Trying to landscape a backyard pool seems like an expensive and daunting task with a lot of planning, designing, sub-contracting and heavy lifting. If you have never landscaped a backyard before how do you know what design will look great and suit your backyard. How do you work out how much the design is going to cost and how long it’s going to take?
Landscaping backyards and pools is not an easy task. You can spend a small fortune on landscaping only to be disappointed with the result and find that it doesn’t add any more value to your property.
We highly recommend that you use a landscaping design tool to help you avoid poor designs and costly mistakes while getting the most from your budget. You really need to see photos of successful designs so you know what you like and whether it suits your backyard and budget.
Table of Contents
Aesthetics of Landscaping
Landscaping designs are a combination of elements that come together to make your backyard not only aesthetically pleasing to the eye but highly functional and useful to the occupants of your household.
Consider these landscaping features:
- Varying ground levels
- Walls
- Hedges
- Gardens
- Pathways
- Security
- Drainage
- Hardscape
- Softscape
- Art works
- Shade
- Fencing
- Screens
- Pool enclosures
- Fire pits
- Outdoor kitchens
- BBQs
- Lighting
- Fans
- Heating
A great landscape design that considers all the above features will be functional, long lasting and attractive.
We recommend selecting low maintenance features that make your backyard simple to look after and give you more time to enjoy it. Keep high maintenance lawns, hedges and flowers to a minimum and use hardscaping, patios, pots, evergreen shrubs, decorative gravel and mulch to reduce the workload.
Themes to Landscape your Backyard Pool
Many people decide on a theme for their landscape design. The theme could be an exotic travel destination, an island, beach or a period in time. Some people choose a theme to complement their region and climate such as tropical, beach or desert theme.
Common themes are:
- Balinese
- Hawaiian
- Mediterranean
- Hollywood
- Japanese
- Indian
- African
- Roman
- Egyptian
- Tropical
- Island
- Beach
- Desert
Once you have decided on a theme you can incorporate features into the design such as statues, pottery, water features and works of art. Always start with a simple design that you can add more features later if required.
You don’t need to make the whole backyard one big themed Disneyland. You can simply incorporate some aspects of a theme into one corner of your backyard. For example, you may wish to add a Japanese style gravel garden behind your pool or a Balinese style Buddha in one corner of a garden.
Landscape Designs Templates
Landscape your backyard pool with a design template.
Unless you are a landscape architect or have some degree of artistic flair we recommend you use a landscape design template to create your backyard.
Whenever you design anything new you don’t re-invent the wheel you usually start with some existing designs for ideas. When you build a house you never start with a blank piece of paper. You base your design on other existing designs and combine the features that you like into your new design. You may visit display homes and find a kitchen or bathroom design that you like or other ideas that you can incorporate into your home.
Landscapes are the same. When you have landscape templates and photos of completed backyards it gives you inspiration to incorporate some of those design features into your design.
Privacy from Neighbors
One of the biggest concerns we hear from pool owners is privacy in the backyard. How to screen their yard from neighbors without having unattractive high walls, fences or high maintenance hedges and trees.
One way is to build a pool enclosure with obscure material at the bottom level and clear material above.
Pool Enclosures
Landscape your backyard pool with a pool enclosure. Pool enclosures are much more than just a pool fence. They cover the entire area around your pool to protect your family from wind, heat, light, insects and debris entering your pool area.
Pool enclosures are usually made with an aluminum frame covered with varying materials such as security mesh, polycarbonate, safety glass, insect mesh, etc. Usually the enclosure is attached to the back of the house to provide extra strength and durability to the enclosure. There will be a security door from the house to the pool enclosure and a security door from the enclosure to the rest of the back yard.
Have you ever suspected that when you go out your neighbors are enjoying the use of your pool? A fully enclosed pool area will stop them in their tracks.
If you want to increase the privacy of your pool area you can build some of the structure with opaque glass or solid panels. This is common around the bottom level of the enclosure. While the top part may also be opaque to reduce the impact of sunlight on the pool area.
It is now compulsory to have a pool safety fence around your pool in most jurisdictions around the world. The requirements are very strict and you need to have a safety check completed by a council safety inspector. Many local governments prevent homeowners selling or renting their properties without a pool safety certificate.
Rather than building a pool fence why not spend the money on a pool enclosure that gives you all the extra benefits that a safety fence doesn’t. A pool enclosure provides all the above mentioned benefits to homeowners and adds value to your home.
Recommended Product
There is a fantastic digital product called Ideas4Landscaping that is a complete landscaping resource of over 7,000 plans, photographs, videos and design ideas on all aspects of landscaping.
This product helps you create the ideal landscape to complement your home and pool – complete with pergolas, patios, pools, decks, sheds, gazebos, gardens, pathways, lawns, water features, walls & fences and much more.
Don’t pay a professional landscape gardener thousands of dollars for their ideas when you can purchase this amazing product for under $50.
Most of the landscaping ideas are simple, quick and easy that can be completed yourself in a weekend at a cost much lower than you would pay a landscape contractor!
Increased Property Value
Many people want to know whether spending money on a backyard landscape will really add extra value to their home beyond the cost of the landscaping.
Home buyers generally look for a move-in-ready home where there is no more work to do or money to spend. Usually when a home buyer purchases a home they are spending at their maximum borrowing limit. They don’t have the capacity to spend any more money on landscaping. Also most home buyers don’t like the idea of having to live through a renovation inside or outside the property. They know that renovations and landscaping always takes longer than expected and costs more than budgeted.
However, a low maintenance landscape design will add extra value as homeowners want a backyard which always looks great but requires little maintenance. They don’t want lots of lawn to mow, hedges to trim or gardens to prune every weekend. They want to relax and enjoy the sanctuary of their backyard for many years without doing much work.
Conclusion
We recommend starting with Ideas4Landscaping to enable you to fully research design ideas that match your requirements and budget. You can mix and match designs to create your own backyard masterpiece.
When you are ready to invite contractors to quote on your backyard landscape you will be able to give them an exact design to work with. Or if you decide to landscape the yard yourself a good design will help ensure you achieve your goals.
