Viking Pools on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition

Tune in Sunday October 5 at 8/7c on ABC to see the 13th Viking Pool featured on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.

In July we installed a Monterey model Viking pool in West Chester Ohio (Near Cincinnati) for the hit reality make over show Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. The Akers family has two children with spinal muscular atrophy and are confined to their beds. When the show's producers approached me about a pool for this very deserving family, I knew we wanted to take this one to the extremes.

The 14'x28' Monterey model pool had our new Pacific Blue finish with extra glitter (which the design producers referred to as "pool bling"), BX44 perimeter tile, inlayed tile on the steps and seats, two cascades in the back wall, and two exercise bars.

We also had the opportunity to join forces with outdoor living companies from our Extended Living Space Program to help make the backyard ultra special. I was able to coordinate the donation and delivery of outdoor furniture from Telescope Casual Furniture and an outdoor fire pit from California Outdoor Concepts. I also secured an automatic safety cover from Coverstar, two exercise systems from In The Swim, a handrail from SR Smith, a handicap lift from Aqua Creek Products, LED lighting from Fiberstars, a pump, filter, salt system, and deck jets from Jandy.

We were fortunate enough to have two dealers nearby handle the pool installation - Superior Pools from Liberty Township Ohio and Concrete Services from Toronto Ohio.

As soon as the show airs we will have pictures and product spotlights on our website.

Viking Pools introduces Extended Living Space Program

As our society continues to change, it is becoming apparent that homeowners want their backyards to become an extension of their homes where they can relax and spend quality time with their family and friends. Viking Pools, the industry’s leading manufacturer of one-piece swimming pools, has launched an Extended Living Space Program to give their dealers the opportunity to provide customers with the products necessary to transform their backyards from ordinary to extraordinary.

This strategic alliance has brought industry leading manufacturers of outdoor living products together and available through dealers of Viking Pools, Composite Pools, and Crystal Palace Pools. Current partners include Telescope Casual Furniture, Gothicstone, Palapa Pros, Solar Sun Rings, Palm Tree Islands, Shade Central, California Outdoor Concepts, Xtremely Tropical, Pantel, Jandy, Fiberstars, and In The Swim.

Additional companies will be added to the Extended Living Space Program over the next few months. For more information about the program visit http://www.extendedlivingspaceprogram.com/ or call (800) 854-7665.

Project Spotlight - Lakeshore 8

This spectacular pool was designed and installed by John Dunn of Splashs, Inc. in Mountain Home Arkansas. This 16’ x 33’ Lake Shore model pool features a vanishing edge the entire length of the pool. I asked John if he there were any obstacles he had to overcome with this magnificent project. “The most difficult challenge was the height at which we had to construct the pool base, in order to attain the visual of pool and river below, as one”, said Dunn.

Cultured stone was used to construct the wall and the concrete finish is a seamless roman slate stamp that was scored twenty-six inches on center for the tile pattern. An eggshell base with stone grey highlights and black grout was used to create the stylish deck around the pool, and it was finished off with a high solid/high gloss skid-resistant sealer.

Six colored LED Hayward lights were used to illuminate the pool and rope lighting was installed around the perimeter of the catch basin to accentuate the luxurious waterfall. Dunn chose a Pentair Intelliflo Variable Speed Pump, which allows the homeowner to select the waterfall flow.

Overall, this project receives ‘all thumbs up’ from the folks at Viking Pools. We will definitely be featuring this pool in magazine ads, product literature, and on our website. Way to go Splashs – keep up the good work. Click on the pics to zoom in to see the fine details of this project.

Matt Roloff Press Conference - Atlantic City Pool & Spa Show

In January 2008, Viking Pools invited Matt Roloff from Little People Big World to speak at a press conference at the Atlantic City Pool & Spa Show. Matt talked about the pool installation and some of the behind-the-scenes moments. A Gulf Coast model Viking Pool was installed last summer at the Roloff farm in Oregon.

Check out our You Tube channel to see the 4 part press conference. I've also included some pictures from the press conference.

Matt Roloff speaking to group of Viking dealers and press.

Matt in front of Viking Pools' booth at the Atlantic City Pool & Spa Show - Jan 08

Matt with Viking Pools founder Alan Stahl and President Todd Stahl.

Princess Decks & Planters In-style

I am receiving more photos lately with one thing in common - princess decks and planters. This is becoming a popular trend in poolscapes across the country. Our newest model, the Fiji, has a built-in raised beam that makes creating a princess deck easy; however, many of our dealers are creating these multi-level spaces with the use of concrete, stone, and brick. I personally think this adds a three-dimensional appearance to the backyard and gives it a very polished, sophisticated look.

Here are some pictures of the princess decks and planters that I like best. Click on picture to enlarge. Let me know what you think.

2008 Viking Pools Annual Leadership Conference

Each year Viking Pools invites top dealers from across the country to attend our annual Leadership Conference to learn about new innovations and share feedback with other dealers. Past trips have been at the Atlantis in the Bahamas, Acapulco, Los Cabos, and Aruba. This year marks the 7th Annual Leadership Conference and it is being held in Cancun, Mexico December 7-11.

We'll have a good mix of dealers and vendors, which will make the trip exciting. We've introduced so many new things this year, like aromatherapy and the Fiji, that we'll have lots to talk about.

The trip starts off Sunday night with a Welcome Reception & Dinner by the pool. This is a great platform for the dealers to meet each other and the key personnel at Viking. Monday is activity day for the group (this is the day I firm up all of the details for the rest of the trip). On Tuesday we have a Dealer Meeting; this is where the dealers learn about 2009 initiatives and get to talk about issues/successes they're having. On Wednesday we have a Vendor Meeting in the morning where the dealers get to talk to our suppliers like Jandy and Fiberstars. Later that evening we have an Awards Reception & Dinner which is really nice. Each dealer receives an award and every dealer hopes to walk away the the prestigious Dealer of the Year Award.

I've included some pictures from previous trips for your enjoyment.

Viking Pools on Flickr

We have compiled our pictures and made them available on Flickr. You can search for pool pictures by shape and style to gain inspiration for your own backyard. We've also included our pictures from Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Little People Big World, and Camp Heartland.

We'll be adding pictures on a regular basis so be sure to check back on a regular basis. I'd like to encourage our dealers to add comments to pictures of the jobs they have installed to let everyone know the materials used.

Please feel free to add your comments and if you have your own Viking pool pictures that you'd like for us to add, email them to marketing@vikingpools.net.