design. For example, vanishing-edge pools, while still in demand, require the right elevation and backdrop to give the appearance of water dropping off into nowhere. While their popularity continues, locations without the backdrop scenery will cry out for other designs. Buyers may opt for zero waterline pools, where the water remains level with the deck. This design creates a sleek, contemporary look. Similarly, beach-entry pools will appeal to those with ample space. In yards too small to host a beach entry, sundecks will prevail. These shallow shelf areas are designed so bathers can sun themselves while lying flat or relaxing in a lawn chair.
In terms of color and finish choices, the options will continue to expand. Shoppers will request custom colors to match outdoor décor. High-end finishes will expand their lure. Pebbled and exposed aggregate quartz will dominate concrete pool surfaces, because they provide a long-lasting finish and do not erode or stain as readily as plaster. Natural stones and artistic pavers will prevail for decks. Large expanses of deck will be broken up with landscaping, mirroring the look and feel of resort hotels.
Automatic covers, which provide a convenient protective barrier and conserve energy, will reach a growing number of backyards. It will be common for pool builders to incorporate a cover into the construction process. Some communities consider these a viable alternative or adjunct to mandatory child-protective barrier fences.
Technology Takes to Water
Automated controls hold their place as an inground must-have. Homeowners can control the spa and pool filters, heaters, lighting and water features at the touch of a button from inside the home. Controls also allow preset options for normal operation and offer the ability to adjust features for a special event. Units with handheld remotes and alternative control methods make pool ownership even more carefree.
Many automated control systems are designed to work with salt chlorine generators, which, along with ozonators, have gained increasing acceptance for inground pool use. This acceptance has caused chemical manufacturers to fight back with easier pool care systems. The quest for hands-off maintenance will produce new and innovative products in the coming year. Automatic cleaners, too, which allow for easy maintenance, will remain essential to pool owners.
With rising energy costs and limited time, folks will continue to seek out efficient variable-speed pumps and heaters to extend the season. More people will install low-maintenance oversized filters, which require cleaning only a few times a year. Filter media with antimicrobial protection help decrease slimy build-up with virtually no effort.
With an eye toward quality and ease of operation, consumers demand the best in workmanship and select pool options that will save time and create long-term value. New technology, along with careful planning and a little creativity, will allow every challenge to be met. Pool builders and homeowners will work together to achieve resort style living in the comfort of their own backyards.