Is that an automatic pool cover tucked into the deck of a fiberglass pool. Yes, it is. But don't be so surprised. Automatic covers are popping up in every kind of poolscape these days.
Homeowners purchasing all types of pools appreciate the safety and lower heating and chemical costs automatic covers offer. The owners of this 12-acre estate in Hendersonville, Tenn., knew they wanted an automatic cover, says Jay Tucker, owner of Swim World Pools, in Gallatin, Tenn., but they also wanted it out of sight.
"It's the only one I know of like it in the Southeast," says Tucker. "And I feel we did a pretty decent job of hiding it." Tucker says Swim World is starting to install more automatic covers. "About 15 percent of the pools we do have them," he says.
On this $100,000 project, Tucker says the stamped-concrete deck, which follows the curves of the fiberglass pool and hides the cover's tracks, cantilevers over the edge of the pool up to 22 inches. To be sure the deck was built right, Tucker consulted an engineer. "That's the secret: You have to have the concrete reinforced with steel appropriately in order to handle the weight," he says.
Even the cover's walk-on lid has been cleverly integrated. It's capped with small sections of stamped concrete to match the rest of the deck, so it can easily be removed for future service.
Tucker also recommends having a good relationship with your cover company. "You want to have somebody that knows their stuff because I consulted with our cover company for this project and they worked with us hand in hand.
"It just takes several different people that have different expertise in order to bring a project like this together and make it come out nicely like it did."
