Lifestyles
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Building a Pool
Taking the Plunge in Your Very Own Pool
Written By Elinor Spokes
The swimming pool: quintessential icon of summer; synonymous with fun; an active child’s panacea for boredom; a wonderful amenity for entertaining friends, neighbors and family; a serene, soothing spot for relaxation; the perfect place for a party.
Swimming pools have been a source of recreation and exercise since Roman times, when boys were required to learn to swim as part of their education and pools were built for that purpose, separate from baths. It was not until the 19th century that pools became popular, following the 1896 Olympic Games in which swim races were a part of the competition.
Today, pools are being built for recreational purposes and to enhance family time.While some still use their pools for exercise, many families are adding pools to their properties to give their kids a healthy alternative to sitting on the sofa playing video games, providing parents with the peace of mind of knowing where their kids are, and offering the entire family an outdoor space they can enjoy together.
Bob Spero, co-owner of Maryland Pools, says that more clients are interested in pools as an alternative to vacations which require travel. The current design trend is towards pools created to feel like “a natural oasis,” he says.
The cost of building a pool ranges, depending on the building site, cleaning systems and other technologies, but begin at $30,000 and usually average between $40,000 and $50,000. The building process is driven by the design and how the client sees himself using the pool, whether for laps and exercise or relaxing and entertaining.
In years past, pools required a lot of time for maintenance, but with the advent of new cleaning systems and sanitizing technology, the amount of time required in upkeep is greatly reduced. This has made pool ownership a much more attractive proposition.
“Having a pool has been a dream,” says Reisterstown resident Stacy Goren. “It is like a vacation in our backyard. Every time I open my back door, it is like walking out into paradise.” This summer is the Goren’s second pool season with their children. “Our pool gives our children a place to entertain their friends and we like knowing where our kids are and getting to know their friends. A lovely by-product has been getting to know our kids’ friends’ parents with whom we now have new relationships.
Amy Rottenberg, mother of three, says their pool gave new life to their Reisterstown backyard. “We didn’t use our backyard before we built the pool because it was sloped and unusable. Now we prefer to take vacations in the winter so we can hang out at the pool all summer.” The Rottenbergs built a free-form pool and recently installed a basketball hoop which gets constant use. “Instead of playing basketball on the driveway and overheating, the kids play in the pool and stay cool. Even the dog enjoys the pool!”
“We wanted to be the house that the kids wanted to come to and I want to know where my kids are,” said Deena Dermer of Reisterstown. After years of pool memberships at the JCC, Worthington Valley Swim Club and Silver Birch, the Dermers built a pool in their backyard three years ago. Their daughters love to have their friends over and hang out at their pool and the family plans to entertain on the major summer holidays…Memorial Day, July 4 and Labor Day.
“Our pool,” adds Goren, “has given us an opportunity to catch up with everybody. It is really not just a luxury but it has given us meaningful family time and made our relationships stronger.”
