Creating a solid backyard retreat: Rockwork slide landscapes designed to dazzle and thrill

by brittney_cutler_2 | March 4, 2022 9:00 am

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By Zayvian Camacho

Everyone knows slides make pools more fun. Lately, backyard trends have increased consumer expectations beyond traditional slides installed on the pool deck. Instead, clients want pools which not only incorporate slides but also offer multiple water and fire features, as well as colourful lighting, and climbing walls.

Designers want to seamlessly integrate slides with the pool’s stone coping, decking, and outdoor living decor. These resort-style pools have everything—beauty, fun, and soothing sounds.

Artificial rock component systems made of cast concrete allow builders and designers to easily integrate slides, grottos, climbing walls, and water features, to increase profits on every job while providing clients with pools that are the envy of their neighbourhoods.

Rockin’ slides

Combining cast concrete artificial rocks with slides is now much easier for pool professionals, thanks to new manufacturer offerings. Modular water feature kits—along with fibre reinforced panels—make it easy for builders to create structures around slides with a predetermined final look, and a predictable timeline and labour cost.

Building an artificial rock feature for a slide is easy. The rocks can be used to fill space behind, under, and around its structure. Plus, manufacturers now provide systems to create rock staircases for swimmers to get to the top. Incorporating a grotto or cave into the design, along with misters, fire, and lighting, can add mystery and magic, making the water feature even more exciting. Clients with children often also want long, fun slides like those at the waterpark, which will provide even more potential for rockwork. These rock and slide combinations provide a natural setting around the pool which is esthetically pleasing but also super fun for swimmers.

Artificial rocks are made of concrete and can be attached to steel structures. They are not made of foam. These steel-reinforced rocks are structurally sound but weigh about one-fifth less than real boulders. In fact, they are structurally superior and about half the cost of natural stone. Every artificial rock component is finished and ready for the builder to put the pieces together. The finished product provides a uniform look and ensures the water flows over the features attractively before making its way back into the pool.

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Solid quotes and timelines

As builders decide to start offering rock water features around slides, cast concrete artificial rock offers some very tangible benefits. Unlike working with real boulders, it does not involve a lot of labour-intensive, time-consuming work. Due to the unpredictable nature of using natural stone, many builders shy away from offering actual rockwork, because the scope of the project can quickly go beyond the original quote. All pool builders and renovators know the importance of being able to determine exactly how much time it will take to execute each element of a particular job—not only to provide an accurate quote on the project, but also for planning and scheduling purposes. This is where cast concrete artificial rock really shines. For example, when using cast concrete component systems, it is typical for a crew of four workers to arrange all the components for a slide in roughly half a day to a full day, depending on the size of the slide. Since the timelines for cast concrete artificial rock systems are predictable, labour costs are easily managed and builders remain profitable.

These artificial rock components are a great solution to put around a slide because their steel structure and simple bond wire meet most building codes. A concrete pad with a bond break at the pool shell can be easily sloped towards the pool. In the case of building caves and grottos around the slide, the builders just need to backfill these structures with concrete.

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When builders order the artificial rock kits, they come complete with all the parts. Each system is built by fitting parts together. Many builders like to place the water features while doing the concrete deck work, then add the first layer into the deck, so the water feature does not look like an afterthought. The best part of these component kits, from the builder’s perspective, is these water features have been designed to ensure proper water flow and proper weight distribution.

Prior to component systems, most builders were not interested in offering rockwork around slides. However, the trend towards adding water features with slides on pools can be embraced now that trained builders can add these artificial rock component systems into their repertoire.

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Guaranteed dazzle

Unlike natural stone, these component systems allow builders to show their customers the final product when they sell the job. Builders simply order the slides and the prefabricated artificial rock kits. It is also easy to order parts for waterfalls, caves, grottos, and climbing walls.

Additionally, many builders are now incorporating cast concrete artificial rock coping stones, which they integrate around the perimeter of the pool to tie in and match the overall look of the backyard.

Cast concrete artificial rock features are attractive to the eye and terrific to light up. Adding lighting ensures clients can enjoy their resort pools both day and night. Since the rocks are made of concrete, they are easy to drill into to place lights or fire bowls. It is also very simple to cut channels into their surfaces to embed long lighting strips which illuminate the rockwork. The objective is to hide the light source within the water feature around the slide, creating a glow as the sun sets. It is also important to light the staircases leading to the top of the slide. The electricity for lights and the gas lines for fire features are easy to run behind the concrete rocks. They can be hidden behind panels, which are then easy to remove for maintenance access. The lighting within artificial rock adds dazzle and warmth. When fire and light reflect off the surface of the water and are visible from inside the home, out on the patio, or even poolside, the client is sure to feel their backyard resort is complete.

Slides with water features are not just for new pools. They are also ideal for pool renovations.  Over the past two seasons, requests have more than doubled for complete renovations on existing pools. There are now more opportunities for selling resort-style water features than there have been in the past 20 years.

Rock building power

The beauty of these new component systems is they look like real rock because they are cast from real rock—with the same shape, character, and texture. They are extremely natural, and it is virtually impossible to tell the difference between real rock and the new cast rock.

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These new slide and rock water features allow builders to control the cost of their structures. Even if the consumer does not specifically ask for a rock water feature with their slide, builders should definitely add it to their proposal. This way, they can create home resorts for their clients while also increasing their profits on both new pools and renovations. Ultimately, builders should add the power of cast concrete artificial rock and make the most of the surge in demand for backyard resort pools this season.

Zayvian Camacho is part of the design and fabrication team at Rico Rock, developing new waterfalls and working on select construction projects. Camacho studies design and has overseen construction for dozens of unique cast concrete artificial rock projects in backyards, hotel resorts, bowling alleys, zoos, and more. He can be reached at zayvian@ricorock.com[6].

Source URL: https://www.poolspamarketing.com/trade/features/creating-a-solid-backyard-retreat/

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