Question re Swimming Pool Safety Fences

Has anyone as part of their backyard decor done anything tiki-friendly and CA code-compliant regarding safety fences around pools?

I'm buying a house with a pool and am looking into what may or may not be required regarding smaller, inner yard fence enclosures, that also doesn't look bad. The house itself already has a fenced-in yard, so I'm talking more about the fence within a fence scenario I've seen.

I have never had a pool, so I don't really know this, but I am guessing to get home insurance you NEED a fence around it nowadays?

Otherwise, I firmly believe that to fence in pools has been one of the detrimental changes which destroyed the Polynesian paradise landscaping of Tiki apartment buildings. If I'd own a house, I would exercise my right to not have a fence. It might be different when a toddler is in the household, but then again, American families had been happy without pool fences until the late 70s/80s.

Not sure about insurance. I heard from one source that the rate is lower if you have a second, inner fence.

code-wise IANAL but I think this is the situation.

And while I'm asking -- anyone do anything interesting with motion sensored external flood lights meant to illuminate garage doors / back yards?

Primary purpose for me is light coming home at night and, I guess, burglar deterrence, but I'm trying to do something tiki-decorative at the same time.

OK, I'm not going to get into a pi$$ing match here about property owners rights or whatever but as a Firefighter/Paramedic who has been on way too many drownings of children, toddlers and infants and as a pool owner of a tropical back yard...please put in the darn safety fence!!!
Half of my pool area is up against the house while the other half is against the property edge. My yard is fenced in with chain link but then lined on the inside with vegetation so the perimeter fence is hidden. I do have three gates that I have latched from the inside with a bolt meaning you can only open them from the inside. If you are an adult and can reach over the fence then the latch is easy to open. Little tike's cannot open them. I also have them clipped with a simple dog leash clip as an extra. The fence I have that is visible and near the house is a five foot high (code in 1999 when I put it in) cedar dog eared fence with tropicals growing in front of it. It has weathered nice and actually adds a nice ambiance verses seeing a stuccoed house.
There's an endless selection of comparatively inexpensive good looking fences so regardless of how far you are from other neighbors homes, put one in.
Back to safety, never ever ever turn your back on the little ones and even the not so little ones. We taught our children how to swim prior to putting in the pool and have never knowingly let non-swimmers in it. We had an eight year old boy at my sons birthday party jump in and go straight to the bottom. He didn't know how to swim. When I questioned the mother about how the invitation said "this is a pool party...swimmers only" she said she sought he would learn by jumping in. Argh!!!

[ Edited by: sur2baja 2011-09-05 20:54 ]

The red fence is already there.

I notice there are little regularly-spaced holes in the ground that were for a fence along the blue line I've drawn.

My question is not do I need to do a fence along the blue line, it is more a question of has anyone done anything attractive with such a fence?

The problem with a lot of tiki stuff is it often has grids or cross bars - those create climbing opportunities. So I'm wondering if anyone has done something for this item that is safe and attractive at the same time.

[ Edited by: tiki moon 2011-09-05 21:21 ]

On 2011-09-05 13:53, tiki moon wrote:
And while I'm asking -- anyone do anything interesting with motion sensored external flood lights meant to illuminate garage doors / back yards?

Primary purpose for me is light coming home at night and, I guess, burglar deterrence, but I'm trying to do something tiki-decorative at the same time.

I took a motion switch and wired it to my water feature pump. Now it starts to pump if anyone is in the area and continues 10 miutes after motion stops. If you sit down and chill more than 10 minutes, the pump turns off :lol: but you can switch it to steady "on" if you'll be in the backyard for a while.

Most of those style of portable fences are pretty basic and ugly. I believe they have a black pole with a mesh kind of screen that is five feet tall. Just a suggestion, but they might come in different colors like brown or tan and you could decorate it like a fish net. Cheesy I know but I'm fishing for ideas here (ha, ha!)

Just an idea but you could fence off the pool area (again with landscaping on each side) and create different "rooms" or "areas" in your yard.

Have you considered using a lockable pool cover instead of a fence? Some Calif counties permit them in lieu of a fence. I recently installed one in a new pool in San Bernardino county and the cost was 2/3 of what a fence would have been and looks MUCH MUCH better.

I bow to the voice of experience and common sense! I had no idea that kids were dying like flies in home pools - that being said without any irony or sarcasm!

Just goes to show that my purely esthetic love for the old times is not always on par with reality...

On 2011-09-05 20:52, sur2baja wrote:
OK, I'm not going to get into a pi$$ing match here about property owners rights or whatever but as a Firefighter/Paramedic who has been on way too many drownings of children, toddlers and infants and as a pool owner of a tropical back yard...please put in the darn safety fence!!!
.........
Back to safety, never ever ever turn your back on the little ones and even the not so little ones. We taught our children how to swim prior to putting in the pool and have never knowingly let non-swimmers in it. We had an eight year old boy at my sons birthday party jump in and go straight to the bottom. He didn't know how to swim. When I questioned the mother about how the invitation said "this is a pool party...swimmers only" she said she sought he would learn by jumping in. Argh!!!

Well, at any rate, I'm looking forward to moving in if all goes well. I've never owned a freestanding house before.

I have my tiki-ti 50th anniversary mug and my Robb Hamel black velvet painting ready to take up occupancy.

Taught swimming and water safety for most of my teen years...safety is foremost when it comes to pools. I would think you could Tiki up a fence by attaching some matching Tiki torches on the poles...plus would look great lit up at night...just my 2 cents.