By having your designs pre-built, we can install them quicker and for less money than if we built the whole thing from scratch.  You can combine fireplaces, wet bars,  grills, benches, tables, firepits … the options are endless.

These units really transform and inground vinyl liner pool into something great.

The great thing is that Harmony is located in WI so it has distributors like us (Penguin Pools) in Waukesha, New Berlin, Merton, Waterford, Brookfield, & Sussex.

If you have any questions or would like Penguin Pools to give you a free estimate, don’t hesitate to contact us directly.

Depending on the severity of your swimming pool and how many water and light features you have, will determine the size and cost of your automation system.  The more water features (fountains, waterfalls, spas, cascades, wet decks …) you have the larger the system you need with more relays.  While automating your entire swimming pool can be costly, there are ways to benefit from an automation system without getting ridiculous.

Penguin Pools generally puts a Pentair EasyTouch 4P automation system on each new build to help customers reduce utility costs.  By putting in an automation system you can control key components like when you want your pump and light to turn on / off , what temperature to set your pool at (provided you have a heater), or controlling your salt water system.  Manual timers work well to control your pump, that is until they fail and never turn the pump on (algae growth) or off (wasted energy).
By only running your pump enough to turn your water over 2-3 times day, you can save money rather than running your pump 24 hours a day . . . which people do.

When building a new inground swimming pool, Penguin Pools will actually charge more to run the electrical without an automation system (additional $400).  The Automation acts as an electrical sub-panel by the pool, if you don’t have the automation control panel then the electrician must create his own.  That equates to more wiring and hardware that the automation panel already provides, plus you get all the features of it.  The cost of the automation system installed is only $900, but you are saving $400 compared to not having it installed.
With the automation system installed, the electrician will bring a single 20 amp circuit to the panel and run everything off of that.  The EasyTouch, and all other automation systems, has knockouts for the breakers making the installation very easy.  The pump, heater (electric, gas, or solar), salt generator, lights (pool or outdoor), auto cleaners, water features . . .  get hooked up directly to the automation system.

When plumbing your equipment and pool, make sure you plan ahead to include everything you want automated.  By placing valves in the plumbing, you can control what water features get water and which don’t.  WHY?  Maybe you don’t want your spa, pool, waterfall, and fountains to run at the same time . . . maybe they are on different pumps.  The automation system can simplify the process of turning each feature on and off for you.
Adding valves that can accompany actuators, the automation system will actually open and close valves to turn on and off what features you want.  Penguin Pools always valves each water feature separately and will also design the pumps needed for each feature.

Basically it comes down to cost, convenience and ease of use.  Using an automation system on any pool will make life easier for you, your builder & electrician.  The minimal cost in the automation system is well worth the money, especially since you are spending a pretty penny to get the pool done.

If you really want to add convenience you can add a wireless remote control to operate your pool.  Now you can show off to your guests while sipping a drink next to you pool and never have to get up.  Little things like automation systems really jazzes up a pool, even if you don’t have separate water features.  Most pool owners like to have a pool they are proud of and not a plain water hole that looks naked.

People are more exercise and health conscience (or they want to be), plus they are looking to utilize every square inch of their home.  Older Swim Spas only allowed you to swim in place for exercise and rehabilitation.  As the hot tub market has expanded and grown, they have become more influential in the Swim Spa market.  Newer Swim Spas act and look like a large glorified spa.  You can use it to relax, party, or work out.  They come in different colors, shapes, sizes and can now have radios, tvs, or even fountains . . . a far cry from the old “box models”.

The most common and expensive seems to be provided by Endless Spas which has been around for years.  We (Penguin Pools) have installed many of these spas and they do a great job, however they don’t have any of the

bells and whistles that other swim spas on the market have.  They get built like a standard vinyl liner pool, except that they have the swim machine incorporated into it.  Not bad, but it costs just as much as a 16′ x 32′ rectangle swimming pool after installation.  With that being said, Penguin Pools is also able to add the custom features to an Endless Swim Spa that has made our inground swimming pools famous . . . LED Lights, Auto Covers, Fountains, WaterFalls, Auto Cleaners, Salt Generators, Automation Systems.
Endless Spas claims their units move more water and have a better sanitation system, but there are mixed reviews on that.

The newer “Jetted” Swim Spas are generally made from spa manufacturers and take what they know to a new level.  They move water through multiple nozzles to create resistance that you mush swim through.  The unit itself is a 1-piece fiberglass unit that sits inside an outside housing, usually made of wood or fake wood.  Theses units retail for $25,00 – $30,000 but are completely self contained.  They are pre-plumbed, run for electrical, and insulated; unlike the Endless Swim Spas where that is all extra for the installer.

One unit that I personally have installed in the past, is the H2X by MasterSpas.  The customers of this unit have claimed that is is everything they expected it to be, great as a hot tub and perfect for swimming in place.  These units are rather expensive from “traditional” spa dealers ($22,000), but Penguin Pools can get them for closer to $15,000.  That might seem like a lot, but a top of the line hot tub or spa can cost you upwards of $10,000.

Master Spas has even caught the eye of Allyson Felix, a Olympic Medalist and World Champion, who owns a Master Spa.

Allyson Felix

HydroWorx has gone in a little different direction and taken the best of both worlds.  They have created a high end system that gives you more than just a Swim Spa or a Hot Tub.  They have taken the Endless Spa system and made it more appealing and desirable like the H2X system.  These units are expensive and start out at $28,000 . . . not installed!
HdyroWorx has taken what they do to a new level be even adding an underwater treadmill.  Just like the Endless Spa, Penguin Pools can add Auto Covers, LED lights, Waterfalls, Fountains, Auto Cleaners, Automation Systems, Salt Water Sanitation . . . to these units.

