Dive In: Three Luxe Pool Design Trends for 2024
April 25, 2024
A backyard pool can be a relaxing place to beat the heat, socialize with loved ones and get some valuable exercise. Whether you’re looking to update your existing pool or build new, here are some of the top backyard pool trends to look for in 2024 — and a key insurance consideration to take into account — when crafting the perfect backyard oasis:
Smart Pools
Want the convenience of cleaning your pool or checking its chemical levels at the press of a button, eliminating the need to hire maintenance staff for your primary home or summer property? With smart pool technology, you can achieve just that.
Smart pool accessories vary in function and price, from robotic pool cleaners that activate according to a pre-set schedule, ensuring your pool is always clean for a quick dip or spur-of-the-moment party, to robust automated systems that let you control lights, heaters, water features and more. These systems come with a wireless remote, control interface or app on your smartphone, making pool maintenance easier than ever.
Not only do these systems offer the utmost convenience and possible energy savings, but they can also help ensure the health and safety of your guests. If young swimmers are a significant concern, a new AI smart pool system is revolutionizing pool safety. CamerEye™ uses AI-camera technology combined with internal and external sirens to provide 24/7 video monitoring, providing timely alerts if a human or pet is in distress. The system also provides insights regarding pool health and usage, allowing you to stay on top of maintenance and repair needs. As AI-enabled home safety systems become more common, this is a powerful opportunity for homeowners to reduce their liability exposures.
Design in Three Dimensions
High-end elements can transform your pool from a flat body of water into a dynamic backyard centerpiece. With a mosaic tile bottom or wall feature, your pool can transcend time with sophisticated designs and one-of-a-kind art inspired by ancient artists. At the same time, reaching for new heights with a jumping water feature or sculptural slide can bring a sense of theatrical flair.
U.K.-based Splinterworks creates luxury slides that appear as timeless outdoor sculptures at first glance. These slides are available in various materials to suit your climate, style and surroundings. They also feature a proprietary cooling technology that keeps their surface slippery and safe to touch in hot weather. With a range of customizable surfaces available, commissioners can choose a sculptural slide that takes centerstage or highlights the natural splendor around them.
Elevate your outdoor adventures with a poolside climbing wall that advances your guest's athletic pursuits while boosting your backyard aesthetics. Poolside Adventures is the largest aquatic wall manufacturer in the country, with premium and customizable climbing wall options from their AquaClimbÒ Luxe brand. Choose between pool wall mounts that free up deck space or heighten the experience for young adventurers by incorporating their line of jumping platforms, zip lines or rope swings.
Transform Your Pool with Lighting
Do you often bemoan twilight on long summer days, wishing you could enjoy a few more hours of fun in the pool? You can keep the party going well after sunset with nighttime pool lighting.
Many pool owners are turning to energy-efficient LED lighting to create dynamic and visually exciting spaces, but it’s important to have a vision in mind. If you’re looking for a sophisticated retreat, backing poolside lounges and walkways with sculptural feature lighting can make you and your guests feel like you’re at a high-end spa. If you’re looking to create a high-energy display, try customizable lights integrated into water features, such as laminar jets, which can send streams of water arching over and into your pool, while bubbler jets can project a soft flow or cascading columns of water.
Not only do outdoor lights make night swimming more enjoyable, but they can also enhance the safety of your pool. Lighting pathways around your pool helps your guests avoid painful slips and falls that could result in hospital visits. At the same time, installing lights inside your pool can ensure all swimmers are visible. Additionally, if you want to line the perimeter of your pool with lights as a safety measure, make sure they’re not pointed directly at poolside seating areas, as it can impair your guest’s ability to see.
Swimming Pool Liability
While adding a swimming pool to your yard or enhancing your current one can help you make the most of your summer, it can also increase your liability risk. Insurance companies consider pools “attractive nuisances” due to their likelihood of attracting and potentially endangering others, like trampolines and other backyard amenities.
Before welcoming others into your pool, make sure you carry proper insurance coverages that address your enhanced risk. If a guest is injured in your pool and takes a trip to the emergency room, they could sue you to recoup the cost of their treatment. Without the proper coverage, you would have to pay those bills and any settlements or award amounts out of pocket, potentially harming your finances.
Homeowners policies typically provide $100,000 in liability coverage, but the Insurance Information Institute (III) recommends increasing those limits to anywhere between $300,000–$500,000 or even more, depending on your assets. At the same time, insurance experts recommend securing an umbrella policy to cover any potential gaps in your existing homeowners policy. The protection offered by umbrella insurance begins when your primary insurance is maxed out, so this policy is beneficial if you are found liable for costly damages beyond the limit of your homeowners insurance.
Contact your Gallagher Private Client advisor to understand how a pool will impact your risk profile and the coverages you need to insulate your assets against costly liability claims or litigation.