With summer in full swing, Community Impact interviewed Karl Steinbacher, the remodel manager for Sunrise Pool Renovations, on what safety features he recommends homeowners keep around backyard pools, especially as he said he notices pools continue to pop up at homes around the Houston area.
The following interview has been edited for length and clarity.
In terms of safety, have you seen an increasingly widespread trend with customers wanting to add a certain feature?
When it comes to safety … that’s something that people have a tendency to put on the back burner just because they don’t necessarily think of it. We’re very safety-oriented people, so we do make recommendations, especially if young children are going to be around the pool, etc.
My theory on pool safety is that denied access is by far and away the best remedy. So, some type of pool fencing is the best way to go when it comes to securing the swim area.
You mentioned pool fencing. Are there other recommendations you like to make when homeowners have pools and young kids?
One thing I always find interesting is that homeowners won’t hesitate to spend a couple of $100 on a nice float for the pool, but they won’t spend a couple of $100 on safety items—like what we call a ring buoy, which has a rope attached to it [so] that if someone is in the pool struggling, you can throw them a ring buoy and allow them to catch them on to it; or like a fixed pole with a shepherd’s hook. … It’s things like that that we find is the easiest to recommend, the most cost efficient as far as expense, but I think every pool should have either one or both of those items.
Is a pool cover a feature you recommend for safety reasons?
People do put covers on. The reason I’m not a huge cover guy is because they’re not easy to [put on] and put back. What happens is that the homeowners do it a couple of times and then it ends up rolled up in the corner and it doesn’t get used anymore. … The homeowners get frustrated with it, it’s a pain or they forget, they swim late one night and they forget to put it back on, so that’s why denied access is my number one way to protect yourself.
What would be a good alternative for a pool cover if someone is focused on safety?
They make a pool mesh that comes in three-foot panels that they can can configure so that you can secure the pool off and not kill your backyard or kill your patio because it’s easy to put it around the perimeter of the pool or it’s easy to take in and take out if you’re having the adult party. … I’m not against or opposed to covers. I just don’t think that should be your number one way securing your pool.
Do you notice more pools popping up in backyards year after year in the Houston area?
Houston has always been a good pool market. I would venture to say that probably somewhere in that 30%-50% of the homes in this town probably have some type of water device in the back, whether it be a spa or a pool. … You do the Google Maps thing or Google Earth and look down you’re like, “Wow … here’s a subdivision, here’s all the pools.” It’s pretty commonplace in this town for sure.
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