Ernie & Marge: “At Peace with the World” in their Pool

Their Endless Pools Original model provides daily pain relief.

Ernie loves Marge. After decades of marriage, he still speaks of her first. For instance, their Endless Pools® Original pool gives him relief from his neuropathy, but he leads with how it helps with her condition: “The pool is the only real time when she’s at peace with the world,” he says gratefully. “She gets daily relief from going in.”

A New Pool for a New Home

When the couple moved from their condo and “decided to build a place of our own” in 2003, “one of the fundamental things that I wanted was to put in a pool,” he recalls. For indoor, year-round convenience and therapeutic options, they chose Endless Pools.

Marge didn’t want it in the basement, though that was the logical place given the weight-bearing and drainage requirements. As a solution, they created a lower level with large windows, fully exposed to the outdoors.

"It’s very relaxing,” Ernie finds. “We can see the sunset in the evening and light through the trees in the morning.”

When he now refers to the “poolroom” downstairs, “people think we have a pool table down here!”

The Install

With his past contractor experience, Ernie elected to install the Endless Pool himself. He relied on Endless Pools’ written and online video instructions. “I’m very impressed by the materials; everything I wanted was there,” he says now. “We had no problems.”

Still, our Customer Service team provides phone assistance for any questions. “The people have been great,” he says. “I have no complaints with the service whatsoever.” Like Ernie, nearly 20 percent of Endless Pools owners opt for a DIY installation.

For a seamless look, they extended the floor tiles to both the pool skirting and coping. For the walls, they used moisture-resistant drywall, which is recommended for bathrooms and other wet areas. “We’ve had no problems,” he reports; “it’s still in good shape.”

Since installing the pool almost 14 years ago, “it’s very easy to maintain,” he finds. “I can go weeks and just add a cup of Clorox. I have to put [other] chemicals in here very seldom.”

Installing on the lower level also made it easier to create a partially in-ground pool, which provides the easiest access. He and Marge can just sit on the coping and swing their legs over. That’s especially helpful as they both have mobility issues.

Daily Pain Relief

Marge suffers from a rare Parkinson’s-like condition. “She’s got a brace on both legs,” Ernie notes. “Her foot turns to the right, and the muscles in the arch are strained when she walks.” That means that she needs to rely on a cane or a walker.

“She gets daily relief from going in. She gets peace of mind from going in,” he says with relief of his own. “She loves the pool. It makes all the difference in the world for her.”

According to Ernie, Marge’s Endless Pools sessions are the only time when “her legs don’t bother her.” She paddles, does leg lifts, and uses their pool’s hydrotherapy jets on her legs and feet.

“I have restless leg syndrome and neuropathy in my feet and lower legs,” he adds. When he’s not swimming, “I just sit and let the jets hit my legs and feet.”

Their family also enjoys their Endless Pool. His daughter-in-law is a triathlete and sometimes stops by after work to train for her open-water swimming. “For her, it’s been great.”

His grandchildren are now in, or soon heading to, college. “When they were smaller, they would swim and have a good time.” Their pool time has since been taken by five- and seven-year-old neighbors. “They love to swim, especially in wintertime. It’s a great tool for someone with kids who want to learn to swim.”

With so many young ones around, Ernie and Marge wisely opted for a child alarm. The alarm helps ensure that the kids can only access the Original pool under adult supervision.

Demonstration Program

Ernie and Marge participate in the Endless Pools Demonstration Program. It’s designed to give prospective owners a chance to try the pool while getting real-world feedback from actual Endless Pool owners.

“We really enjoy the demos,” Ernie says with a smile in his voice. “We sit and talk before we even show them the pool. We met some fascinating people!”

By and large, he finds that their demonstration swims have been successful. “Once they get into the pool, they don’t want to get out!” And a satisfied houseguest, like a satisfied pool customer, is a good problem to have.