Houston House and Home - Index

Houston House and Home - houstonhouseandhome - Index

handbook | GET IN THE SWIM
26
maintenance matters
When renovating your pool, don’t forget to check out your pool’s
maintenance equipment. Follow these tips for the best results:
• Call in a professional to assess your mechanical equipment and
have him or her devise a recommended plan of action. It usually
costs the price of a service call, about $75.
• Don’t buy maintenance equipment that’s too big or too small for
your pool. Finding the proper balance between the size of the pool
and the size of the equipment is critical.
• Properly maintained equipment is not the same thing as a properly
maintained pool. Don’t spend so much time on the quality of the
water that you forget to perform proper maintenance on your
mechanical equipment.
house& home | February 2009 | house andhomeonline.com
Reflection Pools & Spas replaced the coping and created an attractive rock waterfall
for this pool.
Simply changing out the color of the tile can give a pool some extra élan.
Standard tiles, of which there are easily 300 styles, cost about $4 to $5 per linear
foot. Hand-painted tiles from Italy can cost up to $10 to $30 per tile. Whichever
style and color of tile you choose, make sure the tiles are frost-proof.
Upgrading the coping of your pool also carries a big wow factor. This is especially
true if the old coping is white facing, a material prone to stain. Lubbers says
many of his customers prefer brick or flagstone for this area — in other words, a
hard substance with a slightly rough surface that gives wet feet good traction.
After 10 to 12 years, plaster in a pool starts deteriorating and needs to be
replastered. It gets worn and is rough on bare feet. Finishes like Diamond Brite
plaster and Pebble Tec brand pool finish, which is made from crushed shells and
fine stones, are good answers. The small, smooth stones embedded in the plaster
give the surface a fine, multidimensional look. They also come in colors, including
blue, green, black and even two-toned.
To replaster a standard-sized pool, which is 90 perimeter feet and the most
popular size in Houston, in standard plaster, the cost is about $1,800-$2,000 and
lasts about 10 to 12 years. To do it in the Diamond Brite, the cost is about
$2,400-$3,000 and lasts about 20 years; in the Pebble Tec, $3,000-$5,000 and
should last about 30 years.
EFFECT LIGHTING
Going for the big dramatic touch? Add lights. You can get them to change
colors every few minutes. Maybe even be blue one night and green the next.