Innovative and practical terrace around Hasselt swimming pond

For years, Tony had been looking for an infill for his courtyard. The space was unused, but required a lot of maintenance. His children dreamed aloud of an outdoor pool, and an architect floated the idea of installing a swimming pond. Not crazy, the residents thought, but what do we put around it? Tony went looking for a solution himself and ended up with Cedral decking.

At first, Tony Van Swijgenhove was not won over by a swimming pond. Mud on his feet and fish on his toes, he preferred that. The architect convinced him that a swimming pond is very clean and does not harbour fish. The freedom in form and aesthetics of such a pond did appeal to Tony. It suited his rural home better than a traditional, rectangular pool. Specialised swimming pond builder Balder from Heusden-Zolder installed the 150-square-metre natural pool last summer. The result is impressive! 

No wood or tiles around the pool

Tony, an accountant by profession, is technically inclined. He loves finding his own solutions for his home and garden. 

“For example, for our indoor pool, I found a technical gadget that was so unprecedented that the pool builder made me waive recourse if I wanted him to use it. He now uses it by default!”, Tony laughs with some pride. “So I also started looking for patio flooring myself. Tiles I didn't want. Even tiles they call ‘non-slip’ are still slippery when wet. Especially with an outdoor pool, which is more for splashing than swimming, that's dangerous. I didn't want wooden boards either. I like those, but they require too much maintenance.” 

Cedral decking boards brought the solution

“During my online searches, I suddenly saw a pop-up of Cedral Terrace, fibre cement patio boards. I immediately liked the look and they had the features I was looking for: non-slip and in terms of maintenance no more than occasionally clearing dirt and leaves with the garden hose or leaf blower. A local dealer showed me samples, and I was sold,” says Tony. 

To lay the boards, he knocked on Balder's door at swimming pool builder. They had not yet worked with Cedral Terrace, but wanted to install it. After all, the product fits nicely into their sustainability picture. 

Installation like wooden planks 

Luc Aerts, project manager at Balder, agrees that this fairly new product offers many advantages: “It is a low-maintenance decking. Water runs off between the boards, so the floor does not become slippery, and the boards have a unique surface that provides natural grip. It is sturdy material with a long lifespan. Installation is similar to wooden planks, with roughly the same processing time. We attached the Cedral deck boards to a wooden substructure using an invisible screw system. The many nooks and crannies on this terrace did present a challenge, especially since this material is very solid and hard, but the result is breathtaking.” 

Inspiring project 

“This new terrace floor has surprised us so pleasantly that we now introduce it everywhere,” says Luc. Tony and his housemates are also enthusiastic. “The boards are pleasant to walk on, water doesn't stay on them and we get nothing but compliments on them. Even our architect was so impressed that he has already prescribed it in other projects,” Tony concludes happily.