Water feature is such a generic term for the wide array of possibilities that it embodies. What we actually mean is “Personality”, because what you’ll be giving your pool is a personality, specifically your personality. Anyone can dig a hole and fill it with water, 5 year old boys do that all the time, we want more. What you really want is your personality reflected in your pool, when someone sees your pool for the first time they should gain a deeper understanding of who you are.
How would you like to express yourself? Are you warm and bubbly? Do you overflow with energy or are you smooth and serene? Here are some features for you to chose from, which speaks to you?
- Wading pool
- Deck jets
- Spa
- Fountains
- Waterfall
- Splash pad
- Sun shelf
Wading Pool
This is the ultimate water feature for young families, it’s the perfect escape from boredom and the summer heat. My smaller kids will have a shallow area to play safely in and my wife will be able to relax in the water without getting her hair wet (it’s a big deal for women).
Deck Jets
Like the name suggests, these are water jets that are flush mounted to the deck of the pool. these are usually adjustable, meaning that you can shorten or lengthen the stream and point them anywhere in the pool.
Spa
There isn’t a lot that needs to said about the spa, above ground, built in, adjoined or separate from the pool… you know how this works. It’s a great way to relax in the evening and practically required for any custom pool.
Fountains
Like deck jets, fountains are a beautiful focal point for your pool. There are a number of ways this can go, traditional stand alone, built in out of the water or magically shooting from the surface of the water. There is too much to say about fountains here it’ll require its own post to really explore the possibilities.
Waterfall
Waterfalls can dress up a rock wall, hide a built in spa or come from the side of the deck. low speed for a whispering wall or higher volume for a more noticeable feature. We’ll find the perfect combination that speaks to you.
Splash Pad
These are becoming very popular in Arizona, they even show up in outdoor shopping centers around the valley. Kids love them, but for parents it means taking the swimming bag shopping with you and driving wet kids back home. I know not a huge problem, but consider setting up the ultimate ‘running through the sprinkler’ situation in your back yard. Your splash pad can be built on the patio outside the pool fence, its an easy, low cost, low maintenance feature.
Sun Shelf
The last of our features for today is the sun shelf. This is similar to the wading pool in that it gives adults a great place to relax without getting in too deep or risking their hair, but not so much fun for the kids, it’s only a few inches deep. The sun shelf is shallow enough that you can lay out in a pool chair without submerging in the water. It is a great point of entry as an extra large step, or as i said, deck chairs and an umbrella, a fountain… the possibilities are endless.
I hope that you have seen yourself in some of these ideas, it’s always more exciting as we see our pool take shape in our minds. I hope this has brought you a little more clarity.