I have the great opportunity every day to meet with parents working hard to keep their pool safe for their children. I’ve been to thousands of homes over my career and love how every home is a new experience. Every yard has its own unique design and challenges. More importantly every family is unique with their own history and future to share. We talk about different sports our kids play, different pets we may have, different hobbies and interests. With all our differences we can find so many more things in common.
We love our children, we want to keep them safe and we want to create a fun environment in the yard for them. These common goals and desires allow us to work together to find the best ways to protect our families in a fun environment. I like to ask questions about how they use the yard, where the kids play and what they like to do. These questions help us decide which product and layout works best to enjoy the yard. With a simple flat pool an automatic pool cover may preserve more play space. With a large pool with a raised spa or waterfall a mesh safety fence can preserve the view and sound of a water feature’s calming sound.
Often times I need to remind families that the pool fence is not just to block the house from the pool. The pool is just one fun part of the yard. We try to design a pool fence that leaves yard space open to play outside the pool area as opposed to just cutting off the pool and yard from the back door of the house. Other times this means an automatic pool cover which maintains the unobstructed beautiful view they enjoy from their deck. We don’t want the safety product to impede enjoyment of the yard.
My favorite projects are not the typical magazine pictures. I love when a removable mesh fence allows kids to still play tag, soccer or ride bikes just feet from a pool while still protected. I like seeing kids playing catch with a football over the cover because I know they are still enjoying the whole yard without the concern for the pool. Growing up I remember visiting my cousins every winter having fun in the yard and not realizing they had a pool until we visited in the summer and they opened their automatic pool cover. I watched my own kids run around the yard having fun, as a ball occasionally bounced off the removable mesh fence with no concern for pool danger.
Pool barriers are about protecting our kids while we have fun in the yard. I would hate to see a child staring out a back window at a yard they can’t play in because a fence cut off the whole yard. I want them to run around that yard having fun with a protected pool. I want families to enjoy the view of the mountains or beach in the distance while an automatic pool cover keeps their children safe. I want to sit around the fire pit listening to the sound of a great water feature while a removable mesh fence keeps the pool safe. I want us all to safely love our yards.
