It's not just salt water they want. We have a fresh water pool and it's not so much the water, but the white pipe around the return from the pool filter. My husband made valves where the water returns to the pool with 2 different shut offs. Depending how you adjust them one pipe returns the water directly in the pool. One has a spray head that sprays the water into the air over the pool to keep the water cooler in the summer because it gets way too warm if not. We live in South Texas, enough said and with adjustment it also makes water run down the slide.. The honey bees congregate all around the center of that pipe and more and more keep coming. Last year it was the white stair rail going into the pool, however we've been blessed so far, they are not aggressive at all. When I hook up the pool vacuum, I have to have my face ,hands and arms right in the middle of them swarming around me to get it hooked up and they haven't even attempted to bother me, Thank God!! I was a little concerned at first, but so far so good. Anyway, just saying, it's not the salt.

It does get wet, when the kids are jumping into the deep end.....normal play it doesnt get wet. I remember the salesman said splashing wasnt a problem, he just wanted to make sure we werent using it on a spillover spa, where it would be in constant contact with the water. We have no white deposits, really do not expect any...ever... but it was only finished the end of August. One day I did hose it down after the kids were doing constant cannon balls. No negative experiences, we love it. The b-bque installer did not suggest we use the stack stone on the other side of the island....he said you dont want to splatter grease while you are cooking onto it. If we did want to stone the inner side of the island, he suggested we seal it but he was hesitant to suggest that because he said it was a pain to do, it could change the color and then would require doing it every year. We also had the pillars stacked stoned and they look great. Here is a photo from when it was completed this summer. I will try to take another picture tomorrow.

Hi! We're also looking at a contemporary style pool in the Cypess area. A Link to a thread is at the bottom of this message We're having a similar dilemma to you trying to find someone that specializes in contemporary designs. Of the builder's you've listed I know the Pool Man has a very good reputation locally. Other names that appear to be coming up consistently as good builders are: Cypress Custom Pools Best Backyard Pools Atlantis Pools Hipp Pools Perry Pools Cypress Custom Pools and Best Backyard pools both have some more contemporary pools on their websites but like I said all the names above seem to have a really good reputation round here Hope that helps a little, sorry i can't give my personal experience as we're in the same phase as you and have just started looking at the moment.

Hi - I have a SWG and have a stacked flagstone weeping wall, as well as a stacked flagstone spa spillover and neither have shown any signs of erosion, corrosion, or pitting despite water running continuously over these things 6 hours each day. I've had the pool since August of 2006. I have done quite a bit of research on this topic, and much of what's out there is very anecdotal, even the stories written about in the link that kurtv provided. However, given my research and personal experience with these things, this is what I know: - many people forget that chlorine is just as much a corrosive as salt is! In fact, what makes salt (NaCl from High School Chemistry) corrosive is the Cl (Chlorine) part of the molecule. - many SWG owners are under the impression that having a SWG means no longer having to watch their water. I hear so many SWG owners say that their pool is so great and worry-free that all they have to do is dump a bag of salt in once or twice a season! If you don't watch your water, it could turn into a really corrosive agent! - another thing to watch out for - stabilizer (CYA or cyanuric acid) levels. Stabilizer is required in outdoor chlorine (yes, salt pools ARE chlorine pools as well) pools because it helps reduce the breakdown of chlorine via the sun's UV rays. But more importantly, one side-effect of not having enough stabilizer is that it magnifies the corrosive effects of chlorine! For example, with little or no stabilizer, chlorine at normal levels (4-5 ppm) actually becomes a 30x STRONGER disinfectant AND oxidizer! Now guess where the corrosion comes from? Having said all this, my conclusion? Enjoy your SWG, but PLEASE watch your water! Having a SWG doesn't mean you don't have to watch your water, but in fact the opposite. I test my Cl and pH levels every 2 days, and test TA, CH, and CYA levels weekly. I know people who take their water to Leslie's for testing only every month or so!