Ultimate Swimming Pool Spa

With hurricane season quickly approaching, it’s time to start devising a game plan in the event of a devastating storm.

The obvious factors that should be considered are your health, food, clean drinking water, shelter, and a generator. Other factors that you’ll want to consider are your clean up efforts.

In this article, we’re going to focus on the clean up of your swimming pool.

If you’ve only been a resident of Southwest Florida for a short period of time, you may not be aware that the Atlantic Hurricane Season runs from June 1st through November 30th.

Those of us that have lived here or owned a home here for a number of years, can attest to the fact that even though we haven’t had any seriously devastating storms make landfall since 2005, Florida is always at risk! The following storms come to mind:

• Hurricane Donna (Category 4, 1960)
• Hurricane Andrew (Category 5, 1992)
• Hurricane Charley (Category 4, 2004)
• Hurricane Wilma (Category 3, 2005)

According to the National Hurricane Center: Andrew, Charley, and Wilma caused over 62.6 billion dollars in damage and are listed in the top 6 of the 30 costliest mainland United States tropical cyclones, from 1900 to 2010. Hurricane Donna caused 50 deaths!

So if you haven’t had to deal with the effects of a major hurricane (such as the ones listed above), consider yourself fortunate because our peninsula is almost surrounded by warm tropical waters…perfect for sustaining hurricane force winds.

Cleaning up your swimming pool

When it’s time to begin the post-hurricane clean up process, you may want to leave the swimming pool to us and here’s why:

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Have you seen today’s commercial swimming pools and spas at the local resorts? I mean, talk about AMAZING!!

Commercial swimming pools of 2013 are so elaborate and ornately designed in order to captivate the senses of each guest or resident, depending on the building (e.g. resort or condo).

It’s no secret that resorts in Florida do their absolute best to provide wonderful accommodations with the intention of retaining each guest so that there’s no need to wander off site.

Resorts not only spend an inordinate amount of money on pool & spa renovations, but also:

• Landscaping
• Food and beverage
• Pool-side lounge chairs, tables, and privacy tents
• Pool-side entertainment including:
  • DJ’s
  • Karaoke stations
  • Live music entertainers
  • Games for families
• Slides, waterfalls, and water features
• Lazy-rivers

Not all commercial pools belong to resorts

It goes without saying that not all commercial pools here in Southwest Florida belong to resorts.

There are plenty of condominium complexes that are also renovating their pools in order to attract more residents.

The point that I’m trying to make is that if you’re not keeping your pool, spa, and other amenities up to par with the competition, don’t be surprised if your target market takes their business elsewhere.

And don’t fall into the trap of believing “Well, those kinds of pools and amenities are mainly found in the big cities and resort towns of Orlando, Miami, and Tampa.”

That’s just ridiculous because if you’ve visited some of the local resorts and condos on Sanibel, Captiva, Naples, and Fort Myers Beach, you’d see that all of the elements that I described above are already here!

The question is, are you taking advantage of all the modern advancements in outdoor entertainment to keep up with the Joneses?

If you own or manage a commercial swimming pool & spa here in Southwest Florida, ask yourself these questions:

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Don’t you hate having red, irritated eyes after swimming in your salt water pool?

After all, salt-water pools are touted as being the superior choice for bather comfort! So why are your eyes so sore then? More on that in a moment.

How about seeing that nasty calcium scale build up that runs along your water line? While it’s appearance is not exactly a crowd pleaser, the more important issue is that calcium buildup can not only clog your pool filter…but it can also weaken the sanitizer’s performance.

How to Prevent Bloodshot Eyes from Pool Water

When you enter your pool or when you have friends over for a pool party, you want your pool looking and performing optimally, don’t you? What fun is a pool if you have to get out quickly from sore, bloodshot eyes?

If only there was a way that you could control the pH of your pool to be perfect at all times without always having to remember to monitor the pH level.

Good news! There is an automated solution to each of the problems described above that you may not be aware of.

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Looking out your back window at your old pool…how’s that working out for you? Does it make you happy any more?

Do you remember days when you used to have:

• Kids jumping in and out of the pool
• Children’s birthday parties
• Happy guests
• Lots of smiling faces
• Fun in your backyard

Now the kids are older and have moved on, perhaps old friends have moved away, and you’re left looking out the back window at memories of what used to be.

How would you like to remodel your pool?

It’s amazing what a newly updated swimming pool can do for your spirits. Just think of seeing the look on your grandchild’s face when she returns to your house to see your newly renovated pool!

When your family and friends are used to seeing the photo above and then they come to visit you and see this:

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Have you checked the chemicals in your pool lately?

Did you know that if the chemicals that balance your pool are out of out of balance – it can harm your pool, its equipment, and your family?

