SeaBreeze Pools | Toronto Fibreglass Pools Company

SeaBreeze Pools is a Toronto fibreglass swimming pools installations company specializing in high quality pool installations & construction

We Address 5 Common Inground Pool Design Concerns

Inground Pool Design

We Address 5 Common Inground Pool Design Concerns

By

inground pool design common concernsMost Toronto homeowners love the idea of having a beautiful inground pool in their yard. When it comes to actually installing one though they sometimes balk, often for reasons that might seem hard to understand. At Seabreeze Pools however, we understand. We’ve heard it all and seen it all when it comes to inground pool design and we can say without a doubt that most homeowner concerns are unwarranted and that most fall into the same dozen or so categories. In this post we’ll look at 5 of the most common concerns we hear on a regular basis and explain why we say they’re unwarranted.

5 Unwarranted Concerns Regarding Inground Pool Design and Installation

We’re not sure how some of the following concerns about inground pool design came to be so widely circulated but it doesn’t really matter. If they’re out there they need to be addressed. So here goes:

  • Concern #1: “I’m afraid my pool will pop out of the ground.” – It’s perhaps the most widely circulated myth in the pool industry that every fiberglass pool is in danger of ‘popping’. So let’s be clear: no properly installed, properly maintained pool will ever pop out of its designated hole in the ground. The few instances where such a thing did occur happened because the owner had left the pool empty for a prolonged period of time. A practice we would never encourage.
  • Concern #2: “I’ve heard fiberglass pools need to be small.” – This one may have grown out of the fact that highways have width restrictions and most fiberglass pools are transported via highway. In most cases you’re not allowed to transport something wider than 16’ on the highway. That may sound small but keep in mind it means you can have a pool that’s 40’, even 50’ long and 16’ wide delivered to you no problem. If that’s not big enough for you we don’t know what to say.
  • Concern #3: “Fiberglass pools crack in the winter. Don’t they?” – No. They don’t. Fiberglass pools are extremely flexible meaning that the push and pull of the freeze/thaw cycle is no big deal to them. Whereas with concrete pools you stand a very real chance that cracks could appear after the pool has been through several winters.
  • Concern #4: “I’m afraid my kids will slip and fall getting in or out of the pool.” – This one has some basis in fact but it doesn’t need to be an actual problem. Seabreeze pools can come with a textured, anti-slip bottom that will keep everyone up right no matter their age or physical state. If you install the pool and decide later you need to protect against slipping there are a variety of anti-slip coatings on the market as well as anti-slip mats and tape that can be easily installed.
  • Concern #5: “I’ve heard I’ll have to replace my fiberglass pool after 10 years.” – This one may trace its origins to the fact that concrete or gunite pools need to be resurfaced every few years. Fiberglass pools on the other hand will never need to be replastered, repainted or have cracks repaired and it’s not uncommon for fiberglass pools to last 30-40 years even if used heavily.

We hope this information has helped put to rest any concerns you have over inground pool design. In practically every way today’s fiberglass pools are a step up in price, convenience and durability from their concrete and gunite predecessors. If you have any other questions or concerns regarding inground pool design or installation for your Toronto home don’t hesitate to call Seabreeze on 416-238-9703. We’re here for you.

7 Steps to Perfect Inground Pools

By

You have decided that you would like to have an inground swimming pool installed in your yard or garden and the whole family is excited about the prospect of being able to use it throughout the summer. To make sure that nobody is disappointed, follow the 7 steps below to guarantee perfect results. While you may get lucky, it is always a good idea to plan every detail of a new pool installation so that there are no unpleasant surprises along the way.

Inground Pools: What You Need to Do Before the Installation Begins

A large project such as the installation of a new swimming pool is a major undertaking for any homeowner and without adequate planning, there are numerous things that could go wrong. However, by following the steps below, you can make sure that your new pool is a great success.

  1. Choosing a Reputable Contractor – The very first thing you need to do, perhaps even before you decide on the type of pool you would like, is to find a local pool contractor with an excellent track record and a reputation that is second to none. Choosing a contractor to build or install your new pool really is the most important task you will face: get this right and everything else will fall into place. Toronto is home to many companies that specialize in the installation of inground pools so there is no reason for you to hire a team that are incapable of doing a good job.
  2. Deciding on a Type of Pool – Once you have an experienced contractor to consult, you can choose what type of pool you are going to have. The most common types are fiberglass, concrete, and vinyl liner pools. Which is most suitable for your needs will depend on a number of factors.
  3. Your Pool Design – Do you want a standard rectangle, a free shape pool, or one that follow a particular geometric pattern? This step should actually be considered at the same time as the one above, because certain pool types are only available in certain shapes and sizes.
  4. The Location – it is very important to choose the right spot for your new swimming pool.  While good quality inground pools can look good in any location, you need to make sure you choose somewhere that is convenient for your family and preferably somewhere that gets plenty of sun too.
  5. The Surrounding Area – Some thought will need to be put into the landscaping around the area where your pool is to be installed if you want to make sure that it looks perfect once it is finished. Hiring a landscaping contractor in Toronto who can also handle this side of things could make your life much easier in this respect. Inground pools look much better when they are an integral part of the landscape.
  6. Safety – Homeowners who are also parents will be especially concerned with this factor but everybody who has a pool in their back yard should consider how to make it safe. At a minimum, you will need to have a fence installed around your swimming pool, to make sure that nobody can wander into your back yard and accidentally fall into the water.
  7. The Deck or Patio – You will want to make sure that whatever type of deck or patio you have around your pool, it is big enough to accommodate the entire family in comfort and made of a material that is pleasant to walk on barefoot.

