Swimming in the Lap of Luxury

With backyards becoming an integral extension of the Southern California home, the role that aesthetics plays in outdoor living has never been more important or more luxurious. Ray Alderete Sr. first recognized this niche in the market in 1962, and today, three generations of his family make it a top priority to ensure that their high-end backyard creations deliver the ultimate outdoor wonderland for Southern California’s most trendsetting residents.

“Our clients invest a substantial amount of money in their backyards,” explains Shea Alderete, grandson of Ray Sr. and one of the newest members to join Alderete Pools’ family business. “So, innovative design ideas, brought to life with the finest quality materials and the utmost attention to detail, is the mantra that we strictly adhere to.”

With a long standing commitment to excellence and customer service, Alderete Pools, a multiple award-wining, family-run company, is one of the region’s most esteemed, full-range pool and backyard businesses. With a grandfather, father, aunt, and two sons running the show, clients expect and receive nothing short of luxurious, custom-tailored designs that transform SoCal’s great estate properties into vacation oases.

While the Alderete patriarch originally founded the company to fill the gap in the custom outdoor living industry, he took it upon himself to make upscale pools and backyard creations an art form. When his son Ray Jr. came on board, he dove in head first, building on the foundation that his father laid, focusing on pools, spas, landscaping, outside grotto work, and waterfalls. “Grandfather started the company, but my father is the backbone of the business. He is the guy that is teaching me new things. He is the heart and the soul of the corporation,” explains Shea. While design, technique, and installation details were some of the important lessons that Ray Jr.  passed down to his own two sons, the real education had everything to do with business ethics. “My dad is a big fan of what goes around comes around. In the business world, you have to conduct good business because that’s what is going to keep you in business. Never take a shortcut and always put that extra work in—it’s 110 percent, not 100 percent.”

To remain ahead of their competition, the Alderetes know that precision, perfection, and staying true to the family name is crucial. Despite the challenging economy, Shea notes that it is not the time to skimp on quality. “Everything is so price retentive now. It’s almost as if quality has gone out the door in the pool business. So when our clients commit to such a large and personal investment, my role is to educate them on what they don’t know about a pool. They need to be assured that what they are getting will be beneficial to their home property value, will withstand the weather, is made from high-end products, and that no shortcuts were taken in design or construction.” Adding that a happy customer means a happy referral, Shea does not shy away from admitting the referral market is the best marketing tool they can use.

And Alderete clients are certainly happy customers. With many people building greener homes, pools and backyard living spaces can no longer be ignored when it comes to being energy efficient as well. Alderete Pools is ahead of the game when it comes to providing eco-friendly yet luxurious outdoor options. Their new multi-speed pool pump runs at very minimal speeds for a longer period of time, which ultimately results in a significant decrease in electricity and energy use for homeowners.

Among other initiatives, the company is expanding its repertoire to include designs that blend and incorporate fire with water. “There is a new trend in our market where everyone is leaning towards fire pots, fire walls, fire pits, and anything that combines those elements,” says Shea. In addition, Alderete’s unique Zero Edge pool designs offer a mesmerizing visual effect that intrigues their elite client base. With vanishing edges on all sides, Zero Edge pools are extremely modern and sleek, but also incredibly labor intensive. “We use one-by-one ceramic glass tiles and it’s very important to get the tiling right. If you don’t, the water will not flow equally off the edges and will diminish some of the illusion of a Zero Edge pool.” A perfect example of when the family’s famed extra attention to detail is crucial to the end result of the project. Pool services have also evolved as Alderete Pools recently introduced GlassTec—their signature glass bead finish encased in colored plaster for the sides, bottoms, and steps of pools. This new design is not only visually pleasing but it also eliminates the rough surfaces that cause snags in high-end fashion swimwear.

At the end of the day, specializing in luxe, grand-scale pool and backyard projects for an elite clientele is the backbone their business. However, as Shea notes, nothing makes them stand out from the crowd more than their solid family values and the pride they bring to every job. With their family name behind each piece of work they complete, Shea notes, “knowing that it’s our family name on the line at the end of the day means we have to do good business.”

Alderete Pools
800.492.7289
www.alderetepools.com