When Every Square Foot Matters
The original therapy pool at Monterey Aquatic Therapy Center measured just 9 feet by 34.5 feet.
Too small for wheelchairs to maneuver. Too cramped for parallel therapy sessions. Too limited for the growing waitlist of families seeking aquatic therapy.
This Pacific Grove facility serves children and adults with varying disabilities—from autism to spinal cord injuries, from stroke recovery to developmental delays. When your pool is someone’s path to walking again, “good enough” doesn’t exist.
The Challenge of Expanding an Active Therapy Pool
Expanding a therapy pool sounds straightforward until you realize the existing facility couldn’t close for months of construction. The therapy schedules. The insurance authorizations. The kids who’d lose progress without their weekly sessions.
Adams Pool Solutions had 22 business days to triple the pool’s functional space.
We demolished one entire side of the existing structure, excavated new ground, and rebuilt from the foundation up. The original narrow entry steps that created bottlenecks during patient transfers? Gone. We constructed full-width steps spanning the entire shallow end, allowing therapists to work with multiple patients simultaneously.
The new footprint—34.5 feet by 26.9 feet—might not sound massive, but it transforms what’s possible in the water.
Engineering for Vulnerability
Therapy pools demand different engineering than competition or recreational facilities.
The water temperature stays warmer (typically 88-92°F), creating unique chemical and filtration challenges. Wheelchair lifts and transfer boards require specific deck configurations. Rope anchors must support body weight harnesses without creating trip hazards.
We installed an entirely new pump and filtration system sized for the expanded volume and increased bather load. The chemical system? Completely upgraded to maintain the precise water quality that immunocompromised patients require.
Every light fixture was replaced with LED systems that eliminate shadows where therapists need to observe gait patterns underwater. The new coping and tile work included custom depth markers visible from seated positions—critical when therapists are guiding patients with limited mobility.
The Timeline That Nobody Believed
September 29 to November 3 was the target window. The center had arranged temporary facilities and rescheduled hundreds of appointments around these dates.
We finished October 29.
Five days early.
That’s five extra days of therapy. Five days of progress for patients. Five days of revenue for a nonprofit facility that operates on thin margins.
The demolition phase, usually the most disruptive, was completed in 72 hours. Our crews worked in overlapping shifts: while one team removed the old plaster and tile, another began the excavation. As steel reinforcement went in on one end, plumbing modifications started on the other.
What ‘Community-Focused’ Really Means
During the project, we learned that one young patient with cerebral palsy had been counting down the days until the pool reopened. His mother told us the aquatic therapy was the only place he felt truly free from his wheelchair.
That’s the weight of responsibility in commercial therapy pool renovation.
Another family drove 90 minutes each way for sessions because this was the only facility with therapists trained in their child’s rare condition. The expanded pool now allows the center to add evening sessions, reducing their waitlist by 30%.
The Technical Achievement Hidden Below the Surface
The structural expansion required us to:
- Remove and rebuild an entire pool wall while maintaining the integrity of the remaining structure
- Install new steel reinforcement calculated for the asymmetric loads of therapy equipment
- Apply shotcrete in stages to prevent stress fractures during curing
- Integrate new plumbing lines with existing infrastructure without compromising flow rates
The deck channel drain replacement alone involved sub-deck patching that had to cure properly despite the coastal moisture—Pacific Grove’s morning fog doesn’t pause for construction schedules.
Beyond Construction: Understanding the Mission
Monterey Aquatic Therapy Center isn’t just another commercial client. It’s where veterans relearn to walk. Where children with autism find sensory calm. Where stroke survivors rebuild neural pathways one supported step at a time.
When you’re renovating a space that delivers this kind of hope, every detail carries weight.
The new full-width steps mean therapists can enter the water alongside patients using walkers. The expanded footprint allows for specialized equipment like underwater treadmills. The upgraded filtration means fewer chemical irritations for sensitive skin.
The Ripple Effect
This renovation enables the center to serve 40% more patients without extending hours. The improved accessibility reduces transfer injuries—a constant risk in aquatic therapy. The modern mechanical systems cut operational costs, letting more funding flow directly to patient care.
For Adams Pool Solutions, this project represents what 70 years of experience really means: knowing that behind every commercial renovation is a community that depends on getting it right.
The pool filled on October 30. The first patient entered the water October 31.
No delays. No excuses. No complications.
Just 22 business days to transform limitations into possibilities.
Because when your work affects someone’s ability to heal, to grow, to overcome—there’s no such thing as “just another pool renovation.”
Adams Pool Solutions specializes in commercial aquatic facility renovation throughout Northern California. From therapy centers to competition venues, we deliver transformations that communities depend on.
