3 Tips for Creating the Perfect Swimming Pool Area
A true backyard retreat, this project by Blackwood & Associates includes an amazing covered space for relaxing and entertaining.
Comprehensive landscaping projects often involve many important design considerations throughout the process. Should we include an outdoor fireplace or just a fire pit? Where should we locate the outdoor kitchen so that it is most convenient when entertaining? These decisions can be really fun to make when working with a landscape design professional that is offering sound advice along the way.
One of the largest of those landscape design considerations for Allegheny and Butler County homeowners is the inground swimming pool area. While there are certainly a fair share of choices for design and shape of the pool itself, often it's the areas around the pool—or the poolscape as it's referred to—that can get overwhelming. Here's a few things to keep in mind while planning out the perfect swimming pool area for your home.
1. Design the space for how it will actually be used
Seems obvious, right? It isn't. It is very easy to get overwhelmed with choice and loose sight of what really matters in the spaces you are creating. Put the time in up front to really and truly understand how the outdoor living space will be enjoyed. Things like how many people do I entertain and how often? Will it mainly be used by adults or by kids? Will I want to use the space after dark? Knowing these things upfront will not only save time and money, but will result in a better overall space for your home.
2. Make a good thing great by including a spa
There are certain features that become somewhat of an incremental cost when adding them to larger elements like a pool project. Spas are one of those features. If a spa is something you know you will want eventually, it is counterproductive to leave it out of the original swimming pool installation. The best performing—and most aesthetically pleasing—spas are those that are fully integrated into the pool. There's nothing more heartbreaking than to make the investment in a beautiful backyard swimming pool just to put a standalone hot tub on the edge. Give the adults a place to hang out while the kids take over the pool.
3. Music makes everything better
The fact that technology is advancing at a dizzying rate, combined with the growing popularity of outdoor living spaces for the home, has resulted in amazing choices in outdoor sound today. Adding comprehensive, visually attractive sound systems to your poolside experience has never been easier. Companies like Sonance Outdoor and Sonos offer beautiful outdoor speakers that integrate seamlessly with indoor sound systems. These systems are best installed during swimming pool installation as underground wiring is required. The days of having to worry about lugging around a speaker connected to your mobile phone are gone.
