Pool Design - Location

The backyard pool is the social hub of the home during Australian summers.  As we try to escape the heat, nothing beats starting the day with a refreshing dip, or finishing a long, hot day relaxing in the pool.  The weekends are spent with the kids, family and friends socialising by the pool as lunch is cooked on the BBQ or fire pit under the nearby pergola.  With so much time spent enjoying our pools it's critical, then, to ensure appropriate consideration is given to the pool design and where it is located in relation to your home and landscape.  Let's dive right in to Pool Design - Location.

Let's dive right in!

Let's dive right in!

Your pool's location, in relation to existing structures, can affect ease of access to certain areas of your property, the amount of use your pool gets, safety and maintenance.  If your pool is too close to the house, access to certain areas might be inhibited.  If your pool is too far away from the house the recreational value drops as it's 'out of sight, out of mind'. Keeping a close eye on the kids while they are splashing about in the water becomes problematic, and therefore unsafe, if there is too much distance between you and them. Regular maintenance also suffers.  With busy work lives and  hectic family schedules, it's easy to forget about giving the pool a good clean if we can't see it!  Finding that  happy medium when including a pool in your landscape design is essential. 

Location of your pool helps to keep kids safe.

Location of your pool helps to keep kids safe.

Levels within your landscape and pool design help to create interest.  There is always the risk, however, of raising your pool too high or too low.  A pool that is set too high may interrupt views from other areas on your property, spoiling the visual flow of the overall design and sense of cohesion.  A pool that is set too low, resulting in manipulation of the natural ground undulations, will redirect excess water (floods, burst water pipes etc) into places where you would least expect, or want, water to go.  

Levels within your landscape and pool design help to create interest.

Levels within your landscape and pool design help to create interest.

Landscape architecture considers all elements of landscape design, including the location of your pool.  To ensure an holistic approach to your next landscape project, one that provides all the benefits of owning a pool while reducing potential pitfalls, speak to a landscape architect first and have them assist you with selecting the right location for your pool.

Next up in our Pool Design series is Pool Design - Fencing

Images: 1 Pixabay, 2 Pinterest, 3 Pinterest