Today's pools are a far cry from a rectangle of chlorinated water surrounded by concrete. Today's pools have become the centerpiece of luxurious backyard retreats to relax, rejuvenate and entertain in. Retreats that blend seamlessly into their environments with attached spas and trickling fountains, adjacent to patios or summer kitchens and placed in settings of lush landscaping, enveloping the area as if there's no one around for miles. And today, it's often landscape designers that are designing them, such as E.G. Rall, Jr., owner of E.G. Rall, Jr. Landscape Design in Norristown, PA. Pool contractors may still be installing pools but experienced landscape designers are planning them: their shape, their tiles, their surrounding hardscapes and landscapes, and even their lighting.

The trick to designing a backyard retreat, full of "outdoor rooms" as they are called nowadays, is to have each part flow languidly into the next. A trick E.G. Rall, Jr. knows well. Rall and his team of degreed professionals have designed many outdoor rooms, including pools, in the Philadelphia area. With an emphasis on the use of natural products and indigenous plantings, Rall creates a paradise that looks as if it belongs there. As his design associate, Trevor Summers, succinctly puts it: "Everything should look as if it was built with the home."

The New Species of Pools

Pools these days come in all forms imaginable. There are recreational pools designed for children at play, shallow at both ends and slightly deeper in the middle - long, narrow lap pools for the swimming enthusiast - and visually stunning infinity pools with vanishing edges. There are fountains both inside and outside the pool, tumbling streams through boulders and misting systems that create subtle fogs. Pools are as individual as the owners they are created for.

But there are some commonalities. "The majority of pools installed now are pools that have free form shapes. Homeowners are trying to get that lagoon-type feel. They're using darker plaster to create reflections similar to sea water," says Summers. Spas are added the majority of time as they are a fraction of the cost of the project. Especially, "raised spas with natural stonework that enhance that lagoon feel," he says. Gone are the diving boards and steep slides (liability issues). Replacing them are diving rocks and molded slides inside rock formations, making them virtually undetectable. With the phasing out of diving boards and the interest in exercise, pools are also getting shallower. "Whereas the deep end used to be 9-10 feet, it is now 6-7," says Summers.

Waterfalls with natural rock formations are more widely used, as well. "Our job is to make the pool look like an oasis. Being creative with the water features is a big part of that," says Summers. He notes a recent project where three urns were placed at 45 degree angles to "pour" water out of a natural stone wall into the pool.

And something virtually everyone installs today: lighting. "Lighting gives a warm, inviting glow to the pool," says Rall. Especially breathtaking are illuminated waterfalls. "Pool designs that incorporate waterfall features with boulders look great at night with underawater light shining through them," says Lito Alberto, installation operations manager for E.G. Rall, Jr. Landscape Design. In addition to underwater lights, homeowners can install rim lighting around the edge of the pool. "It looks neat to see an entire outline of the pool and it sheds a balanced light over the pool’s surface," says Summers.

Lighting the area surrounding the pool is just as important, for both safety purposes and to extend your pool season. If your pool is heated and lit, you can enjoy it long after August passes. Summers recommends lamp post lighting. "One light can give a broad area of visibility versus using a lot of smaller lights. Plus, you have a lot of options with styles and colors and can match the fixtures on a house," he says.

Hardscaping in its Most Natural Form

After the pool design is set, the surrounding hardscape materials are chosen. "We prefer to use brick and natural stone versus manufactured materials," says Summers. As far as what kind of stone or brick, they take clues from the house. "If there’s a special type of stone in the house, we try to match that. We also go to the details, where the specific type of pointing (mortar joints between stonework) is matched or coordinated on stone walls," he says.

In fact, the company is currently in the process of expanding their stone use to include travertine from Turkey, marble from Italy, granite from New England and limestone from Ohio. Not only do these products look natural, they last longer than other materials, such as concrete. And some even differ in temperature. "Travertine is a porous material that stays cooler in the summer," notes Alberto.

Adding Colors and Textures: The Wonders of Landscaping

The finishing touch is certainly not the least important. It's the one that takes the hard surfaces just installed and paints them into a tropical summer setting. By adding the soft textures and colors of landscaping, your oasis not only begins to appear, but so does your privacy. Landscaping materials vary according to owner preference and other factors, like soil conditions and light available, but the overall goal is establishing a good year-round balance. "You want it to be just as pleasing to look at outside your windows in the dead of winter as when you’re in the environment itself," says Summers.

This balance is obtained by coupling evergreens with colorful, blooming flowers. This often means importing plants from the South that have "more flower" and "more pop," says Summers. To ensure their survival, they are tucked into corners that protect them from the harsh winter elements.

For many homeowners, fencing is required around the pool area for safety purposes by their township (except for those with automatic pool covers). Fences popular today lean toward a classic look, such as powder-coated aluminum fencing that looks like cast iron. They are often landscaped, as well, with various plantings.

It's All in the Details

Creating your backyard oasis takes time and planning. Rall suggests contacting his company at least nine months before installation begins. Filing for township permits can be a lengthy process. The sooner it is begun, the better. Once the digging commences, pools take an average of 45 working days to install, start to finish, including hardscaping and landscaping.

You’ll also need to plan your budget accordingly. Designing and installing a pool is an expensive process. The average cost hovers around $100,000 including the pool, the spa and the surrounding hardscape and landscape.

"To lift spirits, attitudes and moods by developing inviting havens" has always been part of the vision for E.G. Rall, Jr. Landscape Design. If you’re a homeowner wanting to turn fantasy into reality, there’s no better way to lift your spirit than to dive into a pool of refreshingly cool water on a hot, summer day in the Delaware Valley. E.G. Rall, Jr. Landscape Design has been successfully landscaping residential and commercial properties since 1992. With a peak-season team of thirty, the company is large enough to perform a wide variety of services, yet small enough to offer superior customer service, and creative enough to land the Excellence in Landscape Design award from the Pennsylvania Landscape & Nursery Association. For more information call 610-239-7460 or contact us by form.