A wonderful beachfront home where Delaware Bay meets the Atlantic Ocean is beautiful, but an all-season, open-air swimming pool presents its challenges The very energy-efficiency-minded owner who is a summer resident of Cape May, New Jersey had his mind set on installing a pool for his family’s enjoyment.
Some believed this kind of project was impossible. At the very least it presented interesting challenges. New Jersey’s moderate northern climate and short swimming season were big considerations. There are legendary stories about how difficult cleaning and maintenance of beachfront swimming pools can be. Beach sand creeps into every crevice in areas that are not well-enclosed.
A beachfront location also leaves the pool open to harsh weather and the unpredictable elements. Dennis began looking for a way to enclose his dream swimming pool and that’s when he found Libart. Ten months later, he was the proud owner of a retractable pool enclosure, that he’s renamed “the pool dome.”
The pool is heated by an underground geothermal system that Dennis can control from his phone. Waterfalls flowing into the pool are kept between 95-100 °F and that also keeps the inside air temperature between 85-90 °F year-round. Just by heating the water Dennis has created a 365 days a year tropical climate within the enclosure, with living citrus and palm trees. His family now enjoys swimming at their Cape May home all year long, including during fall and winter holidays. They’ve even hosted a pool party for a neighbor’s birthday in January!
Libart structures are completely retractable and easily moved. One person can open and close the entire structure by sliding it along its tracks from one side of the structure. This allows the family to open their pool dome for open-air swimming and sun bathing during the summer months. When the dome is closed, they can enjoy the sunshine with complete protection from UV rays and cold ocean wind, so they prefer to keep it closed most of the time. The retractable pool dome is tough enough to endure a wide range of coastal weather conditions. Among the challenges were 100 mph winds, zero-degree temperatures and even two feet of snow! Harsh temperatures don’t interrupt the family’s swim season.
Dennis needed a solution for a seashore pool and Libart specializes in that type of a challenge. Creating a project design that met Dennis’ goals: 1) enclosing his pool from the elements plus beach sand/wind and 2) giving his family more pool time year-round could be done with Libart’s design expertise, engineering and products. Dennis and his family are pleased with their enclosed tropical paradise. He is no longer wasting time on opening and closing the pool for the summer season and cleaning the sand from the bottom of the pool. Time saved can be spent focusing on other things – like how to respond to his growing popularity among neighbors and friends who also love to swim year-round.