A refreshing dip in the pool is the perfect antidote to summer’s scorching heat, but for many, that means making a trip to the neighborhood pool, a public pool or maybe a lake or reservoir. For a growing number of homeowners—particularly families with young children—that will no longer suffice.
While most backyards in Northern Colorado don’t have a swimming pool, more people are choosing to have them installed, either as a landscaping project or part of a custom home build, says Tara Tecu, vice president of sales at Northern Colorado Pools, a swimming pool contractor based in Mead.
“Families are becoming so busy, and sometimes it’s hard to find time to go on vacation, so people are spending money to create that vacation oasis in their backyard,” Tecu says. “When it’s in your own backyard, it’s available to you for 20 minutes if that’s how much time you have.”
Designed for the whole family
Kids aren’t the only ones who benefit from having a backyard pool, though they are a big consideration during the design phase, Tecu says. For example, families with toddlers might want a splash deck area (and an automatic locking cover for the pool), whereas parents of older kids and teenagers might opt for a pool with a deep end and a diving board. On the other hand, empty nesters and couples without kids might prioritize more spa-like elements, such as decorative water features, integrated hot tubs and lounge chairs.
Regardless of the design, a swimming pool is a big investment. A standard, 30-foot swimming pool costs around $150,000, Tecu says, so it’s smart to think ahead and envision how your needs will change. Once a swimming pool is installed, it’s difficult to make upgrades later, and you don’t want to have regrets.
“Think about the things that are important when your kids are little and how that translates into either resale or when your family is older,” Tecu says. “Do you still have what you need in that pool for kids who are older and have more friends coming along versus being able to have a shallow space for when kids are first learning to be comfortable in the water?”
A stainless steel pool with a sun shelf, bench seating on the side walls of the pool, a swim-up bar, a swim spa system, laminar jets and an automatic cover. Copyright Jimi Smith Photography. Photo courtesy of Diamond Spas & Pools.
Size and materials
Other things to consider are the size of the pool and what it’s made of. Pool companies offer a range of shapes and sizes, from smaller plunge pools to large lap pools, but it doesn’t cost exponentially more to go with a larger size, Tecu says. That’s because you’re already paying to excavate the ground and run utilities to the pool for lighting, heat and sanitization.
“If you’ve got the space, you actually get a little more bang for your buck, so to speak, by going a little bit larger,” Tecu says. “No one ever says ‘I wish I would have done a smaller pool.’”
Northern Colorado Pools has a range of prefabricated shapes and sizes to choose from on their website. They specialize in fiberglass pools—a material Tecu recommends over concrete because of its ability to withstand expanding soil rather than cracking—and they backfill them with gravel to allow the ground to move without adding too much pressure. Fiberglass is also less porous than concrete, so it retains heat better and requires less energy to keep the water at the desired temperature, saving you money on your gas bill.
Though fiberglass and concrete are both common, different materials are offered by other pool companies. Diamond Spas & Pools, a swimming pool and hot tub manufacturer based in Longmont, manufactures their vessels using stainless steel and copper for a high-end look and long life. Their pools and spas are customizable, from the shape and size down to the mechanical elements that operate them.
“We can internally design it however the client wants, with benches, seats, jet placement, lounge chairs and sun shelves,” says Shannon Knaub, a design manager at Diamond Spas.
A main draw for stainless steel and copper pools is that they appear more natural than bright white pools, Knaub says. These vessels don’t have a bright, mirror-like finish and instead take on a darker look when installed in the ground. The copper has a patinaed finish rather than a shiny penny appearance.
Their pools and hot tubs are also installed differently in that they have a surrounding vault structure separating the water from the soil. This makes it more efficient to heat them and maintain the proper temperature while allowing for simple repairs in the future.
Another big difference between metal and fiberglass pools is that chlorine, bromine, salt-generated chlorine and other common pool chemicals are not recommended for use in copper and stainless steel pools. Northern Colorado Pools uses saltwater in nearly all their pools (along with a chlorinator that converts the salt into chlorine), whereas Diamond Spas’ pools are sanitized with a combination of broad-spectrum ultraviolet light and ozone. These are important things to consider when designing a pool you’ll have to maintain at least once per month.
Northern Colorado Pools. Photo by Jordan Secher.
Function and form
Adding different design elements can help you integrate your swimming pool with the landscape so that your outdoor oasis extends beyond the pool. Tecu’s team incorporates outdoor kitchens, pergolas, pool decks, built-in fireplaces and retaining walls next to their swimming pools, along with pavers and astroturf, depending on what each client has in mind. They can also add waterline tile and a variety of water features to enhance the pool itself.
“That’s where a lot of your cost is harder to get a sense of,” Tecu says, noting that all the extras are what can turn a $150,000 pool project into hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Still, those elements increase the beauty and functionality of your outdoor space, making it a place where you want to spend your free time. Many of Diamond Spas’ projects incorporate vanishing edges (otherwise known as “infinity pools”), which blend the edge of the water with the surrounding views for a more serene feel. The pools commonly incorporate scupper-type water features, which can be elevated to add beauty and the relaxing sound of falling water.
Diamond Spas is also known for its acrylic pool walls, a see-through feature that accents other parts of the property. They’re common at luxury resorts and can add a lavish touch to a high-end home or mountain property.
“People use acrylic walls in between rooms for a fish tank-type visual out into the woods and the mountains,” Knaub says. “It opens up the view through the water out into the surrounding finishes.”
Both pool companies offer integrated spas to complement their swimming pools. Like the pools, they can be heated all year round, and there are many ways to blend them with the landscape. Some designs include a raised spa that pours into the pool, and other times, they are fully submerged next to it. Either way, they can be decorated with stone, wood and other elements for a cohesive look.
“We try to make it integrated into what they’ve got,” Tecu says. “A lot of times our clients are looking for something that looks like it belongs in Colorado, so we love using Colorado materials that make it look like it’s natural.”
Swimming Pool Maintenance
Owning a swimming pool in any state takes dedication, but Colorado’s freezing cold winters add extra maintenance considerations. Here’s a quick and dirty maintenance guide for our climate (of course, you can always hire this out):
Clean filters every 30 days.
The maintenance of most bodies of water is on a 30-day cycle, meaning you should clean your filters and inspect your equipment every month, oxidizing the water properly (depending on the sanitizer you’re using) as needed based on the usage, Knaub says. Replace your pool filter yearly, and monitor sanitizers as specified to prevent algae and bacteria from growing. The same rule applies in the winter if you use the pool year-round.
Vacuum debris once or twice per month. During periods of heavy use, Knaub recommends vacuuming any leaves and insects in the water every couple of weeks. There are even robotic pool cleaners that can do this for you, Tecu says. Having an automatic locking cover also helps, both for safety reasons and to keep debris out. Periodically top off the water to keep it at the right level.
Don’t forget about your hot tub.
Clean the filter every 30 days and test the pH and total alkalinity levels with test strips every couple of weeks or as needed, Knaub says. The filter should be replaced every year. “As far as the personal commitment, you should look at it once a week at least to make sure everything is OK,” he says.
Winterize or heat year-round.
Colorado’s swim season is expanding as we experience more mild days in the spring and fall, Tecu says, making it more common to keep backyard pools heated year-round. It also won’t break the bank. “It costs around $600-800 to have your pool winterized, and it costs about the same to open it up again in the spring,” she says. “We find that the cost of heating your pool throughout those really cold winter months—January, February and March—is about a wash.”
