Vinyl-liner pools have come a long way from the
old-style rectangle ‘package
pool’ with a white drop-in step
at the end. There are now pool builders
pushing the envelope of what can be
achieved with a vinyl-liner pool. Two
such industry trend-setters are Ian Battle
and his wife Danielle, owners of Pool
Works in North Carolina who believe in
creating unique pools that are practical
yet stunning in their design. Recently, the
couple modified their own pool to meet
their family’s needs while also creating a
dreamy outdoor living space.
When the couple purchased their
home, it came with a traditional lagoon-shaped
vinyl-liner pool. Looking at it
critically from the perspective of pool
professionals, they added benches and
tanning ledges to the pool to make it
more accommodating. But because this
couple strongly believes in investing in
family time together, they realized they
wanted to do more to the pool so the
entire family could enjoy the backyard
together as well as entertain their
friends and their kids’ friends. That led
to building a separate basketball sports
pool that is connected to their existing
pool with a lazy-river channel. They also
added several other features to meet the
needs of every member of the family.
And most amazing of all, both pools and
the channel were lined with a single vinyl
liner.
DEVELOPING THE DREAM
The idea for this three-part, one-piece,
vinyl-liner pool all began one evening
when the couple sat relaxing in the
backyard and taking stock of its layout
and features. Danielle said to Ian, “I
thought you said you were going to do
something extra cool with this pool.”
It was true. When the family moved
in, they added some upgrades, but the
size and shape of the pool didn’t change
much. “My competitor had built the pool
so I knew I couldn’t leave it exactly the
same,” says Ian. “But that initial change
of the pool interior made us really fall in
love with the idea of pushing the vinyl
envelope with pool construction. In fact,
we coined the term ‘gunite replica’ to
describe the type of vinyl-liner pools we
build and renovate because we want
to show that vinyl-liner pools can be
very upscale pools.” (Pool Works builds
fiberglass and gunite pools, but Ian has
come to truly appreciate the versatility
of vinyl.)
FROM DREAM TO REALITY
This pool-building couple started by
discussing how they use the pool —
much the same way they start the pool
design conversation with prospective
clients. “We immediately imagined a
pool with a basketball court. We had one
basketball hoop on the pool, and I hated
it when the kids would be playing on the
hoop, and I would be lounging on the
tanning ledge, and a basketball would hit
me in the head,” explains Danielle. The
couple decided they wanted a separate
pool where the kids could play and
adults could be near them without being
splashed. “I love being out there with
the kids, and I’m so glad they are out
there enjoying the pool, but I was done
with being hit by that basketball,” says
Danielle.
The couple also loves throwing big
backyard parties — often with 300-plus
people. These gatherings are not only
for socializing with the community but
also are a part of the CPC Pool Works
marketing plan. “We go all out because
we want to be sure that everyone that
comes to the party knows I’m a pool guy
and if they want a pool, they should call
us,” says Ian. “We have sponsors with
specialty cocktails and all-you-can-eat
food, music and bouncy houses. The
community loves it, we love it, and it
ensures anyone looking for a pool will
call us first. And of course, we want folks
to see that we can make their backyard
dreams a reality.”
THE DESIGN & LINER PATTERN
After talking through what they wanted
to do, Ian and his crew jumped into the
project. “We didn’t even draw it out,”
says Ian. “We just came in and started
removing the back wall of the existing
pool.” The crew then added a lazy-riverstyle
channel that connected to the
second basketball pool area. “We made
the basketball pool roughly 14-by-28 feet
in size with 2-foot radius corners. It’s
very functional and a big hit. My kid’s
basketball team comes over all the time
to play in that area.”
In terms of the ‘look’ of the pool,
Ian and Danielle chose to pick one of
their favorite ‘gunite replica’ pool liner
patterns. “LOOP-LOC’s Platinum Onyx
is a dark grey pattern that imitates
the look of gunite and sparkles in the
sunlight,” says Danielle. This pattern is
manufactured in Canada by Poolside
by CGT and uses their proprietary
Aquashimmer inks and coatings to give
the pool a shimmering gunite finish.
“The pool liner pattern complements the
hardscape we chose in rich Earth tones,”
says Ian.
CONSTRUCTION &
INSTALLATION
Once the construction was done, Ian
knew such an intricate liner shape would
be a challenge to size, fabricate and
install. Just look at it and imagine for a
moment.
First, it would require precise
measurements. “I am very good at
providing accurate measurements, but I
wanted to ensure a perfect fit, so I asked
Andres Rojas, our rep from LOOP-LOC,
to come out with his team to ensure
there was a precise understanding of
what we needed for this pool liner,”
explains Ian. “Their engineering team
was really helpful. Not only did they
build the perfect liner, they spent extra
time advising on the placement of
the vacs, and they also folded and put
markings on the liner with instructions
on how and where to open and place
the liner for installation — this made
installing the liner a seamless process.”
(See sidebar on page 68 for details.)
ADDITIONAL FEATURES
& EQUIPMENT
In addition to the two separate
swimming pools and connecting
channel, Danielle wanted a waterfall
feature, so for her birthday, Ian added a
Rico Rock grotto water feature complete
with pink LED lights as a present.
Pool Works is always looking to add
to the pool so it looks fresh and distinct
each time customers come to one of
their events. “Since last fall, we have
added a bridge over the lazy river, and
we are currently working on a swim-up
bar as well,” explains Ian. “We plan to
continue to add on to the pool every year
so it looks different each year for our big
pool party.”
VINYL VERSATILITY
Over the years, Ian and Danielle have
grown in their appreciation for vinyl
pools, partly due to the fact that they can
change out the pool liner to a different
color and pattern and completely
change the look of the backyard. “It’s
like painting a room a different color.
You can do it fast and easy and give
the room a completely new look,” says
Danielle. In fact, Ian and Danielle are
already thinking about their next few
annual pool party events. “We might
change the interior to a completely
different color, to show people how easy
it is to change the look of your pool in
just four to five hours! You can’t do that
with fiberglass or gunite.”
For the same budget dollar, vinyl can
deliver more in the overall poolscape
than gunite, Ian notes. “When I’m
talking to people about their backyard
budgets,” explains Ian, “I tell people
that if they want gunite, it is much more
expensive and will cut into the budget they will have left for the hardscape
and decking. Whereas if you do a vinyl
liner, there will be extra money for
hardscaping or other water features that
they want in the pool — with the added
bonus of being much easier to renovate
the pool look with a different liner
pattern or color in the future.”
As these vinyl pool advantages
gradually filter out to the pool buying
public, and old stereotypes fade, the
market continues to grow. “Many people
immediately tell us they don’t want
vinyl because they want something
upscale,” says Danielle. “Then, Ian will
show them a photo or video, or one of
our other jobs, and they will say, ‘I love
that! There is no way that’s a vinyl-liner
pool!’ And we’ll say, ‘Yes, in fact it is.’ We
then explain they can get a bigger pool,
beautiful hardscape and the features
they want because vinyl is less expensive
and more versatile.”
“We’re installing vinyl-liner
pools on $3 million dollar homes
in neighborhoods where vinyl was
previously frowned upon,” says Ian. “We
are changing the way people in our area
view vinyl.”
This article first appeared in the April 2025 issue of AQUA Magazine — the top resource for retailers, builders and service pros in the pool and spa industry. Subscriptions to the print magazine are free to all industry professionals. Click here to subscribe.
