Spruce Up Your Patio Space with an Outdoor Fireplace

Outdoor Fireplace

As we approach the springtime, we are all very outdoor minded. You may be asking yourself now how you can spruce up your yard and your property this season to make time spent outside with family and friends more enjoyable. You might be considering cleaning up or even expanding your patio or adding new features to your yard. If so – and you want a more central outdoor gathering point – nothing beats a fireplace under the stars.An outdoor fireplace is something of a throwback to our ancestors telling stories by the fire beneath the night sky. The only difference is that you can do this now right in your backyard – a place of comfort and relaxation. Whether you have a classic fire pit or Mexican-inspired clay fireplace – a chiminea – an outdoor fireplace is an extremely wise investment. It serves as a natural gathering point for you and your guests and, weather permitting, it can be used year-round. Installing a fireplace is more affordable than you might think, and best of all they have very limited upkeep requirements.

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Small Space? No Problem! Custom Pools to Fit Any Yard

Is your backyard oddly shaped or so small that you never thought you could fulfill your dream of having your very own in-ground pool? Crites Custom Pools has actually worked with all kinds of spaces – very big and very small – and we can figure out a way to install your dream pool right in your backyard no matter how much space you have to work with.Get Inspired Pools don’t have to be a certain size to be enjoyed, but it can be hard to picture one that’s not as massive as the one at your gym or local school. Pools can come in all shapes and sizes, but if you’re lacking in the inspiration department, head over to Decoist to check out some cool small pool ideas and discuss what you have in mind with us. We can take any idea and help identify how feasible it may be and offer alternatives and suggestions to create a custom pool to fit your space.

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Preplanning for Your Pool: What to Do Before You Design

If you’re thinking about adding a pool to your property this year, you may think you’ve dotted all the I’s and crossed all the T’s, but more often than you might think, there are still some considerations that haven’t been made. Even the most meticulous planners are prone to forgetting a few things during the pre-design and installation process. Not to worry: the expert custom pool designers here at Crites Custom Pools have put together a pre-design checklist for you so that you can make sure that you’ve considered every aspect of adding a new pool to your property.Learn the LingoThe first step in the pool-design process is to figure out what you want, and that means you’ll need to add a few words to your vocabulary. Porch suggests that you learn about features like a Baja shelf (a flat, shallow area), beach entrance (a pool with no stairs, just a gradual decline from shallow to deep) bubblers (aka fountains), coping (stone masonry used at the edge of the pool) and more.

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Making a Splash: Trendy Pool Options for 2017

We have jumped into 2017, and it is time to start planning what style of pool you would like to jump into at your home this year. While it may not be pool season now, the cooler months are the perfect time to start planning ahead for the pool you want at your home this summer.Like fashion, cars and pop-culture, pools go through different trends. Let’s discuss 2017’s hot new trends for cooling down!Vanishing Edge PoolsThe vanishing edge pool has been on the rise for quite some time and is definitely still climbing in popularity. 2017 will most likely see a summer of vanishing edge pools. This style is clean and sleek, with water gently falling over the edge into a catch basin that gives the pool the illusion of merging with the horizon. Vanishing edge pools are commonly associated with resorts, but are an excellent addition for a home with a beautiful view, making every swim a surreal, dreamlike experience.

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Smart Pools: The Internet of Things and Your Pool

If you’re unfamiliar with the term “Internet of Things” and how it might relate to your pool, think of it this way: the Internet as we know it is a collection of connected devices and technologies that share information and knowledge to people all around the world. By contrast, the Internet of Things is the network that’s created when devices (the “things”) at your home (including devices that you can use in your pool) are connected to one another and the internet at large, opening a whole new world of capabilities.Are you ready to make your backyard pool a smart pool? Pools are no longer just bodies of water where we throw birthday parties and relax for the day. These days, according to Forbes, there are myriad companies offering pool services via internet-connected devices.

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Making a Splash: Water Feature Options for Your Home

Are you interested in trying to make your backyard stand out from all the rest? One of the most stunning ways to do it is by incorporating a water feature into the mix, and these days, there are many different options for you to choose from. Whether you want to devote a large portion of your property to a large or elaborate new water feature or you just want to add something small that will make a big splash, there are a number of different types of water features that will add value to your property and change the look of the exterior of your home.Water gardens have become very popular among homeowners who want to add ponds to their backyards. These small ponds are designed with just a few fish in them to provide a soothing water feature that is more intimate – perfect for homes where space is at a premium. Another popular option is to create more intricately designed ponds that feature a number of rocks, waterfalls and plant life in and around them, creating a more immersive and unique garden area where you can relax to the sound of flowing water amid the peaceful greenery.

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