Pool houses: an everyday luxury

A pool doesn’t to have to be just for summer; a pool house can mean it’s usable all year round!

A swimming pool is the ultimate luxury addition to your home, but as summer fades away and the colder months draw nearer, it may not seem like a realistic possibility. There is a solution, though – a pool house or enclosure will allow you to comfortably enjoy your pool and landscape at any time of year, making for an endless swim season.

Style and design

A garden room or orangery style building lends itself very well to pool house design. During the colder months, high-tech insulation and heating systems allow for pleasantly warm swimming, even when there is snow sitting on the ground outside. When the warmer season rolls back around, bi-fold or sliding doors seamlessly reconnect the pool with the garden, allowing you to feel like your pool is outdoors once again and providing a gentle, relaxing breeze on hot summer days.

A pool house doesn’t have to limit views to the garden; opt for floor to ceiling glazing for undisturbed views outside. In addition, consider a glazed roof lantern or gable above the water to flood the pool house with beams of natural light and illuminate the water and surrounding areas. Make sure you opt for solar-reflective glazing so that your stunning vistas of the surrounding gardens and skyscape can be enjoyed without any glare from the sun.

Make the most of the whole area by adding a patio or decking area outside of the pool house. This will provide the ideal location to entertain guests at summer garden parties and BBQs, as well as offering a welcoming space for private sunbathing beside the gleaming water. If space allows, you could even incorporate changing facilities or spa amenities into the pool house design as well.

Practical performance

Aesthetically, a glazed pool house will create real wow-factor, but it is important to consider how the building will perform on a practical level. Thoroughly pre-planning the heating and ventilation systems will ensure sufficient airflow and climate control and prolong the longevity of the space. Opting for a semi-glazed roof above your swimming pool, as opposed to a fully-glazed design will help the maintenance of this controlled, economical climate.

Thanks to our years of experience and constant monitoring of building regulations we ensure that your pool house always meets British Standards. However, pool upkeep and care, of course, requires an abundance of chemical treatments in and around the water. Over time these products can wreak havoc if the wrong materials are used in the structure, therefore a standard orangery would not suffice. Whilst we take inspiration from their design, we use different glues and other materials than on a standard orangery or garden room in order to ensure the longevity of the pool house. It is also vital to plan proper insulation that will work to reduce cold spots and condensation.

Finishing touches

Though grand in design, pool houses require carefully planned finishing touches such as flooring, lighting, and decorative solutions to create the desired mood and ambience.

Flooring needs to be hardwearing, waterproof and non-slip. A light shade of stone will reflect light back into the room, creating a bright and airy charm. Using the same stone for an outside patio area will also maintain flow throughout the indoor and outdoor spaces.

Lighting is important, particularly if you want to use the pool in winter months when the nights draw in early. A combination of lighting types will maximise the space; use low glare downlights offer soft accents for a relaxed atmosphere while swimming, and combine with up and down wall light fixtures to cast plenty of light to the surroundings. Bold lighting can be used to create mood and drama, enveloping the pool house and illuminating its facade; this will give real ‘wow’ factor when entertaining, both from within the pool house and the home as it will provide a stunning view of the structure from the house. Don’t forget ground lights elsewhere in the garden too, to highlight areas of focal interest so that you can still enjoy the surrounding garden from the pool house – and your home – when night falls.

We are also now seeing a growing trend for dimmable underwater lights, particularly LED fittings which can be programmed to project vivid shades of colour throughout the pool. Alternatively, small, low voltage fixtures throughout the room itself will bring harmony to the pool house by synchronizing the hardscape, the landscape, and the swimming pool.

If you’re feeling particularly adventurous, try incorporating bubble jets, swim up seating, water features, or tropical landscaping around the poolside to awaken the senses, create a talking point, and completely transform the pool house experience and provide year round decadence.

Although typically thought of as an extravagance, housing the pool within a glazed building will ensure that you can get the most from it, all year round. The pool house will offer the perfect hideaway for entertaining friends and family in all weathers, or function as a private venue for relaxing or exercising in the comfort of your own home. So long as you carry out careful planning of practical elements, functionality and style during the design process, you can be sure to create a truly remarkable addition to your home.

Need help or advice in designing a pool house for your home? Get in touch!