Adding a pool to your home is a big decision almost as much as when you worked with your local landscape specialists to design your yard.To help you decide where to place your pool, here are five things you need to keep in mind when picking a spot for your family’s pool.
1. Safety First With Line Of Site In Mind
In the United States, there are about ten deaths per day due to unintentional drownings. When excavating your pool, safety should be your number one concern. Make sure that you dig your pool in a location where swimmers can be seen from all angles. This means avoid areas where anything such as trees, sheds, shrubs, rosebushes, etc. can inhibit your line of sight from the house to the pool. It’s also necessary to find out your state’s regulations on fencing around a pool. Whether this is required by law for your state or not, adding a fence is a great precaution to keep your family safe.
2. Avoid Tree Coverage For A Number Of Reasons
When excavating for a pool, make sure you pick a spot clear from any trees. Not only do the leaves and debris from the tree make your pool a pain to clean, but it also provides unwanted shade and nobody enjoys swimming in the shade. If that means having to cut down a tree or two to get optimal vitamin D exposure, then by all means get out the chain saw!
3. Find A Spot With Minimal Wind Chill
When you get out of your pool you don’t want to be hit with a gust of wind. That breeze can make getting out of the pool to jump off the diving board, go down the slide, or sun bathe a lot less fun. It could deter some swimmers from the pool all together. To avoid a cold chill, plan to place your pool in a spot that has some kind of protection from the wind. If you don’t have any type of windbreaker, you can always plant a row of arborvitaes, install a backyard grilling station, or build a small pool supply shed to keep that breeze from freezing your swimmers.
4. Consider ALL The Space Your Pool Will Need
A lot of the time, homeowners simply measure out the size of the pool and forget to take into account the extra amount of space they’ll need for the pool’s accessories. Do you need a deck big enough for a slide, diving board, pool toys, storage shed, lounge chairs, and large enough for entertaining? Once you’ve decided which accessories you want your pool to include, you’ll have a better idea of the dimensions necessary for your pool and deck.
5. Clear Space Above And Below The Pool
Before you can start digging out your pool, you have to ensure that there is nothing above your potential pool such as cables or telephone wires. In the event of a storm, natural disaster or simple accident, you don’t want a cable to find its way into your pool. It is also necessary to make sure there is nothing below your pool such as a septic system, sewer line, electrical cables or a gas line. City management can help you to determine this. You’ll also want to consider local zoning regulations with pools. Some areas require the pool to be a certain distance from either the road, the back of your property, or even your house. If you do not follow these regulations, it can really hurt your chances of selling the property in the future.
Once you’ve thought through these 5 pointers, you’ll be ready to pick the perfect spot for your pool. And if your landscaping doesn’t fit your yard now that you’ve added a pool, STONETREE is here to help you redesign your perfect yard.