Designing a Pool and Spa for a Small Backyard in Hershey PA
No matter how small your backyard is, adding a pool and spa will transform it into a tranquil retreat that will remind you of your favorite exotic resort. This summer as you’re outside a lot and in tune with your outdoor space, take the time to plan for a backyard makeover. Next summer, your gorgeous new space will be ready for fun! To inspire and guide you, here are tips for designing a pool and spa for a small backyard in Hershey, PA.
There are a few elements that will make the most of the space. Your backyard won’t feel cramped and you’ll enjoy all the amenities you want.
A Cocktail Pool
A small pool called a “cocktail pool” or dipping pool can often take the place of a full-sized pool. Unless you want to swim laps every day, a small pool offers an elegant space to cool off, and it’s plenty big enough for kids to splash the day away.
If you choose a vinyl or concrete pool, you make the pool any shape you want. This is a great way to make use of an awkwardly shaped backyard, or if you need to work around landscape features. Fiberglass pools are premade, so this will limit the sizes and shapes; but you can still find one that will work.
The best part about a small pool is that it can serve both as a pool and an aesthetically beautiful water feature if you add a waterfall or a fountain that spills into the pool or attach an elevated spa to the pool.
Adding a waterfall lets you unleash your creativity. A waterfall can be sleek and modern using linear stone, or, a naturalistic feature built with random boulders.
An Elevated Spa
Spillover hot tubs are a way to connect your pool and hot tub. It also creates vertical interest in an otherwise flat area, and can make a small backyard appear larger. Position the hot tub immediately next to the pool and several feet higher and use a waterfall to direct the spillover into the pool.
Go Vertical
Go vertical with plantings, too. While having greenery around the pool contributes to a sense of serenity, small backyards don’t offer the luxury of many ground-level plantings. Take advantage of a privacy wall or fence to add planters and/or climbing vines.
Minimize the Lawn
A bit of grass is beautiful, but a pool will make it necessary to downsize the backyard lawn. You can make your pool and spa area the centerpiece by creating a transitional area of large pavers with grass growing between them, leading to a small grassy area; or eliminate the lawn altogether in favor of a beautiful patio/pool deck surrounded by annuals, perennials, shrubs and trees.
Privacy, With a Chic Twist
Privacy is necessary, but you don’t want to feel boxed in. You could minimize the “cardboard box” look by allowing climbing vines to cover a privacy fence or wall. Or, for a chic look that lets in the light, add a stunning water feature called a water wall. A water wall allows water to cascade in sheets down a vertical surface, usually tempered glass or masonry. If it’s glass, you’ll get the privacy you want, but a water wall is more like an opaque window than a solid wall. You could back the pool up against two water walls in a corner of the backyard, once again creating a dramatic water feature that is as beautiful when you’re in the pool as if you’re admiring the view from the kitchen window.
Related: Ways That Inground Pools Can Be Customized to Suit Your Needs in Hershey, PA