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Beautify Your Outdoor Home
By F. Justin Ossmann
According to the American Nursery and Landscape Association, in 2002
almost $30 billion went to professional landscape, lawn and tree care
services in America, with this number increasing in subsequent years. And
yet, according to the Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association, less than $20
billion was spent on pools and spas in 2005. Consumers across the country
are quick to put money into their gardens and landscaping, but are
somewhat less likely to put equal effort into beautifying the other
outdoor aspects of their homes.
In Southwest Florida, that is a shame. Residents of this region are often
found hanging out by the pool, soaking up the sun from their backyard
lanai or watching Port Charlotte traffic move by from their front porch
patio. The environment is one of the most important aspects of life in
Southwest Florida, and the majority of locals will tell you how much they
enjoy it.
But don't you think they should be enjoying their outdoor home
environments too?
"Someone will spend tens of thousands of dollars on landscaping, but they
will still have a awful looking driveway," says Dan Cormier, owner of
Solid Ground Decorative Concrete. "They spend a lot of money upgrading
their landscape, but they don't realize that their driveway could bring
their homes to the next level."
Cormier started Solid Ground because "I as at a point where I was looking
to do something hands-on, out of the office," as Cormier explains it.
"After living through Hurricane Charley and dealing with other contractors
and construction companies, I decided that I wanted to get back involved
in my construction roots – the trowel trades."
Decorative concrete is a term given to a resurfacing coat applied to
cement surfaces, designed to look like tiles, stones, or other aesthetic
designs. "We provide quality, long-lasting decorative concrete resurfacing
for driveways, patios, pool decks, and lanais," maintains Cormier.
"Everything is hand-applied, with a minimum of two coats. In this
industry, that really is a big difference – many companies just spray it
on once and paint it. Multiple coats provide for a more secure surface. It
ensures that the decorative look will last as long as possible."
And even after the job is done, Solid Ground likes to keep in touch with
customers, to ensure that they are enjoying their driveways or patios as
much as possible. "Most contractors, when they are done, they take their
check and leave, and are afraid to hear from customers after that," says
Cormier. "But we like to remain in contact with our customers, to remind
them when to maintain their surfaces, when to reseal them... your
investment can be completely wasted if you don't keep up with resealing
it." According to Solid Ground, most surfaces should be resealed every two
to five years, with driveways at the shorter end and lanais and pool decks
at the longer end.
But what is most important is surrounding yourself with an enjoyable
environment, right? People don't retire to southwest Florida just so they
can surround themselves with featureless gray concrete or boring white
walls, right? "People spend huge amounts of time out on their lanais, or
on their patios, or around their pools," argues Cormier. "So why not
create a comfortable, attractive atmosphere in those areas?"
Speaking of pools, there's no better excuse for hanging out behind your
house than a nice-looking body of swimmable water. And Paul Salone is an
expert at building nice-looking pools.
"If you build a quality swimming pool – not just a cookie-cutter stock
pool, but something nice and classy and more towards the high end of pool
design – you can actually increase the value of your home, up to 150% of
the cost of the pool," explains Salone. "Not just any pool will increase
the value of your home, of course. But it's like buying a Yugo versus
buying a Cadillac. They both get you where you want to go, and they're
both made by GM, but one is more likely to retain its value – and even
appreciate – than the other."
Salone is Vice President of Farid Pools, a state-licensed custom designer
and builder of pools and spas. The name is Arabic for "unique," and Farid
Pools specializes in quality construction and aesthetic design. The
company was founded in Fort Myers by Fadi Malaab, the company's President,
approximately four years ago. Salone himself has been building pools
internationally for more than 20 years, with such past clients as the YMCA
and several army base diving pools abroad.
Salone is also quick to argue for the importance of education. "Consumers
should beware of any contractor that wants a 40-50% shell draw," gives
Salone as an example. A shell draw is more or less a down-payment, money
given to the contractor for excavating the land and providing the concrete
shell for the pool.
Bruce Cahn, with Water Designs of Sarasota, also understands the
importance of educating consumers about pools and spas. "There are plenty
of reasons to have a pool. In addition to just relaxing on the edge of the
pool, there is the benefit of aquatic exercising. The best exercise in the
world, and the one that puts the least amount of pressure on your body, is
through swimming. It's supported by the Arthritis Foundation for people
that need to exercise, but can't do normal gym stuff. It puts less
pressure on all your joints. It really is the most wonderful form of
exercise in the world."
