As long as you don't have any locations where raised eyebolts would be opposed to each other, it should be able to be designed as a safety cover. Opposed eyebolts will automatically be classified as non-safe and may effect the warranty.

Additional considerations:
Cultured stone is a no-no. Avoid it. It's soft and won't hold an anchor. Some will say they'll just cable it but the cover will sag under load. If the installer goes over it, it will wear the cover and the stone.

I have also seen some builders set anchors for eyebolts in the mortar at the base of a raised wall and waterfall. They don't hold. They mortar pulls out, usually in chunks.

If the wall is going to be rock, use real rocks mortared in place. Dry set stones won't hold.

Decking choice:
Pavers will make the cover be more expensive because of the additional work and materials used to set the anchors. Don't use large pavers (12x12s). Don't let installers go thru the paver, go between pavers.

Travertine should be avoided. It will likely chip beyond any masonry collars when the cover has been on for a while and the anchors (in pipe) lift up due to vibrations caused by wind.

Feel free to email me at scott(nospam)bair1@netscape.net if you have any private questions. Drop the bracketed nospam in the address. It's there to stop bots from spamming me.

Scott,

Thanks for the comments!

Reggie

Reggie,

We have an 18" raised spa (L side of picture) and a 40' long 2' RBB (rear) and are into our second year on our safety cover. Patio is made of pavers. The anchors were drilled between the pavers and the anchors behind the RBB were set directly into the landscape bed. I noticed some of the anchors behind the RBB pulled out, but there were enough that it didn't really make a difference and since they are only sunk into the dirt they were easy enough to fix. No problems with the ones set in the pavers. At the direction of the installer, I took some carpet remnants and put it between the cover and any friction points on the RBB. So far, no sign of wear on the cover. It's hard to get a sense of depth on this photo, but the cover is a single piece and goes over both the spa and the RBBB so its actually higher in the back and slants down towards the front of the pool. Because of the steps up to the spa, I do have to use some water bags to fill the gap as the cover comes down the steps(obscured by the holly tree).

Ian,

You are very helpful. I hope you are not an undercover Swim Mor sales rep :-)

I am finalizing my contract with Swim Mor this weekend. My concerns and fears with all the construction elements we seek have been lowered with your post as well as Scott's.
I spoke to a few friends, I think what I want will work well.

By the photo you posted, we have the same taste and I'm seeking something very similar. I'll post my landscape design sometime in the near future.

Regarding your cover - is the cover what swim mor sells or something "aftermarket"? Is it mesh or solid? Was the cover designed specifically with the extra height of the spa and wall?

Finally, are you satisfied with all your choices? Any suggestions in regards to design, extra items I should seek from the PB or changes to their standard offering?

Thanks
Reggie

Reggie,

Glad to be of help. No, I'm not an undercover rep, though sometimes I feel like I should be on their payroll given all the positive things I've said about them on this site. I must admit that they have been very good about sending me GC's when they get a referral from me (please mention me to your rep. Bob Lang knows me well). Trust me, that's not why I'm a fan. I spent a lot of time on this site prior to making my decision on a pool and after reading all the horror stories I had prepared myself for a lot of grief. I can honestly say there was not one minute of lost sleep dealing with this company. Though I can't say I loved everyone I dealt with (I'm not a big fan of Mike in the service dept), the company always came through and did the right thing. I really can't ask for more.

In response to your questions:
1. The cover is the standard mesh Meyco cover that is part of the contract. Next time around, I may go with the solid cover for two reasons. 1. I had to check the water level in the pool throughout the off season and several times I had to pump out water because the level was getting to the skimmers. 2. The mesh does allow some dirt to get through (some some leaves also blew in from the sides..we are in a wooded area) and when we opened in the spring it was very scary. It took several visits from the company, 12 backwashes of the filter, lots of scrubbing and almost 2 weeks to get the pool back in shape. After that experience I did some research and found a chemical that supposedly binds phosphorus and prevents algae growth. You add it in the fall when closing, and then again in the spring. Hopefully it will help.

The cover gets custom measured. After your pool is completed, Meyco sends people over to measure the pool and they take into account the elevations and build the cover to their measurements. Then they come back when its completed and install the anchors and leave the cover, storage bag and anchoring tools (they also left a few extra anchors, springs and sleeves for the springs.

I am satisfied with all of my choices, but if I had to go back there are a few things I would have changed.
1. I enjoy the Jandy wireless system but the remote takes some time to start up and is slow to respond to commands. this is a known issue with the system. It's not a huge deal, but I would recommend also putting in the spa side 4 button controller that's hardwired to the control box. it's inexpensive and easy to do during construction.

2. I'm not sure what you're expecting from your spa, but it's different then a stand alone jacuzzi. Without the blower on its basically just a hot pool, no real pressure from the jets (we have 6 on a 2HP pump). With the blower on, its so forceful that the water bubbles over the coping and onto the patio creating a flood. I've had swimmor look at this several times and they assured me that everything is funtioning normally and that's just the way it is. We still enjoy it, but not exactly what I had in mind. Maybe you can get them to use different jets in the spa or possibly but a ball valve on the air line so you can adjust the flow of the bubbles with the blower on?

Otherwise, I'm very happy with everything. One last thing since you have a large RBB like I do. I believe the standard contract includes one sheer descent. When we were looking at other customer's pools, I asked the same question as you about what should I change from standard and another customer recommended adding additional sheer descents because just one looks silly on such a long wall. We added two additional (required a separate pump) and it was absolutely the way to go! it looks beautiful.

Hope I'm not too late to help. E-mail me if you have any other questions.

Ian