 

For more tips on inground pools for Toronto properties, call the team at Seabreeze whenever you have a few minutes to spare.

Inground Pool Design and How the Weather Might Influence Yours

By

There are a lot of things that will influence the design of your new fiberglass pool starting with your budget and moving onto more aesthetic considerations like the design of your house, the size of your property and who will be using it most of the time (a pool intended for kids should have a more fun profile than one intended for an adult wanting to get in some laps every evening). Another factor that will influence the design of your pool – and one that doesn’t get a lot of press – is the weather. In this post we’ll look at a few ways the local environment can influence the design of your pool.

The Effect of the Weather on Inground Pool Design

The effect of the weather on your inground pool design may be more substantial than you realize. Any outdoor structure must take the vagaries of the local environment fully into account or run the risk of being overwhelmed by them. Here are several ways the weather may impact your inground pool design.

  • Cold weather may call for a heating system – In a climate with a short summer season like Toronto you may want to invest in a pool heating system to increase the number of days you can use the pool during the year. Some types of heaters include heat pumps, solar heaters, solar blankets and the traditional natural gas or propane pool heater system. This wouldn’t be an issue in a place like Florida but in the GTA it’s definitely something you’ll want to consider.
  • Open spaces can have you seeking natural windbreaks – There’s no doubt that strong winds can put a damper on pool enjoyment. If your backyard is a bit on the exposed side and you regularly experience winds whipping across your property you may want to consider cozying your pool up to the house to take advantage of the natural windbreak it presents. This will be especially effective if wind blows in from the front toward the back of your property.
  • Regular rainfall may call for an effective cover – One of the wonderful things about fiberglass pools is that they require far fewer chemicals than a concrete or gunite pool. If you leave your pool open to the elements however you’ll notice that rainfall changes the pH levels of your pool requiring you to compensate with more chlorine. You may want a pool shape that lends itself to being covered easily and a cover that sends runoff away from the pool.
  • The environment will influence the colour of your water – There are a number of physical factors that influence the colour of your pool’s water including pool depth, the amount of moving water from waterfalls and pool chemistry. Environmental factors also play a large part including the amount of cloud cover, colours in the surrounding environment and the orientation of your pool to the sun. If you believe your pool may wind up looking a bit colourless make sure you order one that’s the right shade of blue to match your tastes.

You’re going to invest a lot of time, energy and money in your new swimming pool, make sure you take everything into consideration before deciding on a design; that includes environmental factors. Before you make any decisions regarding your inground pool design that may be difficult to undo later on talk to the fiberglass pool professionals at M.E. Contracting. We’ll help you determine the right inground pool design for your Toronto home so that you can proceed with the installation confident that the final product will meet or exceed your expectations.

How Adventurous Should Your Inground Pool Design Be?

By

Swimming pool designs have historically been confined to a variation on the rectangle or some form of kidney shape with a design twist here and there, and that’s fine. Most designers in fact will tell you that the true test of a designer is to find something new in an old idea. Other people though aren’t happy unless they’re doing something completely unique and some wild pool designs have resulted from this approach. But how wise is it to push the design envelope with swimming pools?

Pushing the Limits of Inground Pool Design

Today it’s easier than ever before to make a statement with your inground pool design. However, the push to be unique can sometimes result in more trouble than triumph. Here are a few ways a pool may push the design envelope a bit too far.

