Who says your pool has to be rectangular and boring? Check out some local swimming pools that are really making a splash.
Sleek & Splashy
Central Florida Swimming Pools, Inc.
This one-of-a-kind pool features a 38-foot-long vanishing edge along with impressive glass tile at the waterline and on the wall. The deep Tahoe blue color makes the water look particularly inviting, especially on a hot summer day. The travertine deck is the perfect location to pull up a chair and spend the afternoon reading by the water, and an extended sunshelf allows the homeowners to cool off without being fully submerged in the water.
“A sunshelf, also known as a tanning ledge or a Baja shelf, is one of the most requested features we get,” says Kenny Vazquez, vice president at Central Florida Swimming Pools. “It’s just deep enough to put chairs in or to allow the kids to splash and play around.”
The stepping stone walkway acts as a cut through from one side of the pool to the other. The raised spill-over fountain with bubblers adds a relaxing waterfall sound to the yard.
An Outdoor Oasis
Central Florida Swimming Pools, Inc.
“This is still my favorite pool we’ve done so far,” says Kenny. “I really like the freeform look with the rocks. It has a very natural feel to it.”
This 1,500-square-foot pool is three times the size of the average home pool.
“There’s no tile in the pool,” Kenny says. “It’s all rockwork and rock coping around the pool. There is also a 5-foot-tall by 13-foot-wide waterfall.” And the waterfall may look and feel just like real rock, but it’s actually concrete designed to look like rock. By using concrete instead of real rock, pool builders can eliminate the worry of future leaking, which often accompanies porous real rock.
Inside that rock waterfall is perhaps the pool’s coolest feature, a fog machine of sorts.
“The compressor compresses water taken from the house and turns it into a mist,” says Kenny. “That mist is then sprayed through five nozzles. It’s a nice added touch, and no chemicals are involved.”
Nearby, a rock firepit allows for family outdoor time—even on chilly winter nights. Someone grab the s’mores!
Zero Entry, Zero Stress
Central Florida Swimming Pools, Inc.
It’s not every pool that has a rock feature that originated on the other side of the world, but this one does. When the owners found beautiful rocks on a vacation to Bali, they had them shipped back to the United States. It was some time later that the unique, flat rocks found their purpose as a one-of-a-kind water feature.
“This particular pool has a beach entry, so it starts at 0 inches of water and features a gradual slope into the pool,” says Kenny. “The gray pool interior, rather than a more typical light blue, gives the pool a bit more of a lagoon feel.”
When creating the homeowner’s outdoor living space, a matching slate was used to provide a seamless, expansive outdoor living area.
The covered tiki-like hut featured at the end of the pool houses a super comfy outdoor bed and is the perfect place to relax away a long summer day.
“The No. 1 piece of advice I would give to anyone considering a pool is to look through pictures and determine your general style and overview,” Kenny says. “Once you have a basic idea, we can help you fill in all the details.” And it seems the details are Central Florida Swimming Pools’ specialty.
Summer Sliding
Outback Pools & Waterfalls
This 20×40-foot freeform concrete pool is anything but typical. The LED multicolored lights and the 15-foot waterslide make it a kid’s summer playground of sorts. Just under the slide and behind a waterfall is a hidden grotto. Hide and seek, anyone? The homeowner’s grandchildren love it!
“The slide and rock waterfall were a big job,” says Shawn Wood, manager of Outback Pools. “There are eight concrete holders for the rock formation that are braced and secured together. The rocks are then custom dyed and filled with concrete. That slide isn’t going anywhere.”
The raised 18-inch spa with a spillway is the perfect place to relax after a long day’s work or on a cool, crisp evening.
Tired of swimming? The two-hole putting green adjacent to the pool is the ideal place to perfect your putting skills before heading out to the golf course. Comfy loungers, including two located on the sun shelf, provide plenty of areas for rest and relaxation, both in and out of the sun. No matter your pool wishes, Shawn and Joe Pachmayer, Outback Pools’ foreman, do their best to make their clients dreams a reality. Just don’t forget the sunscreen.
A Backyard Resort
Sawgrass Pools of Central Florida
“This is the largest residential pool we’ve done so far,” says Mike Darley, owner of Sawgrass Pools of Central Florida. “The pool itself covers a surface area of 2,200 square feet.” Yes, that’s bigger than many houses! The pool holds a total of 87,000 gallons of water.
“The floor of the pool features a really high-end finish,” adds Mike. “It’s an exposed aggregate finish with tumbled pebbles. It adds a great look and a bit of texture.”
Extensive paver work surrounds the pool and leads to a quaint outdoor fireplace with comfortable seating. Four copper fire bowls surround the fireplace. Add that to the seven color-changing LED lights featured in the pool and spa and the nighttime ambiance is a sight to behold.
The 12-person spa is three times the size of an average hot tub, and the whole system comes complete with a fully-automated control center and a smartphone interface.
This meandering, resort-style pool features a beach entry and gradually works its way to a depth of 8 feet just below the 8-foot spiraling, corkscrew slide.
The whole project took about seven months to complete.
