- Water features
- Vanishing edges – also referred to as an infinity pool.
- Raised beams – primarily used in yards with topography, even gentle slopes.
- Boulders – a very cool rock feature. Giant rocks to (carefully) climb around on.
- Deck jets – also known as laminars – jets of water shoot from the deck into the pool. These work super well with LED lighting.
- Water walls – a wall of water cascading down a raised wall.
- Weeping walls – these are like mini-waterfalls. They resemble streams of water trickling down mossy rocks.
- Lautner Edges – also known as a knife edge. Totally fascinating! Expensive and complicated, but really sleek and sexy.
- Bubblers – like a fountain. They work really well with LED lighting.
- Lighting
- Proper lighting can do more for your pool than just make it look cool at night. The right deck lighting can highlight blind spots like stairs and walkways.
When thinking about what kind of lights to choose, keep in mind that fiber optic lights are not that durable, and halogen lights are not that energy efficient. LEDs are almost always the best option.
With LED lighting, there is no waste of energy. LED lighting converts all of its energy into light rather than heat. Also, don’t forget the remote control! Pre-program settings to turn your lights on and off. You can even make them change color!
- Interior
When it comes to entering your pool, you’ve got more options available to you than just your basic steps and ladders. Let’s start with a tanning ledge, sometimes called a Baja shelf.
- A Baja shelf is basically a large second step. It is large enough for young kids to play on at a very shallow depth and large enough to place a couple of lounge chairs.
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- Beach entry – this is the kind of gradual slope into a pool that you usually only see at resorts. There are no steps, just one long, lightly-graded decline into the pool. Not only is it cool, but it’s also really great for people who utilize wheelchairs.
- Benches – place some benches in the pool so you’ll have someplace to sit while you take a dip.
- Equipment
- In-floor cleaners – this is a neat development that has come up over the past few years. Little jets pop up out of the floor of the pool and sequentially push water and debris through the pool into the filter.
- Heat pumps – enjoy your pool year-round…or as close to it as your climate will allow.
- Chillers – yup, this is a thing! Is your pool too warm? Not a problem with these bad boys.
- Salt Chlorine Generators – these generators turn salt into chlorine, so you don’t have to buy and add chlorine to the pool. It’s much more complicated than that brief description, so make sure and ask your builder.
- Ozone – another alternative to the traditional chlorine pool.
- Variable Speed Pumps – variable speed pumps are more energy-efficient than single-speed pumps.
- Robotic Cleaners – this part of the pool hardware world has improved by leaps and bounds over the past decade. Robotic pool cleaners excel at cleaning the floor and sides of your pool. 99% of all dirt and debris are found on these surfaces, so a robotic cleaner can really help maintain your pool’s cleanliness and clarity.