Under the hood
The ability to design the house, pool, and landscaping in unison has many benefits. Floor plans cannot only be tweaked to maximize functionality between interior and exterior areas, but also every feature can be thoroughly integrated, extending the home’s living space. Another great attribute is incorporating in tandem the sharing of some of the support systems of the house with the pool. The heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) units, potable water purification system, and the pool and hot tub circulation equipment were all located in designated mechanical rooms in the basement. Although these rooms appeared to have plenty of space in the project’s blueprints, much of it was exhausted with the extent of equipment that had to be installed on the floor and walls.
The automation system that was installed resembles something one might see in a commercial boiler room or submarine. It controls all of the pool and hot tub mechanisms, including the circulation equipment, heaters, and lights. The system can be controlled remotely using a mobile device such as a smartphone or tablet and offers the ability for service technicians to monitor the system off site. Three variable-speed pumps (VSPs) were installed, two on the pool and one on the hot tub. The automation system controls the pumps, as well as their speed, to minimize energy consumption while maintaining an adequate turnover rate to recirculate the water through the filtration system.
A cartridge filtration system, capable of filtering to the smallest micron, was installed not only for its debris holding capacity, but also because it does not require backwashing, which helps reduce water wastage. Pool and hot tub sanitation is controlled by two ozone and ultraviolet light (UV) systems. These units operate as the primary forms of sanitation to provide balanced water that is almost chemical free. Additional booster pumps were installed to raise the water level of the pool and hot tub to achieve the infinity edge overflow, as well as an additional two-speed pump to handle the massage jets in the hot tub. A dedicated natural gas-fired boiler with titanium heat exchangers was installed to heat both bodies of water. Also tied into this system is an in-floor radiant heating loop, which is embedded into the concrete deck surrounding the pool to provide the homeowners a warm surface to walk on.
Energy-efficient coloured light-emitting diode (LED) lights provide pool and hot tub illumination. These lighting systems were selected for their low-voltage requirement, long-life expectancy, and colour changing capability. Finally, as the homeowners are active members at a nearby aquatic facility, they intended on using their new pool for daily aquatic exercise. To accommodate their needs, two large swim jets powered by a dedicated four-horsepower pump with 152-mm (6-in.) plumbing were installed in the pool. These jets create a user-adjustable current for bathers to swim against, allowing them to swim on the spot instead of swimming the full length of the pool.
Having reached and exceeded the client’s expectations, the home and pool installation stands out as a unique and remarkable feat. A project of this magnitude can only come to fruition with the vision and talent of many skilled trade workers, contractors, engineers, architects, and designers. As a result, this project earned a gold award in the Pool & Hot Tub Council of Canada’s (PHTCC’s) 2017 Design & Construction Awards, a gold award in the 2017 Master Pools Guild Awards of Excellence, and a 2018 Award of Excellence from the Landscape Ontario Horticultural Trades Association. The project also received the Casey van Maris Award from Landscape Ontario, which is given to the project that is awarded the highest marks for execution of unique and innovative design in landscaping.
Micha
el Willis is an aquatic designer and partner at Roger Willis Contracting Ltd., an Ottawa-based pool builder specializing in unique, custom aquatic projects. He works in various fields—from project design to completion—and builds throughout eastern Ontario and the Caribbean. Willis is a member of the Master Pools Guild, Pool & Hot Tub Council of Canada (PHTCC), and Landscape Ontario Horticulture Trades Association. He can be reached via e-mail at michael@rogerwilliscontracting.com.
