Cherry Hill Pool & Spa Buyer's Guide

Regardless of which pool you choose, gunite, liner or fiberglass, there are a myriad of ways to customize your pool to reflect your personality and style. This post will explain the choices you have if you choose a fiberglass pool by Cherry Hill Pool & Spa:

1. The Shape: Your choices are:
**KIDNEY: Simple, classic and timeless.
**RECTANGLE: Perfect if you are going to add an automatic cover.
**ROMAN: This models offers built in seating at either one or both ends.
**FREEFORM: This has become the model of choice in the last 5 years. These pools offer a great deal of built-in seating and add a more casual, fun feel to your backyard.

2. The Color: Back in the day, fiberglass pools were thought of as bathtubs in backyards. This was due to the white interior and basic boring look of the pool. Today, that has changed. The fiberglass pools we offer are available in white or baby blue OR sparkly gel-coat finishes. In 2009, Viking began offering custom color making, enabling the client to create a custom color for their pool creating a truly unique, one-of-a kind pool. Click here for colors available in 2011:

So now you’ve chosen your shape and color. Now let’s talk about the inside of your pool.

3. Waterline Tile: When choosing a tile, be sure the tile has been treated so that it can handle the freeze/thaw cycle. If you go with a freeform pool, you shouldn’t choose a tile wider than 3″ as larger tiles will require cutting. But with that said, there are literally hundreds of tiles out there to choose from. National Pool Tile Group has a great selection but not all tiles are rated for the Northeast. The cost of waterline tile typically starts $2,700.

4. Lighting: LED lighting offers ambiance and glow to your pool. There is something very special about looking at your backyard at night with a soft glow emanating from your pool. The cost to add LED lighting to your pool is $1895.

5. Mosaics: Artistry in Mosaics has developed a myriad of scenes and items that can be embedded into your pool. This is done at the factory so it is not something that can be done after the fact. Cost can range from $50 for a seashell to $6,000 and more for a team medallion, underwater reef scene with fish, shells and coral to whatever you can imagine.

6. Cascades: A simple way to add the soothing sounds of trickling water to your pool. Available in 18″, 24″, 36″ and 48″ lengths. Cost: $850 and up.

You’ve picked your pool and customized it. Now what? Now to the things that are important that YOU DON’T see.

7. Sanitizing your pool. This can be done either with Chlorine or with a salt chlorine generator. Remember swimming in a pool when you were a kid and your eyes got all red and your black swim suit become brown? This was caused by all the chlorine in your pool. Today, almost all pool companies offer their clients a Salt Chlorine Generator. In a nutshell, you add good ole Morton Salt to your pool, a chemical reaction takes place, and you end up with FREE chlorine. Not only is this very cost-effective, but you don’t have any of the harsh side-effects of traditional chlorine. This blog has a great deal of information on the subject. The cost for a salt generator is $1900.

8. Cleaning your Pool: Perhaps the single greatest invention in pools is the in-floor cleaning system. Imagine a sprinkler system on the floor of your pool. Heads pop up, spray water along the floor, push the debris to the main drain, where it gets sucked into the filter during the normal operation of the pool. Quite simply a MUST for any busy family today. Cost: $5,300 and up, BUT WORTH EVERY PENNY!

9. Heating your pool: There is great deal of debate on whether to choose a fueled heater or electric heat pump. It has been the experience of Cherry Hill that fueled heaters work better in New England. There is an additional cost up front if you don’t have natural gas or propane already and need to add that service to your home, however, in the long run, fueled heaters warm the pool faster and are most cost effective. However, there are exceptions to this rule. If you are only going to use your pool during the warmest of summer months, then an electric heat pump will work fine to take the chill off  after a summer rain. BUT THEY WILL NOT WARM YOUR POOL IN THE SHOULDER SEASON. Plus, they are NOISY! Cost of a fuel fired heater: $3,800 and up; Cost of a heat pump: $4,600 and up. Both required professional installation.

Your fiberglass pool is made to last a lifetime. In the process of choosing your options, take your time, talk with an experienced sales representative and together you can design and create the pool of your dreams!