So, what’s the latest craze for the pool and spa industry that’s recently begun to emerge, it’s the Cocktail Pool. Ok, I know you’re smiling or chuckling to yourself. Maybe you’re saying what are they going to come up with next. Nothing wrong with thinking like that at all. But the theme idea behind all these spas, hot tubs, swim spas, plunge pools, exercise pools etc… is the same. It’s creating an outlet or environment for relaxation and socialization regardless of what kind of name tag you hang on your unit, is that not correct?
How do you define or describe a Cocktail Pool?
Simple, it can look just like this. A small body of water you can lounge around in and enjoy a cocktail or two with friends.
The name is pretty much self-explanatory wouldn’t you think? But let’s take it a little further than the name. It’s more about the environment that is created with this unit. Oh sure, any vessel of water can be tagged, “cocktail pool”, if you look at it as a small body of water you go sit in and have a beer or glass of wine. Heck you could call a stock tank found on a farm a cocktail pool. But it was the idea that needed to be classed up a bit, so kudos to the guy or gal that coined the term “cocktail pool”. Truth be told, I kind of like this label!
Of all the water and water feature type amenities a DIYer could build in their back yard, a cocktail pool could probably be considered a feature with a lower expense amount. However, we all know that you can go crazy with frills and appointments. Not saying that one shouldn’t dress a cocktail pool, but the basic unit could certainly be done within many folk’s budget.
Because of the wide variance of climate conditions in the US for example, the construction of a “cocktail pool” will vary. Those of us in the Northern climates will likely have different ground conditions to deal with, along with a shorter period for our warm weather season. For that reason, we may be inclined to add some type of supplement heat to our cocktail pool to extend the period of time we would use this pool and make it more comfortable on some of those cooler nights.
Those of you in southern climates may not have to deal with heating the pools water or the amount to heat required may very low. Possibly one or two solar panels could provide all the supplemental heat you would require. Whether you are in the north or south installing a small inline electric heater would not be a large expense and certainly be one answer to any supplemental heat you may require for your cocktail pool. You need to install a circulation pump for filtration anyway so installing an inline heater would be very easy.
The books I provide for building hot tubs, swim spas, plunge pools etc… all start with a basic masonry water vessel. That water vessel could easily be set up as a multipurpose water amenity. This would give you the option of expanding the units purpose in the future as you have money to do so. Example: A simple cocktail pool could double as a plunge pool and be outfitted as a hot tub in the future. Putting in the plumbing lines to accommodate this change would not be a challenge and would not be expensive.
I would say to any of you reading this article that have an interest in the cocktail pool aspect as an amenity for your back yard, get my book collection and DVD, go over all the material then feel free to contact me with any questions you might have on doing your own project. I’m looking forward to talking to you and working with you real soon!
Gene Trumbull
Custom Built Spas
