LEISURE TIME Backyard pools aren't just for swimming anymore

Pools have become an extension of living space.
By ELAINE GASTON
KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS
MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. -- Hot tubs, waterfalls and lush landscaping are must-have features in new pool designs.
As more homeowners settle into a nesting trend that's been growing since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, they are seeking outlets for relaxation and respite in and around their dwellings.
That desire for serene settings likely is influencing pool designs across the country, the experts say.
"The reason we hear most often cited for a pool purchase is family togetherness," according to Jack Cergol, the chief staff executive of The National Spa & amp; Pool Institute. "And now, more than ever, Americans are structuring their lives to include family time. A pool offers a convenient way for families to spend quality time together that's positive and uplifting."
Place to relax
Myrtle Beach area resident Jerry Reid wanted a pool that would afford him a place to relax, rejuvenate and enjoy friends and family. After an operation last year that required down time at home, he decided to have the pool installed.
"I wanted something to do while I was recuperating," Reid said. "And I wanted a pool that nobody else would have like it."
Likely no one does. The pool, installed by Hucks Pool Co., features all the bells and whistles, including a spa, a lazy river, a built-in flat-screen TV, multiple waterfalls and an automatic filtration system.
Reid can control all those bells and whistles by remote inside his home. He can turn on the jets that spray into and away from the centrally located hot tub or operate them in addition to the "falling rain," which appears to spill over each of the two bridges that span the lazy river leading to the hot tub. Or he can simply shut off the features and enjoy the silence as he floats around the lazy river.
"You can simulate any sound of water you'd like," from falling rain to a gushing waterfall, Reid said. "It's definitely a place where I can enjoy myself and where others can enjoy it, too."
Not for laps
The pool, no deeper than about 5 feet on one side, is more a place to cool off and splash around than swim laps or dive. Such a pool is reflective of homeowners' desire to slow down, sit back and relax.
"From a builder's perspective, they are not looking for a big pool to do a lot of swimming in," said Phil Troutman of Carrell Homes in Myrtle Beach. "They're looking for a cooling pool or a wading pool. And they're looking for the view. It must be aesthetically pleasing."
Pool areas are becoming an extension of a homeowner's indoor living space, with the softer natural tones, soothing sounds and lounging areas.
"It's all about the outside being a living space," Troutman said. "The pool is an integral part of that."
Silvis and Ruby Moore's pool at their home in Myrtle Beach features a pair of 20-foot-wide waterfalls that cascade from a sheer descent across mosaic tiles.
The falls spill into a 25-by-35-foot pool, featuring soft lines and curves flanked by palm trees on either side and lush planters on the back side. A 10-foot raised spa that overflows into the pool is situated on one side of the pool.
Built to be seen
It is a view that can be enjoyed from nearly every room in the Moore home, an intended design concept.
"We wanted it big enough and to have it as a focal point when you came in through the house," said Silvis Moore. "I wanted something different, something unique and I wanted the sound of waterfalls."
And the couple wanted a shallow pool, so their grandchildren could enjoy it. It ranges in depth from 3 to 5 feet.
The pool in Jim and Myra Rinella's back yard in Myrtle Beach provides hours of relaxation and enjoyment for the retired couple. It slopes to a depth of 5 1/2 feet, features a hot tub that spills into the pool and provides a most-unique detail with its vanishing edge that overlooks the Intracoastal Waterway.
From the waterway, it appears the pool water disappears over the edge when, actually, it spills ever so slightly over stone before pooling at the bottom in a catch basin.
"We have a lot of friends over, and we have a lot of parties," said Jim Rinella. "You can't get rid of them once you start up the pool."
Natural look
Another unique design trend is natural-looking pools made to resemble lagoons or rock-strewn ponds, the expert say.
"Everybody seems to have gone nuts about rock," said Frank Taylor, residential pool salesman at Hucks Pool Co. "They want boulders on the edge or waterfalls made of boulders or boulders in the pool. You're seeing more people trying to create a natural pool-in-the-woods type look."
Above all else, though, moving water seems to be the biggest must-have in pool design.
"I think people are tired of neon, cars and noise," Taylor said. "They want to create a backyard escape. Part of owning a pool is getting into it, but another part is looking at it and hearing it."