Outdoor kitchens, televisions, and crackling fireplaces have been at the heart of the trend to bring the indoors outside. Expanding viable living space to the often-uncharted territory of the backyard has allowed us to spend more time in the fresh air while enjoying every “in-house” amenity.
The centerpiece of alfresco entertainment centers is typically a swimming pool, the hearth around which we celebrate events and host family gatherings. But if your great outdoors doesn’t afford the space for a pool or you would only get to enjoy it a fraction of the year due to your local weather, perhaps it’s time to bring the outside… in. Install an indoor swimming pool!
Round the Clock and Year Round
The best incentive for bringing a backyard pool indoors is of course that its environment is climate-controlled. Neither snow, nor sleet, nor even hail will hinder your morning laps. Can’t sleep? Instead of tossing and turning, just go downstairs and flip on the lights for a relaxing swim.
The other advantages of indoor pools?
- More privacy than an outdoor pool
- Open 24 hours a day and 365 days a year
- No need to battle against leaves and twigs in the water or clogging the filters
- Less cleaning and maintenance
- Better temperature control
- Fewer chemicals are needed
- Adds property value
- Can be assimilated into your home’s aesthetic
- Good opportunity to install a spool or swim spa if space is limited
- Get the “wow” factor
Not to mention:
- Your pool party will never get rained out!
Indoor Pool Design
Like its outdoor counterpart, pool design in general has evolved. Today’s pools are so much more than big rectangles filled with water, reflecting little nuance or character. Contemporary pools are works of art, intentionally assimilated into their surroundings. No longer are they unwieldy, generic structures, but ones that elevate your relaxation zone to resort-style status.
From the people at Luxury Pools, “Any type of pool – gunite, fiberglass or vinyl-lined – can be constructed indoors, and the installations can be as simple as a lap pool or as elaborate as an indoor water park. Many people add changing rooms, showers, exercise facilities, steam rooms, saunas, wet bars, and other amenities to their indoor pool installations to create a health spa atmosphere. The possibilities for indoor swimming pool ideas are limited only by imagination and budget.”
Still, like any home improvement, your first consideration is the pool’s use to help you determine the size and shape.
- Are you building it to enable regular practice for a professional swimmer?
- Is it going to be your new home gym?
- Is the pool a component of your party venue?
- Do you want it to serve as a statement piece?
- All of the above?
Location and Materials
Fortunately, because an indoor pool is not subjected to freezing and thawing cycles, your builder has a wider latitude of materials to present for your review… like glass.
The actual spot for your new swimming pool will be determined by whether or not you have a basement, because it needs to be placed on the first floor or the lowest level of the home. One good reason is that in case of a natural disaster or if a tree falls through your roof, you won’t have 15-40 thousand gallons of water cascading down from the second floor. Either way, a professional assessment of the space needs to be conducted to ensure its integrity.
Additionally, whether or not this new feature of your home includes a spa or a swim up bar, an indoor pool is an integrated part of your home. You therefore want to install the highest caliber of everything from the foundation to the ventilation/dehumidification systems that will keep condensation from harming interior finishes. Even if that means your budget can’t support the swim up bar addition! You can still create a lovely tiki bar setting poolside so as not to sacrifice the quality of the installation. The infrastructure is not the place to skimp.
It’s also interesting to note that whether a pool’s placement is outdoors or indoors, the construction is essentially the same. The primary distinction being that while an outdoor pool deck slopes away from the pool to keep debris and runoff from entering the pool, an indoor pool deck slopes toward the pool to keep water away from walls.
At the end of the day, you are building your own ecosystem. One that allows everything indoors to remain pristine, while giving you the benefits of a feature that’s traditionally an outdoor one. Careful planning with licensed and insured contractors and even architects (who specialize in indoor pools) will help you create your favorite new room in the house.
Wire for Ambiance
As far as the setting, skylights or even floor to ceiling windows are a nice addition for the natural illumination they provide. But with today’s LED lighting solutions (and of course killer sound systems!) you can outfit this space by wiring it for ambiance. Adding the ability to remotely control colors and their intensity in the pool room as well as in the pool itself will seamlessly take your party from day into evening.
Once these atmospheric elements and the infrastructure are determined, you can turn your eye to making decisions about even more fun stuff like waterfalls, and fountains, and fire bowls. Do you want to create a dining niche? Mount a flat screen on the wall? Carve out a changing area? Indoor shower?
From House Beautiful in a January 2021 article, These 22 Indoor Swimming Pool Designs Are Going to Blow Your Mind, “If indoor swimming pools tend to conjure up images of soggy carpets, chlorine-induced headaches, and gym-class nightmares, think again — these stunning examples of indoor swimming pool designs are going to make you forget everything you thought you knew about them.”
Indoors or out, pools are the ultimate gathering place. They’re inviting. They are multi-functional. They offer a private enclave. As the setting for a staycation or a solitary midnight swim, we are innately drawn to the water for its intrinsic healing properties. Plus, with an indoor pool, if you’ve always wished that you could swim in a snowstorm, now you can!
Providing pool and home improvement loan solutions since 1979, Lyon Financial loves pools, no matter where they are installed! We also love the difference we can make for your family by providing something that puts years of memories within reach. Call 877-754-5966 for more information about creating your ideal backyard oasis.
