indoor pool ??

14 years ago

Hi, I just found this forum and am excited to read thru past postings! We are getting ready to build, and have an indoor pool room wing designed on our house. We've been married 22 years and have had about 14 homes, so we really know how we live, and indoor is the option we decided will make us the happiest. We live on the Intracoastal Waterway (NC), where we swim a lot in warm weather. We've had above-ground pools here, and found that we use the Waterway more (the pools were good when the kids were really young). So the indoor pool will be for winter parties and daily exercise. We were always planning on a fiberglass pool, but recently realized we want a vinyl liner instead, which could be replaced more easily if there are problems down the road. This is to be our "forever" home (God willing) and we are age 45. Our kids are 10 & 11.

It looks like there are really knowledgeable people on this forum, so I thought I'd throw this plan out and see if you have any immediate thoughts on it. I have a ??fireplace drawn on one wall of the pool....just for ambience...(can't remember what GC is planning to use there, something that is shallow, maybe ventless) This FP will be raised and there will be candle-type sconces on the walls. It will be a very spa-like, "pretty" pool room, not an industrial-looking one (it is just steps away from the main living area of the house).

I've been checking out indoor pools for the past few years, and have only seen industrial-looking rooms, nothing like I'm planning. (The pools at the Spa at Grove Park Inn in Asheville NC come the closest to the look I want, although it is all natural stone, and I want a more white look, with an 'aqua' pool and aqua glass tile accents.)

What material should we put on the walls? We've thought about a thin stone or tile veneer, or maybe Hardi-plank board? I don't want a painted wall in there. And wasn't really wanting a cottage-y look, either. The floor will be a tan natural stone paver.

My GC does not have a lot of ideas on this room, having never built one before. I met with 2 of the most popular pool installers here, and one showed me an indoor installation in a glass "sunroom"....which was nice...this pool was very small, and he said you just need a basic humidifier.

One wall will be glass (DH's weight room, which will overlook the pool room) and the other 3 walls are brick exterior with a number of windows. One section of wall will be large folding doors which will open up the pool area to the patio, which is off the family room area. Several skylights are in the ceiling.

The pool can only be about 13 x 25.

Any ideas or input? Many thanks.

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Comments (3)

alphaman
14 years ago
My personal opinion, not seeing your design,

I LOVE TILE! I like it on walls, I like it on decks, I like tile. I think it adds an expensive look and there are so many options. I tiled my pool deck with travertine because of one of my customers has it, it makes my pool look so much more classy and nice clean edges. I have seen some really nice stuff on walls done with travertine and/or glass tile.

I know some people say that if you get any movement in the deck it will crack the tile. Big deal, there are ways to prevent that and if it does happen you can replace the cracked tile and no one would ever know. If your deck cracks and you have a finish on it the patches I have seen are obvious. But I live in Texas and we get a lot of movement.

Oh well, just my thoughts.

Good luck.
poolguynj
14 years ago
I like cedar tongue and groove planking with a nice stain. No mold either. Another option is a glass house with roof that opening.

Use outdoor fixtures and furniture only. The humidity and salt air will cause issues otherwise.

Be able to seal it off from the rest of the house.

Set up sacrificial zincs to hold down corrosion.

Be very selective with a tile floor. Wet tile can be extremely slippery. Don't lay the tile directly to a slab. They will pop off or crack. Think of it as a GIANT bathroom.

Ventilation and dehumidification will be imperative. A good drainage system will be needed, not just for splash out, but if you want to clean the room, a power washer can be used. A little bleach in the machine to sanitize and then a blast to rinse it.

Good luck.

Scott
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swimgirl
14 years ago
We live in the NW and put in an indoor pool 2 years ago. Like what was mentioned before dehumidification and ventilation are very important. Our humidity is controlled with a humdifier that is in-line with a dedicated HVAC system that blows air on all glass surfaces. We also installed an autocover to keep evaporation in-check when we are not swimming. The walls were painted with an water-based epoxy from SW that has a low permeability rating.
We included a kitchenette, fireplace and of coarse plasma TV in the room.

indoor pool ??

Comments (3)

alphaman

poolguynj

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