The Business Journal
Summer 2007

By Linda Obele

Luxury swimming pools are like people. Some are big, and some are bigger. Some are formal, and others are all about fun.

But all pools seem to have one thing in common: Each is designed to beckon its owners outside to enjoy more of Arizona's great year-round weather.

"Arizona living just dictates that," said Linda Hanford, marketing director for Scottsdale homebuilder Toll Brothers Inc. "Buyers are looking for luxury indoors and luxury outdoors. They want to take the indoors in and the outdoors in."

While the trend at one time seemed confined to custom homes, even buyers of production and semi-custom homes are seeking more elaborate outdoor living environments.

Caption page 1: Doug Lasater worked with Shasta Pools to create a dramatic effect for his Scottsdale backyard. His 36- by 18-foot negative edge pool is accented with two large stacked-slate columns topped with fire woks.

Take for example the Terreno model at Toll Brother's new Saguaro Estates community in North Scottsdale, where prices start at $1.2 million. The 6,651-square-foot model features a stunning swimming pool, seating area and fire pit, nontraditionally situated in the home's front courtyard.

"Buyers are asking for the outsides of their homes to be as amenitized as their indoor spaces," Hanford says. "They want pools with misters, design details, unusual shapes, swim up bars. They want sunken barbecue areas, ramadas, raised patio areas, and TV's and pizza ovens by the pool so that their kids don't have to tromp in and out the back door while they're swimming in the summer."

Valley pool builders confirm Hanford's observations and discuss what's in and what's out in the luxury pool and spa world.

Finishes
Over the past several years, stone aggregate finishes have surpassed plaster as the pool coating of choice for many luxury home owners, says Mike Ferraro, president of Phoenician Pool Construction. The finishes go by several brand names. PebbleTec, PebbleSheen and PebbleFina are among the most commonly recognized in the industry.

Benefits of stone aggregate finish include durability, stain resistance and beauty. Ferraro said the newest of these types of finishes is PebbleFina, which combines cement with an additive called pozzolan to make the mixture more durable and resistant to etching from chemicals and hard water. It also incorporates tiny pieces of seashells to enhance the beauty of the pool's interior and add a brilliant sparkle quality to the water.

Also newer on the scene is Beadcrete, the trade name of a concrete pool finish that's smoother and more vibrant than traditional stone aggregate mixtures. The shine and color are attributed to tiny bits of polished glass and shiny rocks incorporated into the product. One of Beadcrete's most attractive features is the way it appears to glow under both natural and artificial light, giving the pool almost a three-dimensional appearance. The cost is about 20 percent greater than stone aggregate, but the result is a smoother feel on the feet. Tile, both ceramic and glass, also is popular in very high-end pools and spas, says Ferraro.

"It's expensive, but stunning," he says, adding that a homeowner might pay $50 per square foot for glass tile, compared with $5 for stone aggregate. Because of the expense, some homeowners choose to use tile sparingly- as an accent along the waterline or in a design at the bottom of the pool, or to cover the surface of a spa.

Caption page 2: A large tiered fountain, arching jets of water and accent lighting transform an ordinary pool into extraordinary.

Inset: A flagstone-topped bar is a nice addition to this pool, which features a built-in seating area

Decks
The 1970's gave us cool deck, a heat-resistant cement coating applied to concrete. The late 80's gave us a more advanced version, using a cement and polymer coating sprayed over concrete decking, then covered with an acrylic masonry paint. But today's luxury pools are more likely to be surrounded by a variety of natural and synthetic stone products, such as flagstone, canterra, travertine and brick, says Bill Gullekson, director of sales for Shasta Pools and Spas' semi-commercial division.

Gullekson says pavers, especially the manufactured products, are forgiving of Arizona's expansive soil conditions and are available in a variety of colors, patterns and textures

Lighting
Modern day pool and spa lighting runs the gamut from the traditional 120-volt incandescent spotlight embedded beneath the water's surface to fiber-optic lights that transmit illumination through tiny fibers. Fiber optics, which traditionally are installed in a strip around the pool's perimeter, have increased in popularity because of the variety of colors available and because the light source is in a remote location. No electricity is used around the water.

Also popular is spectrum amber light, known as SAL. The light is controlled by computer automation and features a spectum of seven colors that can be synchronized for effect.

While not normally thought of as a light source these days, fire is being used more and more in and around Valley pools and spas. "People like the combination of fire and water," says Ferraro.

Natural gas- or propane fueled fire can be found spouting from pots, urns and woks. Sometimes fire appears to emerge from waterfalls and boulders, or from under the water itself.

Scottsdale resident Doug Lasater worked with Shasta Senior Designer Wally Dykert to create a dramatic effect with fire at Lasater's backyard pool and spa. Two fire woks are mounted atop stacked-slate pillars on the back side of a 36- by 18-foot negative edge pool. A square, elevated fire pit behind the pool is framed by the two pillars.

When the features are ignited at night, Lasater says, the effect is a "smoothing ambience" unlike any other.

"Shasta assisted me in creating a one-of-a-kind modern pool which will become the desire for young professionals in years to come," says the 28-year-old real estate investor, who recently finished flight school to become a commercial airline pilot.

Design
Remember when swimming pools were either rectangular or kidney-shaped? Gullekson says in some of the Valley's older residences, those retro shapes are making a comeback. But by and large, today's luxury pools feature geometric shapes that compliment the home's architecture.

Infinity or negative-edge pools still are hot, although maybe not as popular as they were from the late '80s through the '90s.

"They've come a long way," he says. "But I've probably talked more people out of them than in. They need a focal point behind the pool. The water should drop off into another body of water, like a spa, or off into a view of city lights- not into a fence. Otherwise, it's money wasted."

Zero-edge or deck-level pools also are cropping up at more luxury homes, especially those with flat yards. The design, which uses the same technology seen in most public swimming pools, puts the pool water at the same level as the top of the deck. Water from the pools flows into a surrounding gutter and then into an underground surge tank, which recycles it back into the pool. "The look is striking," says Gullekson.

Rock water slides, shade-covered swim-up bars and lazy rivers also can be found at many of the Valley's upscale homes.

Technology
Automation has extended from the house to the pool and lighting. With the tough of a button, homeowners can control the heating, cleaning, lighting and other functions of their outdoor pool and spa from a panel located inside the home.

In-floor cleaning technology and saline systems that create natural chlorine are well-liked for their easy maintenance.

"With pools, almost anything goes," says Gullekson. "But one thing that's definitely 'out' is high-maintenance pools. A pool is like a puppy: When you first get it, you play with it and you don't mind if it barks and you don't mind cleaning up after it. But after a while, the novelty wears off. What keeps people away from getting a pool is their past experiences or perception of cleaning it using a hand vacuum.

Caption page 3: Large fire woks provide mood lighting in Doug Lasater's Scottsdale backyard.

Labels: Phoenix Business Journal, shasta, shasta semi-commercial, shasta-pools