the great ouotdo rs · garden tracker app $0.99 for iphone; $3.99 for ipad design gardens up to...

20 renocontractor.ca|May/June2012 Renovation Contractor

❱❱ The GreaT OuTdOOrs ❰❰

Renovation Contractor May/June2012|renocontractor.ca 21

New Rules foR PoolsFive Tips For Building Swanky Swimming Holes ❱❱

B Y J aY S o m e R S e t



When was the last time you saw a classic concrete pool in a backyard?Mostlikely,thepoolsmostofusencounterarethosecurvy,blue-vinyllinedswimmingholesoverflowingwithkidsandpuffytoys.Buttherewasatimewhenbackyard

poolsweresimple:straightlines,minimaldesign,small,andconcrete.

Andwhilevinylisstillthemostpopularandleastexpensiveoption,rep-resentingasmuchas95percentofallnewpoolsinstalledinOntario,poolbuilderssuchasJohnPetrocelli,presidentofBackyardGetawaysInc.

inBrampton,Ont.,isnotic-inganewtrenddevelop:areturntosimple,mini-maldesign.Andconcrete.“Peopleareinvestingmoreintheirhomes,renovatingratherthanmoving,and

creatingoutdoorspacestomatch,”saysPetrocelli,whosefamilyhasbeeninthepoolbusinesssince1973.

Here,then,arethetopfivenewrulesforpools.

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Backyard Getaways Inc: John Petrocelli, president of Backyard Getaways Inc. in Brampton, Ont., is noticing a new trend develop: a return to simple, minimal design. And concrete.



1. COnCreTe’s reTurn

Whilevinylremainsthemostpopular,leastexpen-siveoption,concreteisbeginningtogaintractionamonghomeownerslook-ingforahigher-endlook.

“Thepoolshouldmatchtheproperty,soifyou’vegotapricyhomeinapricyneigh-bourhood,concretejustlooksbest,”saysPetrocelli.Addtothisconcrete’slongerlifespanandclassic,hard-surfacedaesthetic–a

finematchbesidenaturalstone,ahugelypopularele-mentinlandscaping–andyou’vegotsomethingthatwillagewellandcomple-mentthehome.

2. Keep IT MInIMal

Bythetimevinyltookoverresidentialpoolconstruc-tion,intheearly1980s,poolswerebecomingmorecottage-like,withcolour-fulslides,divingboards,

andothercampyfixtures(cheappatiolanterns,gar-ishcolours).Today,pooldesignisshiftingbacktosmaller,morelinearshapes.“We’reseeingareturntominimaldesign,”saysMeaghanKennedy,seniorlandscapedesigneratNeilPikeLandscapeArchitects&ContractorsinRichmondHill,Ont.“Theywantsome-thingmodern,notsofussy;they’realsostayingawayfromoasis-shapedpools.”

Neil Pike Landscape: Meaghan Kennedy, senior landscape designer at Neil Pike Architects & Contractors in Richmond Hill, Ont. “They want something modern, not so fussy; they’re also staying away from oasis-shaped pools.”

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“Inthe’90s,itwasallaboutgimmicks,”addsPetrocelli.“Peoplewantedropelighting;theywantedtorecreateLasVegas,whereasnowtheywantsomethingmuchmoremodest.”Andit’snotjustinsidethepool;minimalismhasspreadtoallwaterfeaturesincludingwaterfalls.“Theystillwantthesefeatures,butthelinesshouldbesharpwithanegativeedge,notjaggedandcottage-y.”

3. LiGhT iT up

Justashomeownershaveembracedmulti-levelLEDlightinganddimmersinsidethehouse,thesameistrueofpoolsandpatios.Besidesmakingnighttimeswimmingmorepleas-ant,well-placedlightscantransformtheentirebackyardintoanoutdoorspaceresemblingaslickMiamihotel–withlightsinthepooldeck,around

ManTis nO-spiLL Gas Can$20Tryfillingagas-poweredmowerortrimmerwithoutspilling.It’snearlyimpos-sible.That’swhythislittle,10.4-litreno-spillcanissohandy.Itfeaturesalarge,singleopeningforfillingorpouring,anauto-stopnoz-zle,thumb-buttonlock,anddustcover.Saygoodbyetogassyhands.Mantis.com

ryObi expand-iT Lawn-Care sysTeM$100 (plus $70–$80 per attachment)Customizeyourlawn-caresystemtofityourneedswithouthavingtolugaroundabunchofheavytools.Quicklyandeasilyswitchbetweenahedgetrimmer,edger,tiller,brushcutter,andchainsawwhileholdingontothesame26cc,two-cyclepowerhead.It’s

likeanexchangeablescrew-driver,butforlandscapers.RyobiTools.com

bahCO Js prOfessiOnaL pruninG saws$35–$45Likeawoodworker,alandscaperisonlyasgoodashistools,andnonearemoreimportantthanhandsaws.Bahcoistopsinthiscategory,withbladescustom-designedspe-cificallyforcuttingthroughgreenwood.Choosefromvariouslengthsandgetcutting.Rittenhouse.ca

