Why we design the pool together with the house

Clients often ask us to “leave space for a pool later”. We understand why – budgets are tight – but a pool planned from the start is cheaper, better placed and far more beautiful than one squeezed into the garden years after.

Water as part of the plan

A pool is a large, flat mirror. Placed in line with the living room it doubles the light and the sky; placed in a dark corner it becomes a cold, unused hole. We position it where it gets the afternoon sun, where it can be seen from the kitchen and where it frames the best view.

Structure and services

Pools are heavy and full of pipes. When they are planned with the house, the foundations, drainage, pump room and heating can share space and trenches with the building. A heat pump that warms the house can warm the pool too, and solar panels on the roof can run the filter.

• Plan the pool level with the terrace for a seamless edge.
• Put the plant room close, but out of earshot of the bedrooms.
• Shade one end with a pergola or tree for the hottest days.

Natural pools

More and more clients ask for a swimming pond instead of a chlorinated pool. Plants and gravel filters clean the water, frogs and dragonflies move in, and the pool becomes part of the garden all year round. It needs more space, but far fewer chemicals and much less energy.

Safety without fences

Children and pools need clear boundaries. We prefer level changes, planted edges and gates integrated into the garden walls to the usual metal fence, so safety feels like part of the design rather than an afterthought.

Water is the cheapest way to make a garden feel larger. Treat it as architecture, not as equipment.

Albert Flores

Even if the pool is built a few years later, designing it now means the house, the terrace and the garden are ready for it – and the result looks as if it had always been there.