A swimming pool can be a fantastic addition to any property. Whether you have a small pool that you use for daily exercise and relaxation, or you have a large pool that’s used for recreation and entertaining your family and friends, you want your investment to look great. One of the best ways to improve the appearance of your pool, and your property in general, is investing some time into pool landscaping in Los Angeles, CA. Keep reading for some inspiration for pool landscaping, fire features and other ways to improve your pool and your property.
Ideas for swimming pool design and features
Every property is different, so there’s no need to base the look of your pool area off a cookie-cutter design concept. However, it can be helpful for homeowners to get some inspiration from others who have spent a lot of time on beautiful and functional swimming pool area design. Finding out more about what others have done can help you develop a vision for what you’d like your pool area to look like. Here are some of the most popular pool additions and design ideas:
New lighting: Lighting can make all the difference when it comes to the look and atmosphere of your swimming pool and the space around it. It can be used to highlight landscaping features as well as water features. LED lighting is a great option because it offers color-changing and dimming capabilities, and it lasts a very long time. In addition, smart pool lighting systems can save you money on your monthly energy bill by shutting off automatically at certain times of the day.
Custom pool landscaping: Without the right landscape design, your swimming pool might seem out of place in your backyard. Custom pool landscaping can transform the look of your space and make it look much more aesthetically appealing. With manicured landscaping, shade trees and beautiful bushes, your pool area can be made into a backyard oasis with plenty of space for outdoor relaxation and recreation.
Fire features: If you’re looking for an even more unique design feature for your swimming pool area, consider installing fire features. Fire pits, outdoor fireplaces and fire tables can offer countless aesthetic and functional benefits. On cold nights, they allow you and your family and guests to enjoy your outdoor area while staying warm. In addition, fire features look great in pool areas. The contrast between fire and water is a visually striking way to highlight your pool and create a stylish and aesthetically appealing swimming pool area.
Get help with pool landscaping in Los Angeles, CA
For professional assistance with pool construction and landscaping in Los Angeles, CA, reach out to Avanti Pools, Inc. We have been designing and building custom swimming pools in the area since 1999, and we are proud to be a premier provider of pool building services. Whether you’re looking for some creative additions or features for an existing pool or are interested in start-to-finish pool design and construction services, our team is here to make your vision into a reality. Give us a call today to get started with a consultation.
Investing in a swimming pool is always exciting, but there are lots of choices to be made when it comes to design, dimensions and features. With so many different pool designs out there, you might be unsure which kinds of features are most important to you. Thankfully, learning about some popular pool features, including smart pool lighting in Los Angeles, CA, can help you put together the right design for your needs, preferences and budget. Keep reading to learn more about smart pool lighting and why this feature is such a good investment.
All about smart pool lighting
LED lights have revolutionized pool design. These lights are brighter and more powerful than traditional incandescent bulbs, and they are far more efficient and longer lasting. This allows property owners to illuminate swimming pools more effectively without spending nearly as much money on bulb replacement and energy.
LED smart pool lighting in Los Angeles, CA offers all kinds of benefits for property owners. Here are a few of the most significant advantages of installing LED smart pool lighting:
Greater efficiency: One of the most well-known benefits of LED lighting is that it is far more efficient than incandescent lighting. It uses energy very efficiently to produce powerful illumination without running up energy costs or requiring frequent replacement. LED smart pool lighting in Los Angeles, CA can be set to shut off using a timer system or based on how light it is outside, which improves efficiency even more and keeps energy waste to a minimum.
Better lighting: Another benefit of LED lighting is that it’s more powerful than incandescent bulbs. LED lighting is stronger and provides more effective illumination, especially underwater. Not only does this make your pool look more appealing at night, but it also improves safety by ensuring that all your guests have clear visibility of your pool when they’re walking around the pool area when it’s dark outside.
