About this time last year, Theresann and Shawn Morosko were finalizing arrangements for a big hole in the ground behind their Fallston home.
They lived through the fall looking at the big dig, through the winter looking at the big pit, and, throughout, looking at a yard that was hacked up.
"It was under construction all winter," said Theresann Morosko, who despite the chaos, kept envisioning a hot tub in the patio and a pool with a vanishing edge that would provide an unobstructed view out to a pond.
The reward for her patience and for controlling her curious dog came in May, when she first swam in her classic rectangular pool with the waterfall-like edge and relaxed in the bubbling hot tub. And she's been taking to the water most nice days since.
"I do a lot of swimming. My husband is a dipper," she said. "The pool was more for me and the kids," she added, referring to her grown-up son and daughter, who are frequent visitors.
The sticky days of summer have ended, but experts say this is the time to have them in mind if you're planning an in-ground pool for next spring. And with trends centering on complex pool designs and pool-focused outdoor settings, a head start is even more important.
Overflow edges, waterfalls, fountains, color-changing lights, add-on spas, efficient automated heating and cleaning systems and remote-control electronics are in demand, said Terry Brown, vice president of Buddy's Pool and Spas in Cockeysville and chairman-elect of the Association of Pool & Spa Professionals.
Buddy's built the Moroskos' pool, which has a vanishing edge that spills into a recycling system, colored lighting, an interior finish that gives the water a deep Caribbean tone, a separate brick hot tub and automatic, wireless controls for water flow, pool chemicals and lighting.
"The main trend that we've seen is that backyard swimming pools have become much, much more creative in their designs. They are at the highest level, treated as almost a sculptural art form," said Eric Herman, editor of WaterShapes, an industry magazine.
"A lot goes into the construction of a pool," said Bob Spero, vice president of Maryland Pools in Columbia. He ticked off planning a design, preparing the site, obtaining multiple permits, excavating, building the structure, and tying it together with electricity, plumbing, decorative elements, landscaping and so on. Most jurisdictions require that pools be enclosed by a fence for safety.
