Designing a living area for the space around your pool may not be the first thing that comes to mind but you should put some thought into it once your swimming pool design choice is made. You are planning to make the most of your investment, mostly in the summer months and a little forward planning can make sure that the space around your pool complements the pool and your home.
The first consideration has to be the installation of a legal and properly installed pool pumps Perth. This is required in Australia, whether or not you have children. It is all too easy for next door’s children’s ball to fall into your pool when you are not at home and a tragedy is not far away. Children are inventive and are often able to open security gates and adults forget to close them. For these reasons, a pool safety net or a pool cover is a good investment. A safety net also protects animals (which do fall in and can drown) while a pool cover has the added advantages of reducing your maintenance and keeping the evaporation of water at a minimum.
Shade and shelter are two other design and must have excellent pool maintenance. Remember that swimmers will be using the area largely in the hottest part of the day and they will suffer from glare off the water as well as UV rays being out in the open. Trees and shrubs can do a great job providing shelter, shade and design options to create a garden that you love in your pool area. This can really add to an entertaining area adjacent to the pool. Plants can be in pots (so you can rearrange them) or in ground for a permanent garden.
You will want to avoid deciduous trees unless your heart is set on them since they will make a big mess in your pool come autumn. A pool cover can help to reduce the leaf problem but it is probably just as easy to select species that don’t drop their leaves. Be mindful of planting close to the water for two reasons. Firstly any plants close to the water will end up dropping things in it and this means extra work for you. Secondly flowering plants close to the water will attract bees which can pose a risk to swimmers.
If trees and shrubs are not something you want close to the pool; then a shade sail can be a good investment. Although you will have to install suitable poles to anchor the sail to, they are relatively easy to put up and they can be taken down and stored away in winter. For a more permanent design, consider a pergola close to your pool. This will cast some shade for the pool as well as for people enjoying some time pool side. There are designs that have an adjustable roof which can be opened and closed, or partly closed depending on the weather and these are a great idea. The addition of cafe blinds (like roller blinds but for outside structures like porches and pergolas) can really add usefulness to an outdoor space as well as providing shelter.