Color versatility: In addition to the functionality and efficiency of LED lighting, there are also some design benefits. LED lighting can be set to change colors, creating a beautiful atmosphere in your pool area. Whether you have a single color setting or you set your lights to filter through various colors in a pattern, there are lots of options for color versatility and aesthetic creativity when programming LED smart lighting.
Increased longevity and durability: Switching out pool lighting and bulbs can be a hassle, not to mention expensive, so it’s important to choose lighting options that will last a long time and hold up to consistent use in many different conditions. LED lighting is known for its longevity and durability.
Smart pool lighting in Los Angeles, CA
Get help with the perfect pool design and best pool features, including smart pool lighting in Los Angeles, CA, by reaching out to Avanti Pools, Inc. With our decades of experience providing custom pool design and construction services, you can rely on our team to make your vision for your swimming pool a reality. Browse our website to check out some of our best work and give us a call to get started with a consultation!
If you’re in the process of pursuing any type of pool-adjacent landscaping in Los Angeles, CA, it’s important to spend some time considering the kinds of trees you might plant. Some of the most important factors to consider include:
Roots: Trees with shallow root systems might get into your plumbing and cause the concrete to crack.
Messiness: You’ll want a tree that isn’t very messy, which means minimal leaf drop and no dropping of berries, flowers or seeds. Otherwise, you’ll find yourself frequently having to clean all of this debris out of your pool and the pool filter.
Theme: Do you have any sort of theme going on with your pool or the rest of your property? You might incorporate your chosen trees into that theme.
View: How large do you expect the tree to grow? Are you at all worried about it blocking your view?
Specific trees to choose
Here are just a few examples of some of the trees that can be ideal for landscaping around your swimming pool:
Palm trees: For people who live in tropical or sub-tropical environments, there are few trees more befitting a poolside environment than the palm tree. Their roots grow straight down and don’t spread particularly far, and they don’t require a whole lot of maintenance. You can turn them into natural privacy fences or screens by planting them in groups.
Japanese maple: Japanese maple trees are native to Japan and Korea, and are small trees or large shrubs. They typically will not reach more than 20 feet tall. They do well in sheltered locations, because they do not hold up very well to wind. They do well in full sun or partial shade, and grow very slowly.
Citrus trees: Citrus trees give you a little bit of that tropical feeling while also adding some pops of color with the fruits they produce. You might consider a citrus tree in a container that you can move around based on sunlight needs, especially if it’s a dwarf citrus. Your options include orange, lemon, tangerine, grapefruit and kumquat.
Banana trees: Another tropical option, banana trees hail from southeast Asia and are perennials with thick, soft stems. It features large, broad leaves that can provide plenty of shade.
Desert ironwood: The desert ironwood is a small tree that loves shade, has little in the way of foliage and grows up to about 25 feet tall. It has small, brown, pointed buds. This type of tree is best used in arid conditions and with desert-themed pools, and should be planted away from other plants that might require more water.
Fruitless olive: Fruitless olive trees are Mediterranean in origin and, as the name suggests, do not bear any fruit. When fully established, the trees have a high drought tolerance.
Interested in learning more about some of the trees you might consider planting around your pool? Contact Avanti Pools, Inc. today for more tips on pool landscaping in Los Angeles, CA—we will be happy to be of assistance!
Diving boards remain a popular accessory for pool owners. They are fun, they can give you what you need to practice diving and they make your pool that much closer to feeling like a public or higher-end pool.
However, as any pool contractor in Los Angeles, CA can tell you, there are also plenty of drawbacks associated with diving boards. If you’re considering adding one to your pool, it’s important that you take all of those drawbacks into consideration to determine if the positives of having one outweigh the negatives.
Here’s a quick overview of some of the reasons why pool owners might be hesitant to add a diving board:
Safety: The most common concern pool owners have about diving boards is whether or not they’re actually safe for use. Think about it—the people using it are barefoot, bouncing up and down on a wet plank and jumping (often headfirst) into a pool surrounded by concrete. You must consider carefully if the people who are most likely to be using the pool are capable of using the diving board safely. If you have very young children, for example, you’re probably not going to want to install a diving board.