OverLand MOTOrized wheeLbarrOw$1,798–$1,989TheseDC-poweredcarts/wheelbarrowsareidealforlandscaperswork-ingwithheavyloads.Thelarge-capacity(ninetotencubicfeet)bincantilt,andsitsrightonaheavy-dutychassis.Comeswitharechargeable24-voltbat-tery.OverlandCarts.com

yardwork requires a specialized set of equipment. here are some of the latest landscaping tools to add to your collection.

CRUNCHERNUMBER

Groundbreaking Tools

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thepatiofurniture,underwaterfallsand,ofcourse,inthepoolitself.Anddon’tforgetfire,addsKennedy,pointingtobuilt-infireplacemantels,stoneovens,andotherilluminatingelements.

4. Cabana Time

Theworstthingaboutapool?Theuglyshedhous-ingthepump,heater,andfilter–unlessyouturnit

intoacabanabar,chang-ingarea,storageroom,andwashroom,saysPetrocelli.Makeitinvitingwithmatch-ingfinishesandothertop-endfeaturesratherthananafterthought.Addinganoutdoorkitchen?Incorporateitintothecabana-hutdesign.

“It’sthewholeideaofmakingabackyardgetaway,aplacetorelaxthatlooksgoodyear-roundanddoesn’tentail

hOnda hrC2163hXC LawnmOwer$1,339Variablespeedsandself-propelledmovementupto6.4km/hmakethiscommercial-usemoweraworthwhileinvestment.AddintheRoto-Stopbladestopsystem,eightcuttingheights(fromgolf-greenshortto10cm),nine-inchwheels,andareinforcedhandleandyou’llwon-derhowyouevergotbywithoutthismachine.PowerEquipment.Honda.ca

OX PrOfessiOnaL series CyCLOne masOnry bLades$50–$150Cutthroughanything–concretecurbsandslabs,pavers,brick,stone–withtheseversatile,reinforced-steelblades.Coolingholesreducebladetemperaturewhilecuttingandpreventwarpingforcleaner,more-exactcuts.Sizesrangefromfourto14inches.HomeDepot.ca

reaLTime LandsCaPinG PrO sOfTware$100Visualize,showclients,andamendyourdesignswiththisintuitive,com-prehensive,andaccurate3DdesignsoftwareforPC.Featureseveryaspectoflandscapearchitec-ture,fromwaterfeaturestosprinklersystemsandmorethan5,000ultra-realistictreesandplants.Designdecks,placepavers,andgetarealisticsenseofsize,scope,andcost,allfromyourcomputer.IdeaSpectrum.com

Garden TraCker aPP$0.99 for iPhone; $3.99 for iPadDesigngardensupto2,500sq.ft.onagrid,witheachboxrepre-sentingonesquarefoot.Clickinsideeachboxandchoosewhatyouplantoplantfrom65commonkitchenplantsincludingherbsandvegetables.Theapptellsyouhowmuchgrowingspaceyouneed,idealsoil,water,andsunconditions,plantingdepth,andmore.Idealforquick,on-the-jobreferencing.iTunes.ca—JS

CRUNCHERNUMBERThere were 10,803 building permits for pools issued across Canada in 2011, a 14 percent increase over 2010, and the first time since 2007 that the figure surpassed 10,000. Montreal lead the way with 3,656 permits issued, one-third of the national total. Statistics compiled by Pool & Spa Marketing magazine.

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drivingthroughtraffictogetto,”saysKennedy.Lastyear,KennedyworkedonamajorprojectforaclientwhowantedherbackyardtoresembleherhouseinFlorida,includinganegative-edgewaterfallrunningalongtheentirebackendoftheyard,awalk-in,beach-stylepool,andotherspa-likefeatures.

5. auTOmaTe IT

Pressabuttonandyourpool’ssolarcoverretractsitselfoutofsite,belowtheconcretedeck,eliminat-ingtheneedtomanuallyopenandclosethepooleachtimeyouwanttouseit,andremovingthoseuglywheeledcoverspools.“They’regreatforolder

peopleandalsohelppreventevaporation,”saysPetrocelli,whopositionsthecostofsuchanupgradebetween$15,000and$20,000.Pricy,yes,butitalsomeanslessheatingcosts,asyou’reonlyopeningthepoolwhenyou

wanttouseit.“Youcoulddoit100timesaday.”RC

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the great ouotdo rs · garden tracker app $0.99 for iphone; $3.99 for ipad design gardens up to...

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