Diving into chaos

Railings, steps, lights, underwater stools, cleaning plants, draining pits - who'd have thought a simple pool could cause such a big headache

It started out as a modest demand: Could the children have a pool, a chillout zone for hanging around with friends, just deep enough to reach their waists? “It’ll be a chore emptying and cleaning it after every summer dust storm,” I warned, but it seemed a simple enough request, so I conceded. “A little pond, really,” I told the contractor, “something to dip their ankles into.” The markers were put in place, distances calculated, but it seemed the size of a ditch rather than a wading pool. “Let’s make it a little larger,” I told him, “just a little