Bundle up and hang on for just a bit longer—spring is almost here. In the meantime, here’s a hot (but soon-expiring) summer deal—and a new possible swimming solution for your backyard—to think about while you’re waiting for the weather to warm up.

If you sign a contract for a new pool before March 31, 2010, you can get a 20 percent discount. This means you could be cooling off in a $40,000 custom swimming pool for just $32,000 (and, of course, using that $8,000 in savings for a mother lode of pool toys).

But if you’re still on the fence about making such a large commitment, take a look at one of our new, smaller Sun Series swimming pools. These fantastic little pools are perfect for smaller yards, sideyards and courtyards, as well as for homeowners who’d like to maintain partial traditional use of their yard while still getting to go for a swim. Sun Series pools are also ideal for water aerobics and therapy activities.

Sun Series prices begin at:

$13,995 for a plunge pool.
$16,995 for a heated spa-jet plunge pool.
$17,995 for a heated swim-spa.

A 20 percent discount on any of these could leave you with a nice chunk of change with which to work on the rest of your property (like, say, an outdoor kitchen, patio, or fire pit). And if you go ahead and get the process started with us now, we can have your pool filled, sparkling, and swim-ready by the time you’ll want it to better enjoy the warm summer sun.

View the full offer here (pdf), or contact our pool experts for more information—our new Ft. Worth office is open to serve Tarrant County (a welcome team member for our Dallas office, which serves Collin County, Dallas Count, and Denton County). And check back periodically for more swimming pool special offers. We’ll be here for you when the time is right.

The recent snows in the Metroplex declare one thing—winter has arrived with gusto in Dallas-Ft. Worth. So what does this mean for your pool?

With some help from the experts at About.com, here are some basic pool winterizing tips to help you protect your pool investment and keep it ready for the arrival of the warm sun next spring:

Say No to Debris

Consider a cover. Covers are simple, easy and keep out debris. All types and ranges of covers are available, including custom-made covers for those of you with pools shaped like Cowboys Stadium. As an added benefit, covers also trap in heat, keeping the pool usable and heating bills low if you’re planning on occasional winter dips.

Pay attention. Even if you’re not using your pool regularly, it doesn’t mean it won’t still require attention (even if not to the same degree you’d give it during the summer). Winter means falling leaves and clogged filters while you’re inside by the fire.

Chemistry Matters

The wrong chemical balance in your pool can lead to staining and etching on the pool’s surface over time. They key is keeping pH, total alkalinity and calcium hardness at their proper levels. You can add a winterizing chemical kit, which will help keep the water clean and clear until spring arrives again. Avoid “floaters” and chlorine tablets, as both can stick to and damage the walls of your pool over time.

Stop Freezing

You might have dealt with frozen pipes before. Water expands when it freezes, which can crack pipes and equipment. To avoid this, lower your pool level below the skimmer mouths, and remove the water from your plumbing lines using an industrial blower or vacuum. Finally, drain all the water out of your filter equipment.

At Venture Custom Pools we also offer a pool maintenance program in Dallas Ft Worth to handle your routine maintenance schedule. Contact us for more information.

The outdoor kitchen, much like its indoor counterpart, can be used to prepare simple snacks or the most elaborate of feasts. When you are designing your outdoor kitchen make a list of features that are important to you. For example, ask yourself, and others who may be using the outdoor kitchen, questions like the following:

Dallas Outdoor Kitchen

• Will we need to incorporate storage for non-perishable goods like canned foods?
• Do we need a grill, fireplace or a fire pit?
• Is it going to be possible to have a hanging area to dry the herbs we grow in the garden?
• What about power, will the kitchen area be connected to the house mains if we are to use gas or electric power?
• What size grill, in reality, will suit our needs?

By analyzing the way that you are likely to cook and your preferences for dining you will be better equipped to plan an outdoor kitchen that really serves you perfectly.

In the past there was a limit to the sort of fare you could prepare and cook out of doors, but the outdoor kitchens available today provide full facilities, so anything you would cook inside can now be cooked out of doors.

As our interest in cuisine from different cultures has grown, so too has our desire to replicate the ways in which, say, Europeans, have always dined al fresco. In addition, we seem to have become more in favor of the idea having been introduced to its myriad benefits by many of television’s popular chefs. There’s also the fact that many of us have taken to growing our own produce, for either ecological reasons or simply because it can’t be denied that foodstuffs fresh from the garden really do taste so much better. And doubly so when they are actually cooked on site and eaten in the beautiful outdoors.

Of course we associate outdoor entertaining with the summer months, but today’s innovatively designed outdoor kitchens use the latest all-weather technology to make them useable for many more months of the year. So you really can get the very best out of having this brilliant addition to your home.

In terms of adding value to your home, a well-designed outdoor kitchen certainly has that in its favor. Where possible, choose materials that compliment your home’s appearance and you’ll have an extension to your living space that provides fun, practicality and a boost to the monetary worth of your property.