Because the water in your pool is never ‘technically’ replaced, owning a pool means you have a continual battle to keep it in balance.

A balanced pool has proper levels of pH, Total Alkalinity and Calcium Hardness.

It’s really important to understand that pH is the measure of how acidic or alkaline the water is.  (Just so you know, pH is a logarithmic scale that starts at 0 and ends at 14 – with 7 being neutral.)

Like the human eye (which typically has a pH of 7.35 – which is slightly alkaline), you want your pool water to have a similar rating.

Easy to remember, right?

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I’m often amazed at the number of customers and acquaintances (who I’ve known for years) who say to me “Oh, I didn’t realize that you do pavers too, Joe. Had I known, I would’ve had you pave my pool deck!”

When I hear things like this, I shake my head a little and say to myself “How can I possibly get the word out any louder and clearer that I am here to help you?”

Don’t get me wrong, pool cleaning & maintenance makes up a large portion of our business and I am so thankful for the trust that you put in my company to do what’s right, even when you’re not home to monitor us.

But what I REALLY love to do is to…

Create & Restore Swimming Pools and Backyard Environments

I love it when someone comes to me and says “Joe, I have a pool in my backyard that’s been around for 15 years. The pump is bad, I think there’s a leak in it, and the whole thing just looks drab. What can we do to give it some life?”

Or someone else will say “Joe, I’m building a new house on the Caloosahatchee and I want an entertainment area in my backyard so that my family and I can take advantage of the gorgeous weather here in Southwest Florida.”

When people come to me knowing that they want something different to liven up their homes (whether they have a clear vision or not), I love having the opportunity to help them become more comfortable in their own homes.

It brings me much joy knowing that I’m helping to build a backyard setting where

• Families can eat & spend time together at their outdoor kitchen
• Friends can meet and enjoy each others company while gathered around the fire pit
• Children can enjoy a fantastic pool party with their friends for their birthday
• Lovers can enjoy each others company in their own little slice of heaven

That is what gets me out of bed in the morning!

I also love to educate people on the possibilities of what they’re backyard can become. That’s why I put together the eBook shown above as well as the others in my eBook library. And the best part is that they’re all free!

Over the last few months, I’ve given you free tips on revitalizing your outdoor living area and here they are:

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This is the twelfth of 12 Ways to Revitalize Your Outdoor Living Area which can also be downloaded from our free eBook library.

If you have taken all of the suggestions we’ve given you recently, then you are probably already having an amazing experience in your outdoor space! Here is one last suggestion to give it an extra special touch when you are not using your pool.

If you are having a party or a special occasion where you don’t intend for anyone to swim, consider “decorating” your swimming pool with floating objects.

Candles make a stunning appearance in a nighttime pool. You can buy floating candles at department and craft stores. They are designed to be wide and flat which allows them to float along the surface of the water. Never leave candles unattended in any circumstances.

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This is the eleventh of 12 Ways to Revitalize Your Outdoor Living Area which can also be downloaded from our free eBook library.

When you think of a Florida homeowner’s pool, you probably picture it within a screen enclosure. On the other hand, at upscale resorts, spas, and hotels, you will usually find unscreened pools.

There really is no right answer to whether you should have a screened enclosure around your pool. It is really about what works best for you. Below are several points to consider when deciding whether to screen, or not to screen.

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This is the tenth of 12 Ways to Revitalize Your Outdoor Living Area which can also be downloaded from our free eBook library.

The phrase dining “al fresco” comes from the Italian language and literally translates to “at a fresh temperature” — which is a fitting expression for those of us who love to eat outside.

If you are a fan of al fresco dining, then you probably enjoy charming picnics, quaint European cafes, and sunny family barbecues. Imagine expanding your dining space to your pool area. Every night will be an opportunity to eat under the stars.

What could you cook in your outdoor kitchen? In Florida, you could cook ribs, steaks, corn on the cob, chicken, shrimp, bratwurst…pretty much everything YEAR ROUND! Whether your grill is freestanding or an elaborate built-in unit, you are only limited by your imagination when it comes to outdoor menus.

More ambitious cooks and fans of outdoor dining may opt for extra luxuries like an outdoor refrigerator for keeping drinks and sides cool. Wine lovers may add in a professional wine chiller. A built-in sink is extra handy for clean-up.

What else would you add to your outdoor kitchen?

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This is the ninth of 12 Ways to Revitalize Your Outdoor Living Area which can also be downloaded from our free eBook library.

One of the most overlooked, but very important features is the lighting system. Your swimming pool’s lights make the entire area exceptional to view at night.

What type of lighting should you choose? LED or fiber optic lights?

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