By Jason Cramp
Cottage owners in the small lakeside community of Lac Saint-Joseph, Que., enjoyed the swimming pool at a luxury hotel they visited in Gatineau so much that they sought the builder to create a unique aquatic retreat of their own.
With the goal of adding a sophisticated aquatic feature to complement the view of their waterfront cabin, these cottage goers found Soucy Aquatik, the designer/builder of the hotel pool, and asked them to create an entertainment area their whole family could enjoy.
To do so, the company designed and installed a concrete, infinity-edge swimming pool as to avoid severing the property from its picturesque environment. This design scheme worked well for two key reasons. First, it created additional space for entertaining as the terrain facing the cottage comprised a steep slope, which drops straight down to the lake; and second, it worked to bring the lake closer to the cottage as the pool’s vanishing edge allows bathers to feel as though they are swimming in the lake.
The 12- x 5-m (40- x 16.5-ft) pool was designed with a gradual depth of 1- to 2.7-m (3- to 8-ft) and finished in black-epoxy paint and ceramic. Included in the deep end is a large step, which allows the family’s small children to easily enter/exit the pool. It also provides an area for bathers to lounge in the water and take in the beauty of the surrounding landscape.
In the winter, the aquatic feature can be converted into a classic, skimmer-style pool, and together with advanced heat pump technology, the family is able to swim year-round in heated water. Finally, an in-floor automated cover, which is stored under a concrete-covered stainless steel trap, makes it easy for the owners to maintain an energy-efficient swimming pool.
Soucy Aquatik worked with Candide Villeneuve Paysagiste, a Quebec-based landscaper, which installed the deck and landscaping around the pool to complement the mature trees, rocks and boulders surrounding the property.
