Pool & Spa with Natural Stone Diving Board

Whitewater Imagery

This is a wonderful lap pool that has a taste of modern with the clean lines and cement cabana that also has a flair of the rustic with wood beams and a hill country stone bench. It also has a simple grass lawn that has very large planters as signature statements to once again give it a modern feel. Photography by Vernon Wentz of Ad Imagery

La Segreta - Guest House

Eric van den Brulle PHOTOGRAPHY

In-Town Backyard

authenTEAK Outdoor Living

This beautiful outdoor space in Atlanta's Virginia Highland neighborhood was designed by Land Plus Associates and constructed by Okun Tech. Outdoor kitchen featuring Kingsley-Bate Valhalla table and Sag Harbor chairs. Appliances by Lynx.

Mediterranean Cottage

Holly Lepere - Lepere Studio, Photographer

Small Space Pool and Spa

Tami Smight Interiors

The waterfall wall muffles the sound of traffic on the opposite side, creating a small oasis for this home.

Resort Style Backyard - Tribal Waters

Tribal Waters Custom Pools

Loaded backyard with swimming pool, multiple grotto slides, waterfall, and lazy river, firepits and more! By Tribal Waters Custom pools

New Transitional Custom Home Overlooking the First Green in Bay Hill

Element Home Builders

Infinity Edge, Negative Edge, Vanishing Edge and Rimless Pools

J. Tortorella Swimming Pools

This Negative Edge pool has full length steps, the coping is Bluestone with a thermal finish and the Veneer Stone is done in a Drystack Bluestone. The pool is finished with a Green/Gray Slate tile band and French Gray Marbledust.

Caruth | 2015

Coats Homes

Brittany Pool

Gasper Landscape Design and Construction

Lounging poolside. Photo by Rob Cardillo

Mountain Lake Steel Vinyl Liner

Aqua Pools, Inc.

This is a pool we built in Frankfort, IL. This pool is a 22 x 37 Mountain Lake with Steel walls and a vinyl liner. This pool also features a Grey Granite Thermoplastic stair as well as a Grey Granite Spillover Spa. The pool surround and muitlevel patio is done with Belguard Pavers. The custom Bar area has a Wooden Chevrolet Emblem built in it. The bar is topped with Granite and covered with a Redwood Cedar Pergola. Photos By Jim Eiler

Custom Library & Home Remodel

AMP Design Studio / MILLER & more

Santa Fe Play

Bianchi Design

This homeowner enlisted the architects help to co-create a backyard that was carefully designed after the style of Santa Fe, New Mexico-- his favorite place on Earth. So for the pool design, the backdrop walls have thickening masses to them reminiscing the style of Santa Fe. It was important to capture for the lines of the pool to point to the pinnacle mountain vista in the backdrop. The pool overflows as a water feature into their back yard, like a sunken courtyard. It creates a tranquil sound for their backyard living space.

Small Urban Pools

BonaVista Pools

Custom small urban pool, automatic cover, raised wall with sheer descent water features, Caribbean marbelite. Toronto, ON.

Modern Hot Tub & Cabana Space

Arbordale Landscaping

Our client wanted to add a hot tub and new cabana to their poolscape. The cabana was designed with a bar in the front and pool equipment and storage in the back. The bar has a roll up door for winterising. A lounge area in front allows the home owners to enjoy a drink while watching the kids play in the pool. Flagstone patios, steps, and hot tub surround give this backyard a luxurious feel. The fence is built from custom milled Cedar horizontal boards. The fence is backed with black painted plywood for full privacy. A custom hot tub pit was built in order to use what is normally an above ground hot tub. The hot tub was supplied by Bonavista Pools. Composite lumber was used to build an access hatch for hot tub controls. Boxwood hedging frame the garden spaces. There are two Hydrangea Standard trees which are underplanted with begonias for a pop of colour. The existing Cedar hedge created a great backdrop and contrast for our Japanese Maple hedge. The existing Beech tree was stunning! Lawn area was necessary for the family pets.

Contemporary Pool

Park City Renovation

AquaTerra Outdoors

Gallery – Small Concrete Pools

Betz Pools Limited

This 11’ x 23’ dry Gunite pool’s dark grey Armourcoat interior contrasts beautifully with the deck of Wiarton flagstone set on concrete. Across the deep end a series of flagstone slabs are separated by strips of ground cover to help the runoff water the shrubs. The entire backyard is essentially low maintenance.

Gallery – Small Concrete Pools

Betz Pools Limited

The owners of this classic century home wanted to install a pool for cooling dips, a hot tub to extend the season plus have enough patio space for lounging. To make room in their small backyard they had to remove an existing large raised concrete terrace with integral ledgerock walls.

Pool Design Ideas with Gravel and Natural Stone Pavers

Swimming pools are heavenly during hot Australian and New Zealand summers and are the perfect way to cool down, relax, entertain friends and even get fit. A pool can also create visual interest, especially when you consider features like coloured pool tiles, lighting and landscaping. If you are short on space, you might still fit a lap pool, plunge pool or swim spa, all of which could be focal points in your small garden. As you plan your pool design, map out your space and determine what size, shape and style works best for you. Browse the photos on Houzz for design ideas for above ground pools, inground pools, as well as pool landscaping and novelty features like pool slides or water features. Then, save your favourite photos to an ideabook, and get in touch with the experts behind your favourite picks.

What type of pool should I install?

The dimensions of your backyard will determine the type of inground pools you can install. Take into account boundary restrictions and pool fencing compliance. Fibreglass versions are cheaper, and quicker to install; whereas concrete constructions are better suited to tricky sites and give you more freedom in design. If you’re on a tight budget or don’t want to commit to an inground pool, above ground pools are a more affordable alternative. If you only have a small backyard, a plunge pool is a great solution, and can easily run along a boundary wall or down the side of a house. This option is also low maintenance, can be heated for use in winter, and can do double duty as a swim spa. A long, narrow space, on the other hand, could fit a lap pool, whereas a water feature could fill an awkward space. If your backyard features a stunning vista, consider an infinity pool to accentuate the view.

What pool fencing options are available?

While the specifics vary from state to state, fencing is required of most pool designs. However, pool fencing doesn’t have to obscure your pool design. Glass fencing is increasingly popular for this reason exactly, and is available framed, frameless, semi-frameless and even in-ground. A cheaper alternative is aluminium or steel fencing, which, again, are available in a variety of styles: flat top, loop-top, double-top and wire-based.

What pool landscaping features should I consider?

To get the most out of your pool, design an area that offers multiple hangouts. Include a nearby barbecue, dining area, seating for lounging and outdoor shower. Having shaded areas will give you more reason to stay poolside longer, too. Timber decking and stone paving are popular choices for pool surrounds, and are also helpful in creating zones. Just imagine a raised timber platform with a daybed – a luxurious, resort-style addition to any pool design. Leafy trees and rocks will create a more natural-looking oasis, and will help provide more privacy for swimmers. Where you want your landscape to be the main focus, keep pool equipment and furnishings to a minimum.