Water Designs of Sarasota is a privately-owned company based out of
Sarasota. Much like Farid Pools, Water Designs specializes in high-end
quality pools and custom designs (including waterfalls, beach entries and
sun shelves, disappearing edges, and renovations), but can cater to almost
any pool customer. Cahn has been in the pool business for more than 25
years, selling pools for a large corporation before becoming a
manufacturer's representative, which saw Cahn covering the entire east
coast of the United States, Central and South America. "I came to Florida
to retire," says Cahn, "But I ended up going back to work instead!"
Cahn is passionate about pools, and is quick to emphasize the importance
that pools and spas play in a Floridian outdoor lifestyle. "The new pool
areas of today encompass complete outdoor cooking facilities, kitchens,
waterfalls, special lighting effects and more," he describes. "There are
'play pools,' with two shallow areas on each end and a deep end in the
middle, so families can play water volleyball and everyone can stand up.
There is a lot of emphasis on quality custom pools and outdoor areas...
that's what everyone wants."
Of course, having a pool and maintaining it are two different matters. But
thankfully, there are companies like the True Blue Pool Store to make the
issue of maintaining your pool less of a hassle.
The True Blue Pool Store is a locally owned and operated pool service and
supply company. For fifteen years, True Blue has performed onsite
cleaning, maintenance, chemical tests and corrections, equipment services,
and even resurfacing. Six years ago, True Blue opened up a retail store,
where customers can purchase virtually any pool accessory, including
inflatable pool toys, pump components, and chemical test kits (although
True Blue offers free computerized water analysis). True Blue Customers
can also discuss maintenance or repair issues with the True Blue staff.
"Basically, we can do anything on your pool other than structural work,"
explains Kris Peterson, President of the True Blue Pool Store. She is in
charge of the store side of the business, while Don Schadt is the founder
of the company's service side. "There's a lot of new stuff out there, and
we keep up on all the latest products and education that our industry has
to offer." One such product is the rather impressive Pool Pilot Total
Control System by Autopilot Systems; this single controller digitally
maintains the entire pool system, including pump, filter, temperature, and
sanitization. True Blue also offers alternatives to chlorine sanitization,
such as a salt-based system that avoids the use of harsh chemicals.
True Blue also offers educational opportunities for customers, either at
the store or around a customer's own pool. "We can show you how to
maintain your pool, show you what all the equipment does, et cetera," says
Kris. "We are very involved in the community... we feel that it is
important to give back to the community that gives to us."
Kris also has some tips and suggestions for people looking to make the
most of their outdoor home. "This may sound like common knowledge, but
heating your pool extends the swim season. Not that it gets that cold in
Florida, but heating can certainly increase the number of swimmable days
in the year. Also, you can install or retrofit custom lighting that allows
for different colors or combinations of colors. You can use these lights
to create themes, and then hold parties or get-togethers around the pool
based on those themes – red white and blue for the fourth of July, for
example, or faster-changing carnival colors for Mardi Gras."
"When you come home from work, and you want to de-stress at the end of the
day, it's nice to go into your back yard, sit by the pool, and just
relax," says Kris.
The important thing is that residents enjoy their outdoor homes... and not
just the green or garden facets, either. Water is arguably the most
important resource Southwest Florida has to offer, and there's no reason
why those who cannot get out on a boat and go sailing or fishing can't
enjoy an aquatic lifestyle right in their own back yard. Whether it is a
pool, a patio, a decorative driveway or a combination of the above, it is
important to beautify your outdoor home. This is Southwest Florida... look
like you enjoy living there!
* * *
Solid Ground Decorative Concrete can be contacted by calling (941)
743-0030 or visiting online at
www.solidground.biz. They also have a display outside the Patio
Factory Store, located at 1209 Tamiami Trail in Port Charlotte. To contact
Farid Pools, please call (941) 505-6288, or visit the business's office at
1881 Manzana Avenue, in Punta Gorda. For more information on Water Designs
of Sarasota, please call Bruce Cahn at (239) 691-7636, or visit online at
www.waterdesigns.net. And
to contact the True Blue Pool Store, please call (941) 575-2525, stop by
2310 Tamiami Trail, Unit 1157, or visit
www.truebluepoolstore.com.
Harbor Style Magazine
April, 2007 |
