Summer's Here! Pool House Design Tips & Ideas

With summer quickly approaching, figuring out the best ways to cool off is something that is on all of our minds. Some of our clients have asked us to design pools for them. With a pool however, comes towels, toys, and the need for more storage. The solution? A pool house! We polled our designers and here's what they had to say about things to consider when building a fun, yet functional space...

- When choosing furniture, it is wise to utilize outdoor furniture. It is designed to dry quicker than regular furniture and tends to be more lighter, allowing you to rearrange according to your needs. Invest in multipurpose pieces like a big daybed, for lounging and napping out of the sun, and a large coffee table, great for meals on the patio or games by the pool.

- Create a seamless transition from pool area to pool house by using glass doors, similar to the ones shown in the drawing below, as either sliding or folding doors. Also, with the influx of perennial insects during the summer months, it is important to take screens into consideration when planning the flow and accessibility of your pool house.

- To help keep the interior of your pool house clean, install an outdoor shower to allow guests to rinse off before coming inside. 

- Having a small kitchenette in the pool house will come in handy for food preparation. Also, a small fridge is great for storing refreshing drinks and snacks. 

- It is important to reflect the aesthetic of the main house in the design of the pool house so the building is complimentary and not obtrusive. 

- Landscaping is critical as well – you want to build the pool house relative to the pool & adjacent landscaping.  When installing a pool, homeowners typically install a fence to surround the pool area. With this in mind, it is important to consider whether or not the pool house will be in the enclosed fence area or outside, and how accessible the house will be.

When planning to install a pool in your backyard, be sure to refer to your local by-laws and ordinances for any rules and regulations that may exist in your hometown.

The pool house sketched above is coming along! Check out some of the progress photos below. Almost ready for some summer fun. Did somebody yell, "Cannonball"?

Here are some other pool houses we have designed in the past...