Installing or revamping your pool, deck or spa can be one of the most rewarding projects for your home. Here, we present challenges many may face and fill you in on how our pros overcome them.

Light It Up

Photo: David Croxford

Challenge: You desire an outdoor oasis that’s as stunning at night as it is during the day.
Solution: An automated lighting circuit and entertainment system, such as those in this project by Blueprint Audio Visual LLC. Here, a Sonos controller (for more see pg. 36), or even an iPhone, can work the audio system, while the lighting circuit’s preset themes allow the owners to set the desired mood. The lighting system’s clock takes out the guesswork and ensures the landscape lights turn on at sunset and turn off promptly at 10 p.m.

Swimmingly Pristine

Photo: David Croxford

Challenge: You have the pool you
want, but you don't have the time to clean it.
Solution: An automatic cleaner, suggests Clifton Crawford, of C & J Contracting, such as the one they used for this project. It purifies the water and minimizes the need for super chlorination.

High-Speed Heat Challenge: Your pool is too cold to swim in. Solution: A swim spa. For this project, C & J Contracting enlarged the spa at the right side of the pool to include a swim spa, which creates a current, allowing you to swim in place. “Within one hour, you can take the swim spa from 70 to 90 degrees,” he says. Bonus: a therapeutic jet area, separate from the swim spa, provides a place for post-workout unwinding.

Photo: Courtesy of Bella Pietra

Easy Does It  Challenge: Your pool liner traps water and needs to be replaced too often. Solution: Pool tiles. This pool and spa was outfitted with Oceanside tiles from Bella Pietra. These glass tiles are no-maintenance and “a wonderful way to add some depth to the project,” says Layla Dedrick, company president. They are also built to last in wet conditions.

Best of Both

Photo: Courtesy of Homeworks Construction Inc.

Challenge: You want a seamless transition for indoor/oudoor living, but you also want separation.
Solution: Consistent heights for differing decking and flooring materials. The crew at Homeworks Construction Inc. made sure the different materials used for the flooring and decking pictured here were the same height (no tripping due to step-ups or step-downs) “for a seamless inside/outside flow and transition from one material type to the next,” says Marshall Hickox, company president and chief administrative officer.

Puddle-Proof

Photo: Courtesy of Futura Stone

Challenge: After you drip off, standing water stays on your pool deck.
Solution: Pavers from Futura Stone. These porous natural stones allow water to flow through and drain underneath. They also provide a non-slip surface and require little maintenance.

Effortless Purity

Photo: Courtesy of T. Oki Trading

Challenge: The relaxation of a spa intrigues you, but the idea of having to keep the water clean stresses you out.
Solution: Jacuzzi’s ProClear water-management systems with dual filtration, available at T. Oki Trading. The automatically activated self-cleaning cycle cleans plumbing components and keeps surface particles out. It also sanitizes the water, while minimizing chemical usage.

Lasting Impression

Photo: Courtesy of Timber Tech

Challenge: You love the beauty of natural hardwoods but not their required maintenance.
Solution: XLM decking from Timber Tech. Engineered from PVC, this extremely low-maintenance decking line (pictured above) provides unparalleled scratch, mildew and stain resistance. A bonus: Its fire resistance is so impressive, it received a Class A Flame Rating, one of the most stringent ratings available.

Unexpectedly Exotic

Challenge: You want your decking materials to go beyond cedars and redwoods.
Solution: Tiger Deck, from Pacific American Lumber. Just as the name suggests, black colors streak the golden orange hues of this wood and shade into rich golden browns, evoking a truly exotic look and feel. An added benefit: the wood is naturally insect- and fungus-resistant, meaning it needs no chemicals for preservation.

Saving Sanctuary

Challenge: You can’t enjoy your spa without worrying about high electric bills.
Solution: Aria and Vanguard spas from Blue Champagne Pool & Spa.  “We are consistently ranked as the most energy-efficient spa that you can purchase,” says company representative Cheri Hadenfeld. What makes their spas so efficient? First, the spas are fully insulated, even underneath, to contain heat. Once the spa is on, the heat that comes from its electrical equipment is channeled into the spa water. Even the spa frames are energy efficient. Made from recycled ABS (a high-quality plastic substrate), they are impact- and termite-resistant, ensuring a longer life than traditional wood frames.

Anti-Slip Pick

Photo: Courtesy of Daltile

Challenge: Your deck needs a makeover, but you’re not sure what kind of tile works best outdoors.
Solution: Glazed tiles can get slippery when wet, so John Pasternak, of Daltile, says to avoid them and go for ones with low absorption rates. An added plus: tiles with low absorption rates (shown above) will stay cooler in the hot sun.

Hidden Security

Challenge: Unattractive screw holes and plugs are strong, but they distract from the beauty of your ipe wood decking.
Solution: The Ipe Clip Extreme anchoring system, from Pacific Imports International. This patented hard-plastic system connects the decking to the frame, leaving no screw holes or plugs on top. Bonus: Because there are no surface nail or screw holes to accelerate deck rot, your deck will last much longer.

In Control

Photo: David Croxford

Challenge: You’ve got the perfect audio setup, but every time you want to change a song you have to run back into the house.
Solution: The Sonos CR100 controller (pictured above), available from Blueprint Audio Visual. Get instant, wireless access to all your music in all your rooms without running back and forth. The songs are stored on a server inside your home that has virtually unlimited storage space. Enjoy music from your personal collection, Internet radio or other online music services, and control it from anywhere in or around your house. Bonus: Download the Sonos app to your iPhone to control audio equipment, too.

Gripping Quality

Photo: Courtesy of Selective Stone

Challenge: The look of travertine fits perfectly with your pool deck, but water could make it slippery.
Solution: Brushed, unfilled travertine. Travertine tiles often come with numerous holes and indentations, which are usually filled for a smooth surface. Kevin Nip, of Selective Stone, suggests unfilled travertine because the holes and indentations create texture that makes a non-slip surface. Unfilled travertine “is durable and hard and available in a wide array of colors,” he says.

The Right Fit

Photo: David Croxford

Challenge: You want to revamp your deck, but doing so would mean ripping up the surface and starting over.
Solution: Eco Decking Tiles from Maru Flooring. They go right on top of your existing deck. Plus, once they’re down, their height is well below 2 inches, meaning you won’t have to worry about altering your existing deck to make room for swinging doors. Bonus: Installation requires no nails or adhesives, and the ipe wood tiles are built to last. They are durable and strong, and resist decay naturally.

Down-Low Drainage

Photo: Courtesy of Tropical Pools & Spas Hawaii

Challenge: Water from your pool won’t drain. Instead, it puddles on the deck.
Solution: Drain from underneath. The crew at Tropical Pools & Spas Hawaii recently encountered this problem. Their answer? They dug a hidden trench from the back of the client’s house to the front. They installed four surface drains, then set the pool deck’s stones to direct water flow into the drains. They suggest using flat stones, such as travertine, to aid the process.