Pool: Add-ons and upgrades, planning parameters - Renovating - Homes

Add-ons and upgrades
Given the brevity of pool season here in Canada, many owners consider it smart money to install a gas or electric pool heater. Your installation company can help you choose the correctly sized model based on the volume and surface area of water in your pool. Be sure to ask about money-saving timers as well. If you do opt for a heater, you'll also need a ventilated equipment shed to shelter it. Build it oversized and you'll have storage space for all your pool toys and supplies and other garden gear.

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Pool covers help keep the heat in (Natural Resources Canada estimates that a cover reduces pool heating costs by up to 50 percent), inhibits the evaporation of water and chemical treatments, and reduces the amount of debris that falls into the pool when not in use. They can be operated manually, usually with a crank system, or fully automated with the cover retracting at the push of a button. (For safety, the cover should be fully retracted before anyone enters the water.)

Ultimately, a pool is supposed to be about having fun. If it's deep enough you can add a diving board or slide, along with a partially submerged ladder for exiting the deep end. If it's a workout you're after, you can install high-powered jets that enable you to do “laps” in even the smallest pool.

Of course, to make your yard a work of art you can frame the pool with highend materials like natural stone and perhaps incorporate one of those $20,000 waterfalls that Cassack mentioned. Don't forget recessed pool lights that add nighttime ambiance to the yard. And finish the whole project off with an outdoor shower for users to rinse off before getting in, and after leaving, the pool.

Safety and security
Before installing a pool, it would be wise for everyone in the house to take a first-aid course. If only Mom or Dad take the course, Murphy's Law says an accident could happen when they're not around.

If you do have young children, you might consider a product like the Safety Turtle a waterproof wrist strap that wirelessly sets off an alarm if a child falls into the water. For pets, you can add something like the plastic Skamper-Ramp which offers an easy to see and use exit from the deep end. Or protect both children and pets with a monitoring system that sets off an alarm if anything falls into the pool.

Finally, if your yard isn't already entirely fenced in, municipal bylaws in Toronto, Montreal, and most other municipalities require owners to erect a fence around a pool with a self-closing, lockable gate.

Planning parameters
Here are few questions to help guide your purchasing process:
- What's your budget (and how much wiggle room do you have)?
- What size and shape of pool will best suit your lot and lifestyle?
- What are your must-have accessories (diving board, slide, hot tub)?
- How much maintenance are you willing to do? Conversely, how much are you willing to pay for automation?
- Do you have to have your new pool ready for summer, or can you wait until fall (and potentially save some money)?