Swimming Pools Designs: Why We Put it on Paper
In our last post, Swimming Pools are More Than a Check Box, we talked about some of the factors that influence swimming pool designs. Today, we’ll talk a little about how and why the designs are communicated and the process that takes a swimming pool design from computer to paper to reality.
Swimming Pool Designs for Size and Fit
Issues of size, shape and fit set the limits of a pool design as part of an integrated landscape design. For example, we need to know that the pool will have enough room around it to walk safely and to add the safety barriers that are needed to keep children and animals from harm. There will be a limited area for the pool, and its size, shape and relationship to the house and to the other parts of the landscape design will be a starting point for our whole concept.
The proportions of the pool are also important. A pool that’s too big will overpower the other elements of the landscape design and will leave too little of your yard for uses other than swimming. A pool that’s too small may not meet your needs. It may have too little space for games and exercise. If you already have a pool, then we may be able to renovate the existing pool to improve the way it works in the new landscape design.
The lawn, the garden, the patio or deck, any outdoor, covered areas or outbuildings: they all need to be balanced. The spaces must work together so that your back yard works as a whole. You want a yard that’s both beautiful and functional. Without pool geometry that’s well thought out and well coordinated, that won’t happen. That’s why the swimming pool design has got to be properly drawn up and reviewed.
Swimming Pool Designs for Access and Protection
Pool access and protection are also important parts of the design. Developing the swimming pool plan will give us a chance to work out where to locate steps in the pool, walkways around the pool and barriers. It will also give us an opportunity to size and locate feature walls, integrated landscaping and built elements: waterfalls, massage jets, deck jets, overhangs and any areas that include plantings or fish ponds.
We can look at the depth and articulation of the pool, too. Will it change depth? Will there be a children’s wading area? It’s all part of the design, and we’ll get it all down onto paper so that you can work out the details with us.
Swimming Pool Designs for Tendering and Construction
Once we we’ve got it all onto paper, we can send it to swimming pool companies to tender. They’ll make bids on the cost of construction. We might even be able to compare different types of pools, for example, poured concrete pools vs. pre-engineered pools vs. pre-manufactured pools. Then, we can determine the best value for your specific job.
Because we’ll have it all down on paper, you will know that the bids will be consistent. All of them will meet the requirements that we lay out as part of the design. When the work is done, you’ll know exactly what to expect. On the rare occasion that something goes wrong, it’s easy to prove that the contractor knew what he was supposed to deliver. Putting the design onto paper means better design development, and it provides the information needed to get the best price and to get the job done right.
