Everyone on the East Coast would likely agree that we’ve endured an unsuspectingly brutal winter. But the silver lining on that particular storm cloud is that summer is now within reach. Soon, it will be time for flip flops, umbrella-topped beverages, and poolside fun. Is your pool deck and outdoor living area equipped for summer entertainment? Breathtaking pool house designs are a surefire way to impress your guests.
Over the next few months, anxious revelers in Central Maryland, Eastern Maryland, and Northern Virginia, will be readying their cabanas for company, while many others will be taking the plunge and installing a pool for the very first time. A professional landscape design firm can help make clients’ dreams a reality.
Before getting too deep into the planning process, however, homeowners should consider the following features integral to quality pool house designs:
- Convenience – Think of your pool house as a sun-dappled home just a hop, skip, and a jump away from home, and incorporate similar comforts into its design. A small bathroom with a standing shower and closets for bathing suits and towels will allow guests to rinse off after a swim, while a kitchenette with a stocked refrigerator will cut down on supply runs back and forth to the main house for snacks and drinks.
- Functionality – A pool house should be close enough to the waterworks that it’s readily accessible, yet far enough away that it affords guests privacy as they change or relax. Consider the juxtaposition between indoor and outdoor seating areas, striking a balance between sun-tanning splendor and shelter from the elements. Incorporate waterproof fabrics to ward off damage. If entertaining is on the menu, a bar for cocktails, WiFi accessibility, and media centers equipped with flat screen televisions are always popular additions.
- Storage – Inner tubes, water wings, foam noodles, floaties, skimmers, inflatables, goggles, life vests, chlorine, and chemicals… The list goes on. Efficient pool house designs can help declutter your poolside paradise by stowing toys, tools, and accessories. From shelving units to storage benches and beyond, a quality pool house should be constructed with sufficient storage in mind.
- Surroundings – It’s all about presentation. Without beautiful plants, trees, and shrubs framing your pool house, not to mention hardscaping elements such as decks and patios, a pool is just another hole in the ground.
- Y-O-U – Your pool, and your pool house, provide a much-needed respite from the realities of the day-to-day. Make it your own. Incorporate design elements that make you smile, for reasons that only you understand.
McHale Landscape Design offers many different styles of pool houses, including Formal design, Contemporary design, and Colonial design. And as part of our signature design-build process, every pool and spa is tailored to meet the client’s personality and budget. Summer is right around the corner! Contact us today.