Designer pools: Today's backyard environment is swimming with possibilities.

Byline: Amber Miles

May 26--The latest in-ground pools aren't the ordinary you-buy-it, you-clean-it, you-maintain-the-chemical balance labor-inducing backyard pits you grew up with. Today, there are low-maintenance, high-tech pools with spa and landscape features designed to create an entire experience.

"We have a lot of people looking for pools to showcase their home and backyard, and also to give them that backyard resort-type feel," says Jamie Georgelos, pool and spa division manager at Alpin Haus in Amsterdam. "The thing about these pools today is they can be used to cool off, but with the lighting at night, it gives another aspect for entertaining."

Although pools at Alpin Haus start at about $20,000, higher-end installations typically range from $40,000 to $90,000, Georgelos says, and although heated swimming …