Video:Top Tips for Designing a Backyard Swimming Pool

Transcript:Top Tips for Designing a Backyard Swimming Pool

I'm Eric King, registered landscape architect, with About.com, and I've got some top tips for designing a pool in your backyard.

Pool Design Tips: Layout

Remember these three tips. First, the layout is very important. Consider the shape and overall structure of the pool. By layout, I mean, is it formal, is it organic and natural, does it have straight lines or is it curvy. It really needs to match the overall tone and style of your home and your existing backyard. So if you've got a really formal, modern, clean line, then your pool will probably tend to follow that layout.

One important tip with the layout to remember is don't get stuck with just putting a concrete donut around your pool. So if it's a great bit space that you're working with, you don't need to have concrete or pool decking all the way around the pool; maybe you have lawn around part of it. Then, you create a nice little room, a sitting area. Then you have a sidewalk that connects you to another sitting area. Know what purpose you want to use each room for before you build your pool.

Pool Design Tips: Location

The next tip to remember when designing your backyard pool is the location. The pool is most likely the dominant element, the most expensive element, and the highest maintenance in your whole landscape, so put it where you can see it. Spend your money where you can see it. That's usually right out the back door, close to the house, close to where you can sit and enjoy it.

Pool Design Tips: Materials

The third thing to remember, the third tip, is make sure your materials all work together in harmony and complement your landscape. So if your home is made out of many different materials, a lot of plants around your landscape, then make the landscape a lot of different materials. The decking can be made out of cut or irregular stone, it might be made out of tumbled cobblestone pavers, and even the interior tiles and finishes need to blend in harmony with the rest of your landscape. But the materials can tend to if that is the character of your landscape. You might use a cut stone or a very simple concrete pattern and tile that blend with your home landscape.

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