  • Too deep – In recent years there’s been a movement away from diving in backyard pools. As a result the deep end of the average residential pool is now about 5’. Some see this trend as an opportunity to make a statement and design their pool to be 12’ deep or more. While such depth may make your pool stand out it may also scare off many of your guests.
  • Too many curves – A pool with more curves than a Formula 1 racetrack might sound like a good idea but who is going to clean such a thing? Not only that but how can you ensure you’ll get proper water circulation so that the chemicals that keep the water clean and algae free can get into all the nooks and crannies? The short answer is you probably can’t.
  • Lost in translation – Sometimes a homeowner starts out with a clear idea of what they want their inground pool design to be. Along the way however they get into a vicious cycle of revisions during which the original concept gets completely lost and what finally emerges is nothing short of a mess that holds a lot of water.
  • Lost in the landscaping – Sometimes people get so caught up in the landscaping around the pool that by the time they’re done building the 4th fountain and planting the Scotch Pines it’s hard to even see the pool. Elaborate flora also has a tendency to attract elaborate insect life and you may find your guests jumping into the pool just to get away from the bugs. This is why it is important to get expert advice from a professional landscaping company in Toronto.
  • Cool but dangerous – Today, people are looking for ways to bring all the different elements of their property – house, patio, outdoor kitchen, deck, pool and landscaping – together in new and interesting ways. This has led to some wild pool designs where, for instance, parts of a patio or outdoor kitchen jut out over the surface of the pool. While something like this looks cool it represents a real danger to swimmers and children on the deck who may fall in.

Something to consider is that the more outrageous the inground pool design the more expensive the pool. But even if that’s not an issue you might want to try and restrain your more extreme design tendencies in the service of creating a pool everyone can use and admire.

Seabreeze Pools are your one stop shop for custom inground pool design, installation and maintenance in Toronto. We can help you turn your swimming pool dream into dazzling reality and surround it with tasteful, appropriate landscaping and a custom lighting scheme that will be the talk of the town. Don’t waste another day wondering if this is the year you should install a beautiful custom fibreglass pool in your Toronto backyard. Call us today and get the party started!

Inground Pool Design: What’s Right for Your Yard?

By

Once you’ve decided to install an inground fiberglass swimming pool in your Toronto yard, you’re faced with a new set of decisions regarding budget, landscaping, safety and perhaps most important; shape. The fact is that the number of different fiberglass pool shapes available today is practically limitless. Not every inground pool design will be appropriate for your family or property however, and so picking the right one is important.

The Many Faces of Inground Pool Design

Here are some common inground fiberglass pool shapes for your consideration.

  • Rectangular – Rectangular pools are considered a ‘classic’ inground pool design because of their emphasis on clean, straight lines. This rigid geometry can give them a more formal air but how they’re perceived depends in large part on how you handle the landscaping around the pool. You can hire a professional Toronto landscaping company to help you. Rectangular pools are great for swimming laps and playing organized games. You can also take some of the formality out of a rectangular pool by rounding off the corners.
  • L-Shaped – A cousin of the rectangular pool the L-shaped pool and it has some advantages of its own. You can use the smaller of the rectangular areas as a shallow section for younger kids. Or, with a “lazy-L” variation, you can use the smaller section for a broad ‘staircase’ that allows for easy in/easy out without interfering with the integrity of the main rectangle.
  • Kidney Shaped – The kidney shape lends itself to almost any property and has a natural feel to it many find appealing. You can create a focal point in the narrower end of the kidney shape with furniture and perhaps a grille. You can also order your kidney shaped fiberglass pool to have a shallow end near the planned grille area so you can keep a close eye on the kids.
  • Freeform – Freeform pools are often used in yards with uncommon shapes or landscape features and are built around those shapes or features to create a cohesive design scheme. Or, if the house is a non-standard layout the freeform pool can be designed to work in concert with that, mimicking the lines and forms of the house to create visual unity.
  • Roman – The Roman shape is defined by a large rectangle with semicircles cut into the ends and/or sides and is a design that was much favoured by the aristocrats of the Empire thousands of years ago. The Roman pool is definitely a ‘grown-up’ design and may look out of place with some contemporary home designs so think carefully before going Roman.

If it’s a formal look and feel you’re after you’ll likely want to lean toward the rectangular, Roman or even a freeform inground pool design, (since it can be made to serve any design aesthetic informal or formal). If, on the other hand you’re after family fun and barbeques you’ll likely want to go with a kidney shape, L-shape or again a versatile freeform pool design. Remember too that, as mentioned earlier, the landscaping around your pool will go a long way toward defining the overall feel.

Need More Help? Contact the Pros at Seabreeze Pools Today!

There’s nothing like being able to walk out your back door into a beautifully landscaped inground pool area and immerse yourself in the tranquility, or being able to have family and friends over for a holiday celebration by the pool. Seabreeze Pools is your inground pool design headquarters in the Toronto area. We’ve built scores of fiberglass inground pools for homeowners in the GTA, providing them with experiences and memories they’ll cherish for a lifetime. Give us a call on 416-238-9703 and let us help you bring your dreams to life with a fabulous fiberglass inground pool.

Looking for quality pool installation in your back yard?

Look no more! Call us today and request a free assessment


REQUEST FREE ESTIMATE