Design a Spectacular Swimming Pool!
By Nancy Dransfield, Landscape Architect, Landesign of VA, Inc., P.O. Box 15582, Richmond, VA 23227, 804-261-6773,
n.dransfield@verizon.net
A swimming pool is the ultimate back yard accessory! An imaginatively designed back yard pool can create a unique and wonderful landscape design for your home. Keep in mind these design tips listed below:
- A swimming pool is a design element that needs some space! Using the right size pool for your landscape design is important. You don’t want it to look cramped or to overwhelm a small area. For a larger space, you have more flexibility. It can be in close proximity to the house or in an area by itself, possibly with a pool house.
- Think about how you will enter the swimming pool from the house and from other places like the side yard and parking area! The circulation system around the pool and the rest of your property needs to flow. Don’t locate the pool so close to the house that it is an effort to go from the house to other parts of your property. This is the biggest design flaw I see. Pools can be located closer to pool houses because its main purpose is to accommodate the pool.
- Orientation is an important design consideration! Whether the pool is installed length-wise or width-wise can make a huge difference in how your back yard is divided. The back yard’s “wow factor” depends on it.
- The
pool deck
is the paved area around the swimming pool! This area needs to provide ample space for chairs, tables, umbrellas, lounge chairs and any other pool-side toys you want. This is a decision that needs to be made after thinking about the space you, as an individual family, require. It does need to be in proportion to the pool and the surrounding area too. Have you visited a pool that looks like it is all deck? It’s not a pretty picture. You want to create a back yard that is a beautiful picture and welcoming to visitors, not one taken over entirely by the pool. In calculating your deck space, keep this in mind. For furnishings allow room for the item plus 2-3 feet to move around it. Think about where people will congregate. One popular place is at the shallow end by the steps. Make the deck wider there. Many times, on the back side of the pool, all that is necessary is a 4-foot wide paved area to accommodate walking from one end to the other. Pool decks can be made in a number of different surfaces.
- Fencing around the pool area is required in most localities. As well as being required by your municipality, your insurance company wants to see this safety precaution in place. Be creative on where the fence is installed. It does not have to enclose just the pool. It can be a bit larger to give some space for plantings that soften the hard appearance of the pool and deck. If the budget allows, it is beautiful to fence the entire back yard, so that the pool area is not cut off from the rest of the property. This allows for nice open space around the pool!
- Know where your underground utilities, sewer system, drain lines, irrigation system, etc. are located. Things like underground electrical lines can be expensive to move. A drainfield is impossible to move. If you are planning a new house and a pool is something you want, think about where these underground necessities are installed. If you have choices for their locations by all means keep them out of the future pool area. You don’t want to have to move them or work around them, if possible.
- Providing correct drainage for the water that flows across your property is essential for a successful pool project! The pool needs to be built at an elevation that keeps water from flowing into it. Proper water flow on your entire parcel can be affected by adding a pool, so grading to accommodate and fit the pool into the site is important. A solid pool deck creates storm runoff that needs to be taken to a place on your property where it won’t create wet problem areas. This is a good time to install solid drain lines from your house’s downspouts. A tremendous amount of water comes off the roof, let’s not have it dump in your pool area!
These important design tips help you get started with the basics of putting together your swimming pool landscape design.
Questions about your pool project? I have answers based on my 30 years in landscape design!
Ask
a question. You will get a quick response and a page dedicated to the topic on this site. Share it with your friends and the reader will appreciate it too! I hope to be hearing from you!
Enjoy this video of pool designs from Glen Hampton, a talented landscape architect in California that does incredible work.
Please
contact me
for further information or to talk to me about my design services.
Nancy Dransfield
Landesign of Virginia, Inc.
P.O. Box 15582
Richmond, Virginia 23227
Office: 804-264-7253
Fax: 804-264-7253
E-mail:
n.dransfield@verizon.net
Go to These Related Pages:
Vinyl Liner;
Gunite;
Fiberglass Swimming Pools;
Fences
and
Pool Decks
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