August 2011 AQUA Choice Winner: A Vinyl-And-Rockwork Project By Westmoreland Pools & Spas

A Jandy 1-hp Stealth pump was used for the pool while a Jandy 3-hp 2-speed pump was used for the water features, in combination with a Jandy Aquapure salt generator. The pool is equipped with an Interfab BYOS Slide.

When most builders hear the phrase "resort pool," they're not thinking about steel walls and beaded 20 mil. But that doesn't mean a resort-style backyard can't be constructed using a liner as its core, proof of which is spread across these pages — images of a year-round holiday spot outside of Pittsburgh.

A backyard vacation pool was the intention from the beginning, says builder Gary Pivirotto, Westmoreland Pools & Spas, North Huntingdon, Pa. "The project started when a customer who had recently moved to Pittsburgh from Florida came into our store. He had purchased a house with a backyard that had a sloping hillside and wanted to fit a pool into the area. He specifically stated to us that he wanted to 'create a resort' in his backyard like the ones he and his family had frequented in Florida. This pool fills that role nicely with its lake shape, rock waterfalls, custom waterslide, and rock jumping platforms."

This inviting residential waterpark is built around a 50-by-120-foot, steel-wall vinyl-liner pool, with an Increte custom-stamped and stained-concrete deck, but the outstanding salient feature is the beautifully executed combination of real Pennsylvania limestone and RicoRock that surrounds the pool and meanders up the hillside.

The natural limestone was there when the builder arrived. The challenge for the builder was seamlessly incorporating it, supplemented with carefully stained RicoRock, into the project. This he did.

"The most important part was the structural installation and position of the RicoRock pieces," says Pivirotto. "We had used the products many times before, but this was a large project. The parts had to be completely assembled temporarily and then reassembled in their permanent location. Our crew has actually trained with the manufacturer for this type of installation and was very confident in their work. It's the most gratifying and attractive feature of this project, as it appears to have been in the hillside naturally. The water flows from the hillside just as it would in many places around Western Pennsylvania. Aside from the custom slide, the entire hillside looks as if it was all there to begin with.

"Overall, what makes this pool extraordinary is the combination of natural and man-made elements put together to create a vision of the backyard resort that the customer wanted. The extensive use of Rico Rock coupled with solid limestone creates a look that is clean, natural and timeless."

Submit your pool project for the 2012 Aqua Choice Awards at www.aquamagazine.com. Deadline is Oct. 1.