August 13, 2004

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Palo Alto Online

Pooled assets

by Susan Golovin

W ater water everywhere. Well, not everywhere -- but certainly in a lot of South Peninsula backyards. Swimming pools provide opportunities for exercise, entertaining and just plain enjoyment -- sometimes all three.

How you are going to use a pool often is a determining factor in where it will be located, its configuration, size and depth, as well as its aesthetics.

Mark Flegel, president and CEO of Flegel's Furniture in Menlo Park, and his wife Ann lived in their Atherton home for many years before they decided to tear it down and rebuild on the site. Once the project was finished they tackled replacing their original pool.

"We use the pool a lot, especially when the kids and grandkids come over, so we wanted as large a pool as possible," Flegel said. Originally the pool was on the opposite side of the property, but the new pool was sited to take advantage of the sun and be less obtrusive.

"I'm a traditional guy and I wanted a standard pool. My main concern was to have something comfortable, attractive and easy to maintain," he added.

The Flegel pool, which includes a spa with jets at different elevations that can be operated separately, is about 50 feet long and 25 feet wide. It creates such a serene atmosphere that it belies all the attention to detail that went into its own creation.

The greenish-blue plaster picks up on the dark celadon color of the 6- x 6-inch tiles used in the spa. The water from the spa overflows gently into the pool, creating what Flegel describes as a "soft feel."

According to Greg Yannazzo of Swimming Pool Perfections in Redwood City, who built the pool, his clients are pretty evenly split between those who favor white and those who opt for the darker (black-bottom) pools, which are actually variations on blue/green. "The white appears to be light blue due to reflection," he said.

"The advantage of a darker pool is that they are more energy efficient. A white pool doesn't draw the light and heat. Some people feel that a dark pool is not as safe because it's more difficult to see, but actually, everything shows up on the bottom," he added.

Safety is a major factor. The steps into the Flegels' pool are demarcated by 2- x 2-inch green tiles. The border of the entire pool is an off-white stone that contrasts both with the Connecticut bluestone pavement and the plaster pool -- "so you know where the sidewalk ends," Flegel pointed out.

Yannazzo said that about 25 percent of the pools he installs have a diving board, as does the Flegels'. "If you have a diving board, the depth of the pool must correspond to national safety standards. There is a 'diving envelope' and the pool is built around it," he explained.

According to Rick Wolpin, vice president of sales and marketing for Lifetime Pools in Palo Alto, the pools he's been installing are a bit shallower. "Diving boards are falling out of fashion," he said, adding that safety is not the only factor contributing to this trend. A deeper pool requires more water, and that in turn necessitates more heat.

"In contrast to the l950s when most pools were 10-12 feet deep, the majority now are between 7 1/2-8 1/2 feet in depth, or even shallower if they are going to be used just to do laps," he said . The "deep end" is sometimes re-positioned to the middle to accommodate volleyball.

Both Yannazzo and Wolpin agree that the majority of pools are positioned so that the long ends are perpendicular to the house. "You need at least two pool lights on each of the long sides and you don't want them shining into the home," Yannazzo warned. Wolpin pointed out that if you do laps at night it would be very annoying to be swimming into the light.

The Flegels chose an automatic pool cover because it helps with heat conservation and also keeps the pool cleaner. "We like to keep the pool between 83-84 degrees," Flegel saidl. They also have a solar system.

"If you look at amortization of cost for solar heating, it's not worth it. But the carbon monoxide produced by gas heating is a pollutant," Yannazzo said. "You want to make your pool as energy-efficient as possible. That includes pumps, motors and heaters."

Automated systems that control temperature, lighting, sanitation and cleaning are becoming the norm. For convenience, the Flegels have the controls for their spa in their bedroom. The proverbial "pool guy" is now a service technician -- with skills as a plumber, electrician and computer specialist.

Time required to obtain permits for pool construction varies city to city. In some cities, they are same day. In Palo Alto the permit procedure can require up to four weeks.

"Palo Alto is an older city, so often the gas meter has to be upgraded to handle the pool's requirements," Wolpin said. "This involves going through the Utility Department as well as the city."

Similarly, setbacks are city regulated, as are requirements for perimeter fencing. "Most cities require soils testing as well, to ensure that the soil can adequately support the pool," Yannazzo added.

Flegel said that his pool took about two months to build and cost about $50,000. Of course, pools come in all sizes and shapes. Recently, Wolpin built a 2,100-square-foot pool in Los Gatos that required a year to construct and cost $250,000.

"It had a vanishing edge, in-floor cleaning system, fountains and waterfalls," he said.

The complicated hydraulics of the vanishing edge, which gives the impression that the water is disappearing over the horizon, can add $10,000 to $25,000.

Ironically, a permit is not required to remove a swimming pool. However, depending on access for heavy equipment, dump fees and how much of the pool needs to be removed (complete removal is recommended, city guidelines are available) it can be a costly demolition project -- somewhere between $15,000 to $18,000 by Wolpin's estimation.

For the Flegel project, Yannazzo removed part of the old pool, drilled holes in the bottom, then filled the pit with rocks and engineered a sophisticated "percolation pit" that is now the underground terminal for all the drainage on the property. A fitting end.

@12subhead:Resources:

Swimming Pool Perfections, Greg Yannazzo and Eric Christmann, Redwood City, (650) 580-2120, www.poolperfections.com Lifetime Pools, Rick Wolpin, Palo Alto, (650) 444-4791; www.lifetimepools.com

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