Increased insurance premiums: When you consider the fact that diving boards come with some significant safety concerns, it should come as no surprise that adding one to your pool could result in your homeowners insurance premiums seeing a significant increase. Adding a pool will already increase your premiums because of the potential added dangers, but adding a diving board will result in an even greater increase, as insurers must weigh the risks of your addition.
Space requirements: Diving boards require a surprising amount of space. Safety standards indicate there should be at least 38 feet of pool length if you are to have a safe diving zone. This is because diving boards require some significant depth, and you’ll need a certain amount space over which to create that drop-off. The size and depth of a pool with a diving board takes up a lot more real estate, and can also result in significantly increased installation costs.
Reduced pool space: While a diving board requires more real estate for your pool, it also reduces the amount of usable pool space you’ll have, because any swimmers in the pool will need to keep a certain distance away from the diving board. It also means there will be a smaller area in which swimmers will be able to touch the bottom of the pool with their feet.
Quality: There are some concerns about the quality of modern diving boards. They don’t have quite the spring of some of the diving boards of years past, which can make them not quite as much fun to use. You’ll need to do some thorough research to find a board that is both safe and enjoyable to use.
If you’re looking for more information about the pros and cons of getting a diving board for your pool, it makes sense to reach out to a pool contractor in Los Angeles, CA with your questions. Contact Avanti Pools, Inc. today to learn more about diving boards and other pool accessories.
When selecting a pool contractor in Los Angeles, CA you are basically giving someone permission to dig a big hole in your yard, disrupt your routines and somehow create a beautiful swimming pool at the end of the process. This demands trust, and finding the right builder for the job is no small task. It can also be intimidating. If you are looking to remodel or build a pool, here are five tips for finding a good contractor:
Ask around: If a friend or neighbor recently built a pool, ask them who they hired and what they think about them. You may get a glowing recommendation, or at least know who to avoid. Check online reviews on Angie’s List and Yelp. There will always be those reviewers who are never happy about anything, but you want to see what the majority of comments have to say about customer service, timely construction and staying on budget. This will give you a few to evaluate.
Check licensure and reputation: Reviews and recommendations may not tell the whole story. Ask for references, and be wary of any contractor who claims they do not have any or refuse to give them. Verify insurance and registration so you are covered if anything goes horribly wrong. Check the Better Business Bureau database for any unresolved complaints or a long history of inflated prices and inattentive service. It is also reasonable to inquire about financial stability—you do not want the company going bankrupt and leaving nothing in your yard but a big hole in the ground.
Secure written estimates: Never rely solely on a verbal estimate. Any estimate you secure from a contractor should be detailed, with reasonable timelines on construction. If you have a budget, the contractor should be able to offer options close to that budget, rather than try to upsell you on features beyond what you can afford. Estimates should also include details pertaining to material and labor costs. Finally, discuss any common circumstances that may affect price or timelines and how the contractor manages them.
See good communication: Contractors should clearly communicate regarding the quality of their work and how they face challenges. While it is impossible to build a pool without disturbing landscaping, ask about how they manage it—especially if you have an area in your yard that you wish to preserve. Also, ask about how they handle delays or problems—how will they contact you, and how will it be resolved? You want a contractor who informs you before material or labor costs increase or construction takes longer than expected.
Inquire about safety: During pool construction, there will be a big hole in your yard and equipment staying there overnight. Ask about safety precautions and how your property is kept clean throughout the process. You want a company that pays attention to these details and hauls away debris when the project is done. Confirm their post-construction processes and how they will help you restore your yard to normal.
Avanti Pools, Inc. is a trusted pool contractor in Los Angeles, CA. We offer pool construction services and can add features to your pool, including sanitation systems, self-cleaning technology and automatic pool covers. Contact us today to start designing your dream pool!
(818) 501-3759