By Erick Oeseburg, Poolworks International Ltd.
September 27 2026 | Tech
Erick’s weekly column on Your environment, Your Outdoor Project, Pools, Spas, Ponds Backyard entertainment…and our impact onto our Island’s environment.
Harmony
The morning started with a good coffee and a chat about how would we make this project more efficient and yet draw subtle attention to the sound that could drown out the noise from the crashing surf from across the bay. The sound of water trickling down a intricately hand laid stacked stone was one of the carefully designed features of this delicate pool. This new home that Wayne was building received every bit of attention like any project should, he was after all an Architect, and owner. Having worked with Wayne for almost a decade he exuded the easy going, yet clear visions of his creations, together we would fill in the blanks and incorporate his desires with our expertise to create a small but ever so delicately precisely designed swimming pool. Sure the setting is magnificent, the details in the house, with its cantilevered corners and hill side appeal would all add to the serene setting of the pool.
Just at the entry way, disguised as a simple rectilinear black slate pool hid the myriad of amenities beneath its surface. Simple but highly efficiency technology was exquisitely combined to create both an aesthetic center piece as well as a joy for the swimmers, visiting guests and the active outdoors person. On the ocean side pool wall it includes a powerful stainless steel swim machine, that provides enough force for an olympic swimmer to get his daily fix of fresh water swimming. An unassuming piece of technology that was acquired from a small european custom foundry, that by it self was partly run on recycled materials. While swimmers were exercising they would be able to plug into the home music system and listen to their tunes via underwater speakers.
Once done with all the aquatic activities, as the sunset could be seen, the symphony of sounds was enlightened with water slowly meandering down the black stacked stones which local craftsmen carefully laid these gorgeous stones that were found in the outskirts of a balinese village. While later in the evening the sounds of music may surround you from the home’s spacial music system, the lights may be dimmed across the deck and the fiber-optic pool lights give us a four color option to go with the mood of the moment.
The Ipe wood coping surrounding the pool beautifully disguises the source of this light allowing it to mysteriously glow.
With the use of simple and available technology we did not waste any energy, the water feature was driven by the same pump as provided the filtration and circulation for the pool. To ensure that the water was crystal clear at all times, we used Diatomaceous Earth filtration and the newest self monitoring Salt chlorine generation system.
The plumbing system we designed for this pool was perhaps elaborate with several carefully positioned stainless steel return jets and a nearly undetectable skimmer, however this set up allows us to run the pool pump just a few hours a day, saving a lot of electricity in the process. Most of the pool functions are controlled by an iPhone as easily as a touch pad which matches the entire house’s decor.
We have all come to love the soft feel of pool water that is sanitized with the minimal amount of chlorine that is produced from regular salt, and this pool is no exception, even after a solid hour of counter current jet swimming there is no red-eye insight, and what’s more the great filtration will allow you to spot let say a lost ear-ring on the bottom of the pool even-tough it is tiled in a discerning black natural slate finish. Now I guess the only thing clearer is the view across from the house across the bay…..
