What’s the difference?

Posted on December 16, 2009 by Michael Chaffee

Swimming Pool Designs

An individual approach generally conflicts with a cookie cutter approach to production sales. Cookie cutter’s style to approaches are designed to streamline sales and production while squeezing your pool into their framework of the
least for the most!

Smoke and Mirrors…

Production sales approaches, often capture greater market share on the perception of a lower price. The reality is that the price you are getting will include a five to ten percent sales commission for the salesperson, plus as much as fifteen to twenty percent minimum profit margin required by the production builder. This can consume as much 35% of your pool-building budget before you ever get started!

Builders Vs Sellers…

This scenario often forces the production builder to solicit pricing from an array of sub-contractors competing for pieces of your pie. In such an environment, each sub-contractor must be low bidder in order to secure the work. Therefore, he/she certainly can’t make you the beneficiary of a more sophisticated approach when lowest pricing defines the limits of intentions.

It is your choice to benefit from a fully anticipated approach to the construction of your Swimming Pool or hope someone can fulfill a less defined commitment with 65% of your pool budget. It is your obligation to discover where your dollars are being applied and your responsibility to hold your Contractor accountable.

Our clients are required to be involved and therefore, as informed consumers they will take a little more time to become familiar with the choices and consequences of those decisions. We guide you into excellent, informed decisions.

If we are to meet your expectations then those expectations will require identification. A pool design starts with a pool shape and should continue with the other very important layers of designing swimming pools that represent the requirements for delegating the intricacies to in-house trades-persons, that will be involved.

A simple one page swimming pool drawing can’t possible convey a meaningful approach to swimming pool structural reinforcement, swimming pool engineering, swimming pool electrical engineering for the load calculations, Swimming Pool hydraulic engineering for pumping and piping size and capacities, elevation transitions and a written Swimming Pool Construction Specification.

In order to articulate the true meaning for the intended level of commitment necessary in building a quality Swimming Pool and Outdoor Living Environment you will want everyone on the same page.

When offered a Free Plan ask yourself, who benefits from the absence of a define commitment and how much clearer will the hidden picture within the puzzle become when realizing there are missing pieces.

We would like to add, that during your selection process of Swimming Pool Builders and Landscape Contractors we realize that there is a market for both custom and production builders. We wish you to identify us, as a Custom Swimming Pool Builder and a Custom Landscape Contractor focused on delivering a product that is commensurable with our credentialed knowledge and your desires.

We desire participation in projects where these attributes have a need for application and an appreciation for where differences between contractors originate.

Swimming Pool Engineering solutions involving Soil Composition, Reinforced Concrete, Drainage, irrigation, low-voltage landscape lighting, wet and dry utilities and swimming Pool Infrastructure, doesn’t cost our clients, it pays. Informed consumers who are willing to measure the differences between hype Vs fact can truly benefit form such an approach. A summation of this point can be gained through the following statement:

“Experience is what you get, when you didn’t get what you paid for.”
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What should I know about buying and installing fences?

Posted on December 14, 2009 by nickchaffee

The most popular types are purchased as units or panels. Usually they are from 5-6ft (1.5-1.8m) in length with heights varying from about 3-6ft ( 90cm-1.8m). A solid or close boarded fence is, as its name implies, a design which consists of upright or horizontal strips of wood, some 6in (15cm) wide and 1in (2-2.5cm) thick. The strips are nailed to two or more supporting rails at the rear of the panel. These provide complete privacy and wind protection, but are rather uninteresting in appearance.

Weather board fencing provides a little more interest in its appearance as it consists of wedge-shaped strips of wood, 1 in ( 2cm) in thickness at one edge, tapering to 0.5 in (1cm) at the other. Each strip overlaps the next by about 1 in(2cm). The advantage of this design is that it is virtually peep proof.

Basic Wooden Fence

Basic Wooden Fence

Interwoven fencing is very attractive but inclined to open up a little, especially in the cheaper units. Thin strips of wood, approximately 4in (10cm) wide and 0.5 in (1cm) thick, are interwoven one with another. It is a strong fence if it is supported well. Trellis fencing is very cheap and more suited as a support for climbing and trailing plants. It is not a strong design but can be used to good effect for covering unsightly walls or as an additional part of a fence design. Sections 18-24in (45-60cm) deep look most attractive if attached to the top of, say, a close-boarded fence. Used in this manner it helps to lighten an otherwise heavy, solid design.

Trellis fencing usually consists of laths of wood 1 by 3/4in ( 2.5 by 1.5cm) thick, fastened across each other vertically and horizontally to form 6-8in (15-20cm) squares. The laths are attached to a more substantial framing of 1 or 1in (2.5 or 3cm) square timber.

Wattle and Cleft Chestnut

Two other cheap types of fencing are wattle and cleft chestnut. The former is useful where a rural or rustic effect is desired. The woven, basket-like construction produces a very sturdy fencing panel. The panels are usually attached to lengths of oak stakes driven securely into the ground. The latter fence can be purchased with the individual pieces of cleft chestnut spaced out at different intervals. It is possible to purchase rolls of this fencing with the paling nearly touching. The rolls are usually attached to strong oak posts by galvanized wire. In their construction, individual cleft chestnut palings are wired top and bottom to strong horizontal wires.

One of the latest advances in fence production is the sale of kits which are so accurately machined and complete that even an unskilled person can erect panels without any trouble. With these kits have come new ideas in design, and many can be made up into contemporary designs. This is especially useful where bold effects are required in the construction of patios. Many ultra-modern properties are being built and this advance in fence appearance will be welcomed by their owners.

Fencing can also be provided in the form of chain link or mesh netting. The best quality is heavily galvanized to withstand the rigors of the weather. A small fence should consider wire mesh as a popular option. A more recent innovation is the plastic coating of chain link over the galvanized wire. Standard colors of dark green, black, white, yellow and light green can be obtained. Wire netting is another cheaper and useful fencing material. Wire netting is easy and quick to erect as it requires only moderately substantial supporting posts of timber or angle iron spaced approximately every 6-8ft (1.8-2.4m) apart according to the height and length of the fence being erected.

Another type of fencing is known as rustic. This is constructed from larch or pine wood of circular section. The main uprights are usually quite substantial and are cut from 3-4in (7-10cm) diameter timber while the design work between them is of thinner section, usually about 11-2in (3-5cm) diameter. The most popular design consists of a diamond pattern approximately 18in (45cm ) in area. It is sold by the square foot either with the bark on or removed, stained and varnished. The result is a most natural fence or screen which blends in very well with the surroundings.

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Example Standard Swimming Pool Designs

Posted on December 11, 2009 by nickchaffee

Standard Swimming Pool Designs and Shapes

Winged Rectangle

Widened Lap Lane

Wading Pool A

Serenade

Sea Cove

Radius Ended Rectangle

Play Pool Concept

Modified Rectangle w/ Swim-Outs

Modified Rectangle

Luau

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