Barbara and Leonard Macaluso knew just the type of swimming pool they wanted when they moved to Florida tropical, soothing and blended with the out- doors. They'd seen the perfect pool while house hunting in Los Angeles."
It was just gorgeous," said Barbara. "It looked like a lagoon and that's what I wanted." The Macaluso's pool, in Tarpon Springs, features two waterfalls, a spa, a black bottom, and plants that encircle the pool's border. The decking is done completely with flagstone.
To create their unique and lush refuge, the Macalusos hired Bill Kolar of Bill Kolar's Creative Stonework. "People are getting more in tune with the natural look," says Kolar, who counts Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf and other local celebrities as clients. Kolar says the popularity of pools with natural rocks, waterfalls lush landscaping increases each season as buyers see what's available. Of course, building a full tropical creation like the Macaluso's is expensive they spent over $12,000 on just the stonework. But homeowners not willing to spend that much money can add more modest enhancements, Kolar says, like a $2,500 rock waterfall or connected spa. Even with a typical Florida pool there are interesting options available fiber optic lighting, colored pooled bottoms and mock brick, stone and tile decking. Before plunging into an investment, potential pool buyers should carefully consider what options are available in enclosures, decking and the pool itself, as well as who will do the work.
Most Florida pools are made from sprayed, not poured, concrete. In this pool-making process, a mixture of cement and sand is shot onto a network of tied steel reinforcing bars. "That was the advancement that made pools affordable to the common person," says Rick Miller of Atlantic Pools in Indian Rocks Beach. The advantages of sprayed-concrete pools are that they can be created in many custom shapes and are ideal for areas like Florida with loose fill or unstable soil. The second most popular pool type in Florida is a one-piece, molded-fiberglass shell. These are usually a little more expensive than sprayed concrete, Miller says. And shapes to choose from may be limited because the actual molds are expensive for the manufacturer. Colors are limited, too, as some fiberglass pool manufacturers are making only white shells because other finishes may fade over the years. Vinyl-lined in ground pools, common in the Northern states, are not a practical option for Florida because of the states sandy soil.