Our Blog | Advice on In Ground Swimming Pool Construction and Maintenance

I receive calls from many perspective home buyers who want to have an inground pool built in their backyard.  Sometimes putting in a pool is NOT possible due to easements, sewer mains, bill of assurance issues, and most of all, not having enough distance between the house and the back property line.  Some cities require a distance of ten feet off the house, and ten feet off the back property line.  If your total distance is thirty five feet from house to property line (fence), that only leaves you fifteen feet width to place a pool in your yard.  

My best advice is to ALWAYS obtain a legal survey from the builder and /or seller at closing, or better yet, before you make an offer and move forward with the purchase of the home.  This survey will depict any easements on the property, building setbacks, drainage easements if applicable, etc.  More often than not, the survey is NOT conveyed over to the buyer at closing by the seller.  Generally because the seller did not have one in the first place.  A typical residential survey cost around five hundred dollars or so depending on the property.  A cost the seller does not want to have to pay.  This can be negotiated between buyer and seller as well.  Additionally, your pool contractor will need this survey to obtain the proper permit with the city.  If you live outside the city limits, a permit is generally not required.  As an aside, you can always contact your pool builder before you decide to purchase the home to assist you in your efforts to obtain whether or not a pool can be built in the yard.

When taking care of a in-ground swimming pool, having the right type of cover can make all the difference. Finding the right cover can be a bit tricky and will depend upon a variety of factors including your pool shape, size, and of course, what you need the cover for. The guide below should help you identify just the right cover(s) for your pool.

Solar Pool Covers: A very common pool cover, solar covers utilize the suns energy to generate heat for your pool. These covers float freely on your pool surface and are designed primarily for heating your pool and prolonging your pool season. They are not the most efficient covers for keeping debris out of your pool and should not be consider a safety cover.

Solar Rings: While designed to provide heat for a pool similar to a standard solar pool cover, solar rings have a few unique benefits. Due to their design, solar rings are very adept at passing heat to deeper parts of your pool. They can also be turned over when the pool temperature is ideal, enabling them to act as barriers to sunlight that will evaporate water and precious pool chemicals. Solar rings work well with automatic pool cleaners as well.

Leaf Nets: With these covers the name says it all. Leaf nets are basic covers designed to keep leaves and other larger containments out of your pool. Simply place the leaf net over the pool, anchor it down and watch as the leaves fall harmlessly onto your net. If you have a lot of leaves to deal with every year, it may be wise to remove this net multiple times to clean the leaves off. Leaf nets are often used in combination with a heavier winter cover. 

Winter Pool Cover: These heavy-duty pool covers are designed to protect your pool from debris as well as other unwanted pool contaminators. While many winter covers offer features such as thermal protection or coloring to help guard against algae growth, they do often vary in weave thickness which can be a determinate in the durability and overall quality of the cover. As mentioned above, winter pool covers can be used in concert with leaf nets. It’s important to note that winter pool covers are not necessarily considered safety covers.

Safety Nets and Safety Covers: Pool safety covers are available in a standard net/mesh form, as well as solid covers. Safety nets are designed with gaps too small for a child to fall through, but too big to allow efficient balancing or movement. Solid safety pool covers are heavy covers that are designed to be anchored down and keep everything from loose debris to kids and pets out of your pool.

Automatic Covers: Automatic covers have permanently mounted reels that automatically cover and uncover the pool at the push of a button. They are the most expensive option, but are also the most convenient. These reels can be run from either an external motor or using an internal motor that spins the reel.

 Parrot Bay Pools is fully qualifed to measure and install any of the afore-mentioned covering systems. Let us know how we can help you manage your covering requirements if any.

 The oppressive Arkansas heat has finally lifted and that swimming pool you thought about building this summer is probably far from your mind, but did you know Fall is actually the perfect time to start that project?

Looking to select an inground pool builder.  This is a big decision for most home owners who have never built a pool before.  Asking questions and doing the appropriate amount of research is in order.  Here are a few points you might consider asking and / or checking out:

Ask your potential builder if they are incorporated and registered in good standing with the Secretary of State's Office in Arkansas.  If so, then what year were they incorporated as a corporation, this will provide you how long they have been in business under that current company name.  This is public information and easy to check out for yourself.

Ask to meet them at their place of business.  Check out their organization and their ability to support your project long after the construction is complete.  If they do not have a place of business, beware!

Belonging to the BBB (Better Business Bureau) means nothing.  All the BBB wants is a company's money in the form of an annual fee. Most any company today can pay the fee and belong to this organization. Same applies to the local Chamber of Commerce. Angie's List is the same kind of venue.

Ask to see a copy of their Liability Insurance.  If they can not provide you this, chances are, they don't have it.  Otherwise, your homeowners insurance will end up covering any liability should one occur on your property if something goes wrong.  This is the last thing you need.

You can always ask for references from previous customers, however, this is usually a waste of time.  Testimonials generally are ALWAYS from customers who had a decent or nice experience. Sometimes its just good business to just go with your "gut" feel about the person and the company they represent.  

Perhaps this will give you some insight as what to look for and ask your potential pool company / builder and the manner in which they respond to your requests.