Garnet Way Infinity Pool in Penticton, British Columbia, was the winner of the Pools category in the 2024 ICF Builder Awards. The 900-square-foot pool is built using 10-inch Amvic ICF by Alleguard. This pool was built to integrate into a home being constructed with ICFs. ICF installation time was only 14 days, and the builders estimate that they saved three weeks by building with ICFs.

Complex Construction
This pool was built over a large rock in the mountain, using the beauty of the rock itself as the bed of the pool, with a hot tub integrated within the main pool. “This pool holds 56,000 gallons of water,” says Amvic’s Czyrelle Talento.

One of the major challenges in bringing this pool to life was that it was built on the actual mountainside, which meant having to follow the lines of the natural rock. Bonding agents were required to achieve a watertight seal to the mountain rock. Significant time and energy were put into the cost of waterproofing to sustain a waterproof seal to allow for the glass tile installation. “During the winter months of construction, the snow was deep and the roads to the build site were icy,” says Talento. “The temperatures were dipping into the minus 20s.”

The Infinity Pool was designed to face west on top of a mountain. With the pool designed on the west side of the home, the views of Okanagan Lake and Skaha Lake are breathtaking. The beauty of the natural rock floor bed is highlighted through the integrated lights within the pool. The builder, Jason Stutzke with Okanagan Extreme Home Builders, uses ICF for all pools. “This pool could not be built with steel,” says Talento. “ICF construction allowed the pool to follow the contours of the mountain, allowing the mountain to showcase its beauty as the flooring of the pool.”

The homeowner is 100% satisfied with this remarkable pool. “This infinity pool is a one-of-a-kind build using ICF,” says Talento. “The rugged mountain terrain, which lends to its beauty, was a challenge in many ways along the build. But the outcome of the end product is absolutely amazing.”