These units have different options for installation, above ground, partial covered or inground (Endless Spa or HydroWorx type Swim Spas Only).  Penguin Pools will sell you just the unit or we can install it for you also.  The electrical connections will be done by a licensed electrician, although we recommend installing an automation system 9 times out of 10 to help reduce utility costs.  Adding custom features or concrete work will liven up your Swim Spa and not make it feel so naked and plain.

Please contact Penguin Pools for a free quote or free site evaluation for you new Swim Spa. 

• Easier to keep Clean
• Less Chemical Usage
• No Worries about a Ripped Liner
• Quicker Installation

By partnering with Viking Fiberglass Swimming Pools, Penguin Pools can now offer our customers top of line Fiberglass pools for less.  Just like all of our Vinyl Liner selections, Penguin Pools is also showing all of our Fiberglass Pool Pricing.

By displaying our prices right online, there is no confusion on pricing.  Many companies will not quote a price over the phone or in an email, because they price the pool based on what they think you can afford.  Penguin Pools takes a slightly different approach, we tell you what you are going to pay.  Most companies don’t like that we do that, as that dictates the price for them when customer “shop around”.  Regardless if you are in Milwaukee or Minneapolis, the price on the site is the price you are going to get.

Take for example ::an 18′ x 36′ Rectangle Vinyl Liner Pool, you know it starts out at $24,000
a 16′ x 32′ Grecian Vinyl Liner Pool, you know it is $23,000

a 12′ x 25′ FreePort Viking Pool, you know it starts at $27,825
a 15′ x 39′ Gulf Coast Viking Pool, starts at $34,275

For those of you who are interested in installing the pool yourself, Penguin Pools will also sell you just the pool and equipment.  While installing a fiberglass pool isn’t brain surgery, it also isn’t for the average person.  For those of you who are willing to take on a project of this scope, contact us and we will give you an exact price on just purchasing the equipment and fiberglass pool of your dreams.

Viking Fiberglass Swimming Pools also allow you to jazz up the appearance of the pool, by choosing different colors.  A plain white fiberglass pool can feel naked and plain, but Viking allows you to choose from a variety of colors making it truly unique.

Feel free to contact Penguin Pools for a price on a fiberglass pool or to have a free site inspection of your home & yard.

Vinyl liner pools are more economical and the technology has improved to the point that building a free form pool is no longer a problem.  Free Form pools take more time to build, but not much more than a standard pool.  Penguin Pools of Milwaukee & Minneapolis can build a “standard” vinyl liner inground pool in roughly 3 days.  In three days we will excavate the hole, build your pool, plumb it, set fixtures, and fill it with water.  The construction of a free form pool takes roughly 5 days as the excavation has to be very precise and takes twice as long.

Free Form Pool - Waterford, WI

When you consider the time that it takes between building a concrete (gunite) and a vinyl liner free from pool, the choice is simple.  Why spend the extra costs, upwards of $25,000 +, to build a concrete pool when you can do the same thing with a vinyl liner pool?  Many people have extreme ideas and wants when it comes to their pool and backyard oasis, but those can easily get squashed with they see the price tag.  Penguin Pools can build a vinyl liner free form pool for roughly $5,000 – $10,000 more than a standard pool.

No project is to big for us to build.  Seems like everyone says “No project to small, No project to Big”, however we mean it when we say it.   Penguin Pool’s engineers will construct your pool and build it to your specs, yet comply with local and national regulations.  Anything from a scribbled napkin design or a blueprint from a landscaper, our engineers will design it to your specifications.

Take for example that Olympic diving pool we built in our customer’s back yard.  It had to meet local ordinances, collegiate diving standards and federal regulations . . . all done as a vinyl liner pool.  To do this same pool in concrete would’ve cost the home owner an additional $72,000!

Diving Bobcat

Diving Bottom

Anything that you can envision, dream or fantasize can be done.  Penguin Pools can add anything you like or want to see in your backyard, because there is nothing that a great pool that looks naked in your backyard.  Swimming pools are made to be fun and look great, why not have both?

Contact us for a free estimate.

]]> http://www.penguinpool.com/blog/2009/02/01/free-form-swimming-pool/feed/ 0 http://www.penguinpool.com/blog/2009/01/31/lacrosse-wi/ http://www.penguinpool.com/blog/2009/01/31/lacrosse-wi/#comments Sun, 01 Feb 2009 01:39:35 +0000 admin http://www.penguinpool.com/blog/?p=39 Penguin Pools of Milwaukee & Minneapolis is opening a new retail location in Lacrosse, WI. The new store will handle above ground and inground pools along with spas and hot tubs.

The Lacrosse, WI location will be the third location for Penguin Pools (parent company Penguin Systems Unlimited) creating one of the strongest companies in the Midwest. Penguin Pools can handle any swimming pool installation or repair job in WI, MN, or Northern IL, Northern IA.

Penguin Pools specializes in Vinyl Liner, Concrete, 1-piece Viking and free form Armor Fiberglass swimming pools along with spas, custom water features, and designer concrete patios. With offices in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Lacrosse & Milwaukee, WI we have the manpower to service anyone in the Midwest.

Feel free to contact us directly at any of our stores.