Perfecting Placement: Shotcrete Application Basics, from Aqua Magazine By Bill Drakeley Builder/designer Bill Drakeley is passionate about concrete and has devoted his career to the pursuit of creating the finest pool shells possible. A recognized authority in the shotcrete placement...
I have often heard the terms "gunite" and "shotcrete" applied interchangeably, but a distinction exists between the two. Gunite generally refers to the dry gun process of pneumatically applied concrete, and shotcrete refers to a wet mix method. This wikipedia...
Playing with Fire
PROFILE BY KEVIN DOUD on Luxurypools.com
Years ago, while I was working as a sales manager for an industrial combustion company, I received a phone call from a contractor working on the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas. His specialty was water, and he was looking for a mechanical engineer to assemble all of the technical equipment for the fire features on the project, which included two 7-foot-diameter cast-stone water and fire urns at the entrance of the temple. I always had an interest in landscape architecture and construction, and so I agreed to help them out.
Fashionable Flippers by Mandy Acre, Aquamagazine.com High heels made for the "cat(fish)walk" Paul Schietekat is a Belgian artist who knows how to make a splash in the combined waters of fine art and the pool industry. Originally created in 2006...
Water Features Can Sooth and Excite from poolfyi.com Water features continue to be one of the most popular design trends for swimming pools. Whether you are looking to add a dramatic centerpiece, architectural accents or the excitement of moving water,...
Tanning Shelf--A Place in the Sun! from Pool FYI.com By any other name, they are the same--tanning shelf, sun shelf, Baja ledge, doggie deck--a delightful, shallow area in your pool to relax and soak up the sun. Sun shelves are...
Why is water blue? by Eric Herman, Aqua Magazine When you ask most anyone, "Why is water blue?" they are likely to say it's reflecting the color of the sky. Given that we know that liquid water is a highly...
This is a great article about a really great feature which is available on custom pools. Where To Place Underwater Speakers by Bethany Allen, Aqua Magazine Although underwater speakers have been around since the 1960's, the technology used to make...
We were already well into the construction of a custom inground swimming pool in the Northwest suburbs of Chicago when our client, who traveled frequently to the Middle East, saw something that he just had to have included in his project. In a hotel in Qatar, he saw a celestial star floor in the swimming pool, and promptly emailed a picture to our salesman. We went immediately to work on adding this unique and stunning feature to his pool, and the following details the steps we took to install it.
This video illustrates something that nobody should ever do in their inground swimming pool. ...