Designer's challenge: 10 tips for enhancing the look of aboveground poolscapes

Pool & Spa News, March 12, 2004 by Margot Carmichael Lester

Home improvements is booming, and many aboveground-pool customers want to upgrade their backyards and pools.

By being consumers' source for pool-specific enhancements and improvements such as landscaping and decking, your revenues are sure to increase, if you don't offer these services, you can still be a trusted source of referrals to local contractors who can be relied on to do the job right. While this may not directly improve your bottom line, it does have several indirect benefits, including getting reciprocating referrals from these contractors and increasing customer good will.

"You've got to begin to look at pools as part of the landscape," says Rodney Frieden, vice president of Watson's in Apple Malley, Minn. "People automatically include inground pools into the area plan and build them in. We've got to eliminate the word 'aboveground' and just think of it as a pool."

Though it's easiest to help customers design a backyard retreat from scratch, there are plenty of ways to create a more attractive and accommodating area aftermarket, as well.

"Your living space keeps evolving," Frieden notes. "The interior of' your home doesn't look the same as it did 10 years ago--neither should your pool."

The strategies on the following pages will allow you to provide an additional level of service to your clientele with relative ease.

"There's so much you can do with aboveground pools these days," says manager Dave McKibben of Patio Pools and Spas in Tucson, Ariz. All you have to do is get started.

1 Make a lasting impression.

Building a deck or patio area around an aboveground pool provides a look of permanence, making the pool seem more a part of the home. Generally, decks and fences are constructed of pressure-treated, weather-worthy wood, such as redwood. A small, but growing, trend is the use of alternative decking materials such as wood-plastic composites, vinyl and polyethylene.

Most pool manufacturers offer deck kits designed specifically for particular models. These are easy to construct and require no special training. But there's a reason for that. "They aren't all that visually exciting," McKibben admits. "And they could violate local codes."

Before recommending a particular deck, check with your zoning office to make sure it conforms to codes for structural and barrier requirements. Or contract with a designer/builder to create decks and barriers that meet your clients' lifestyles and tastes. Just bear in mind that custom decking can be expensive, so you'll want to gauge your customers' willingness to spend before suggesting this option, says McKibben. "Some decks can cost twice as much--or more--than the cost of the pool itself," he warns.

2 Illuminate the outdoors.

"When you consider that half the time your pool is in the dark, you see the importance of lighting," McKibben says. More than just a white light mounted in the pool wall, modern pool lighting can conform to the shape of the pool and change colors. Several manufacturers make fiberoptic lighting that is linked to the main pool light.

Lighting is easiest to install at purchase. It also can be done effectively as an aftermarket option, but that requires you to drain the pool below the light level, knock out tabs, fit the light, connect the system and test it, say installers.

A less-expensive option is floating, battery-operated "party lights" that come in an array of colors. Also suggest complementary poolside lighting options such as uplighting plantings, illuminating paths of adding decorative fixtures.

3 Find your green thumb.

"You don't want a lot of plantings on the ground by your pool because it hurts drainage, and you risk chipping the side of the pool when you're gardening," says Dave Kramer, manager of Knickerbocker Pools & Spas in Xenia, Ohio. His advice: Keep inground plantings about 3 feet from poolside, or create a container garden using pots and planters that are above the pool's elevation.

The best choices for poolside plantings are "native" flora that grow naturally in your area. Hardy perennials are preferable because they come back each year and require less maintenance. You also can't go wrong with evergreens such as juniper, or scented plants, including lavender. Steer clear of anything that sheds leaves, which can clog pool filters, say experts. A visit to a botanical garden or nursery will help you discover local plants that would make sense for your clients.

4 Add a decorative splash.

Fountains provide myriad benefits to the backyard pool environment. Besides their aesthetic appeal, fountains also serve as natural air conditioners. "They create a cooling mist above the water," says McKibben. "They keep the water cool as well."

Two types of in-pool fountains are on the aboveground market: floating and wall-mounted. Each works off the filter system return line and is easy for a pool builder of repair professional to install, explains Mike Shorr, general manager of Arthurs Discount Pools in Anaheim, Calif.

Floating fountains tend to provide more show, shooting water up in various patterns and often in several tiers. "They can shoot in 12-foot-high bursts or look like waterfalls," Shorr says. "Kids love them." Wall-mounted fountains often are more sedate, pushing water through a statue or over rocks to create a waterfall effect.