Designing and building any pool in close proximity to a body of water has its challenges. But if you start by focusing on one primary goal, you’ll find that the rest of the tasks involved in these technically demanding projects will become much more manageable.
As watershapers, we all have one common goal in mind: We don’t ever want our concrete pools, spas, fountains or waterfeatures – whatever it is we’ve just finished building – to move at any time, in any way at all.
This is true no matter the physical or geological circumstances. On a slope, on the flat, elevated above a parking garage or set on rock or in sand or clay, wherever we’re working, we follow expert guidance that determines what we need to do to isolate our shells and decks from outside forces and protect them from anything and everything that might want to crack, tip or topple them. Up, down, sideways – we do what it takes to secure them against movement in any direction.
Of course, paying attention to this part of the overall package is a complicating factor none of us really like to face, but it’s almost inevitable when a project is located directly adjacent to a body of water: From tidal surges to subsurface water intrusion, from soil composition to storm scouring, there are no workable shortcuts here – and lots of opportunities to run into trouble.
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