Choosing a Pool Design – Tips to get started on your dream pool in Austin
It may still be winter cedar season in Austin, but the warm temps of spring and summer aren’t far behind. If you’re looking to beat the summer heat with a new pool and outdoor living space, now is the time to start planning.
Many people make the mistake of waiting until the temperatures heat up to start thinking about adding a pool. But with pool design, permit approvals and construction taking from eight weeks to a few months, waiting until summer is here to start that process will mean missing out on enjoying your pool through a big part of the season.
Pool project procrastination is common and for many reasons—difficulty envisioning the project and identifying what you want, fear of making a mistake both in design and in choice of contractor, and of course, committing to the investment. In the next three blogs, we’ll address each of these.
Creating a pool design.
Before meeting with a contractor, think about how you plan to use you pool and outdoor space? Do you want something that can accommodate large pool parties, or do you just want to swim laps? Are you working in limited space, in which only a small pool or large spa may be the ticket? Do you want to play pool volleyball or basketball? Thinking ahead to the end uses of your pool is critical in making smart decisions on the size, design and depth of your pool.
Think too about what additional features you’ll want with your pool. It’s much easier to include things like spas, outdoor kitchens and bars, outdoor fireplaces and decks now, as part of your pool project. Not only can the financing be wrapped into one loan, but adding these later can be more complicated due to tighter site access after your pool is in place, and more expensive as you’ll need additional site permits and inspections.
Many of us aren’t ‘visual’ people and have a hard to coming up with an idea on a blank sheet of paper. A good place to start is creating a Pinterest board, or idea notebook. To get you started, check out our Pinterest pool ideas. Look at magazines and take photos as you drive around. Clip or pin photos of pools that appeal to you. From this, you’ll likely start to see some common themes. This also is invaluable insight for your builder as to the vision you are seeking to create. If you are looking for ideas, we have several examples of pool types in the photos in our Pool Portfolio. For instance, we recently designed a project for empty nesters who had only a small space in which to work. Working with their goals, we designed a “cocktail” or plunge pool at a depth of about four feet, ideal for cooling off with a cocktail in hand. An adjoining spa provided the waterfall sound that they wanted as well. For another recent client, an active family with teenagers, we design a large T-shape pool that provides lap swimming space with plenty of space for pool games or just floating. A large family-sized spa is ideal for big groups of friends, with a fire pit just steps away.
No matter the space you have to work with, or the budget, if you dream of having a pool this summer, now is the time to dive in, and start putting those dreams into reality.