Houston Pool Landscaping

I am having a new pool and landscaping done at my home. Can you give me some advice on how to handle this project?

Within a landscape design plan, a pool can be the biggest and often the most impressive, hardscape element. Equal parts lifestyle, enjoyment and elegance, a swimming pool is the choice of a homeowner whose goal is to make the most of leisure time and to create a backyard retreat or family fun center.

What should I consider when planning my pool project?
• What add-ons do you want? These options for your pool design include a spa, sun shelf (a specially built feature for sunning), and underwater benches. Other elements: waterfalls, negative edges, slides, diving boards.

• What about shade? Our climate gets a lot of sun—sometimes too much. So if your pool area is bereft of shade, consider building your own. Pergolas, arbors and covered patios are three of the popular Houston pool landscaping choices. A man-made shade, such as these structures, will provide a welcome break on those days when the sun feels relentless.

• What about safety? All choices about a pool should factor in safety. One way to do it is through the use of fences. Jeff Halper with Exterior Worlds points out that fences can be built in a non-intrusive way. “We like to hide fences and gates by weaving them among shrubbery. This method makes the pool area safe, up to code and aesthetically pleasing,” he says.

Pools are an excellent place to work in an water feature. For one thing, the maintenance of an added body of water is completely eliminated by having both elements connected. Some of the essential equipment to have a stand-alone water fountain, such as the filter , auto-fills, cholrinators, drain lines and lights, are redundant and therefore not needed. Finally, swimming pools tend to be reasonably huge bodies of water which is an asset to water fountains, because it mitigates the problem that stand-alone water fountains often have with water loss due to evaporation and splashing.

Should I hire a landscape contractor to install my pool and landscaping?

Many homeowners incorrectly think that a landscape design project is just as simple as putting the different parts into a logical order—get the pool installed, then call in the landscape lighting guys, for example. In most cases, one piece of the overall design is hardly ever installed in its entirety at one time; rather, it is installed in multiple steps with the subcontractor coming back to the project several times before his part of the installation is finished. For example, before the pool subcontractor pours the pool decking, you want to get the electricians and the drainage specialists out there. Otherwise you’ll land-lock that beautiful planter that you had specially built to mark the end of the pool area. You’ve left it stranded without electricity for lights or plumbing for easy watering.”

Recognized as one of the leading Houston pool landscaping design firms, Exterior Worlds provides high-end residential landscaping services for Bellaire, the Memorial Villages of Piney Point Village, Bunker Hill Village and Hunter Creek Village, West University, River Oaks, Tanglewood and the surrounding Houston area. 713-827-2255.