Concrete Pool & Garden Design Ideas

Concrete Pool & Landscaping Ideas

The biggest benefit of a concrete pool is its flexibility in design. When you install a concrete pool, the world is your oyster! Maybe you’ve got a design in mind, maybe you’re still mulling over your options, we’ve put together this list to help you think through the various facets of concrete pool design & landscaping. We’re also including some of our favourite ideas and features to help spark your imagination.

Plants to use around your pool

Planting around a pool is a delicate art, it’s a practical decision as well as a design choice. The wrong type of plants around your pool could cause problems with your pool filter, see you constantly fishing out debris, or lead to the premature death of your chosen plants. If you’re working with TDL, we’ll help you make this decision with all of those things in mind. Otherwise, here are some options we like for pool landscaping:

1. Frangipani – A perfect poolside tree to create a luxurious poolside atmosphere. The leaves are large too and minimise issues with the pool filtration system.
2. Viburnum suspensum – A deep green slow growing hedge, the perfect solid backdrop to any pool.
3. Star jasmine – One of the most versatile and consistent plants to use within your garden. A great poolside creeper or climber on trellis if you are short on room around your pool.
4. Agave attenuate – A tolerant succulent plant to add a feature element to the plant structure.
5. Echeveria elegans – A great little detail succulent to use within an ornamentation low wok bowl or dish.
6. Mondo grass – a hard wearing clumping plant, perfect for lower level planting structure to the planting around your pool.

Water Features to install with your pool

A pool is as much a sculptural, visual installation as it is a recreational space. Water features can add an amazing visual hook, introduce a relaxing soundscape, and make pool experiences even more luxurious. There are quite a number of different water feature types. What you choose to go for should depend partly on the style of landscape you’re going for, and partly on the space you’re working with. Natural looking waterfalls, clean and contemporary water blades, jets, spouts and classic fountains, the list of options is long. Water features are often thought to be too expensive to consider, but many people are surprised to learn that they are often in the range of two to eight thousand dollars. It’s not pocket change but in the scheme of a new pool install it’s certainly worth considering.

Pool Fencing

It is essential that your pool meets the appropriate safety standards for pool fencing. There are a vast array of attractive fencing options out there, but you also have some other creative options if you want to minimise your need for fences. A particularly popular and effective practice is placing a moat around the pool. Moats are such a fantastic option because they can be planted with any number of plant varieties in line with the themes of your garden. They also enable you to maximise the visibility of your beautiful new pool. Glass fencing came into favour for this exact reason, and while we use glass fencing widely, moats add an additional level of clarity and open-ness that glass can’t quite provide. There are also other options to consider such as powder-coated aluminum, steel and timber which may suit the style of your home and landscape, it always depends on the individual property.

Pool Tiling

Fully tiled pools are our specialty. Tiles are extremely durable and attractive, and offer an unmatched variety and flexibility in design options. Pool tiling is widely regarded as a premium finish, but it has become more affordable in recent years. This, paired with the beauty and variety of pool tile options out there, has seen them increase in popularity as a finish over recent years. Pool tiles can also improve the underfoot comfort of your pool.

Pool Covers

Some people get by without pool covers but covering your pool is strongly recommended. A good pool cover will help cut the costs of running your pool, reduce cleaning and maintenance, and keep the pool warm in the cooler months. You have a number of choices when it comes to covering your pool, and the one you pick will depend on your lifestyle and budget. Solar covers or bubble covers are a cost effective way of keeping your pool clean and warm. Safety covers are designed to prevent pets and children from drowning, they can also keep debris out of the pool and cut down on evaporation. There are even options available for automatic pool covers, these tend to be on the expensive side but they perform all of the functions offered by other cover options without requiring any effort from the user. If you’ve ever had to remove and replace a manual pool cover regularly, you’ll definitely understand the appeal.

Shades & Pool Temperature Management

When installing a new pool, it’s important to think about how much shade the pool is going to get. Too much and you’ll be limited to using it through only the hottest months, too little and sessions may have to be cut short. There’s a fair bit to consider when it comes to adding shade or heating to your pool. Think about the placement of the pool around your home. If your pool is going to have to be placed in a location where light is limited by existing structures or plants, you may need to consider heating your pool. If you’ve got no choice but a full time full sun location, you can consider planting trees while landscaping the space for some natural shade. You can also build permanent structures like umbrellas, awnings or gazebos over or near your pool to provide strategic shade throughout the day.

Pool Lighting

Choosing how to light your pool and the area around it is a really exciting part of the design process. A well illuminated pool area can be enchanting and enticing. Lighting within your pool can call to attention the colours and finishes of the pool, and at night can accentuate the pool as the focal point of your garden.  When looking at the lighting design of your pool and garden, keep in mind how they interact with each other. The cool hues of the pool will interact with the colours of your chosen outdoor lighting. Given that the pool will most likely be the focal point of your space, your other considerations will be lighting the other landmarks of your garden for safety, and to create a desired visual and physical path through the space.

Finally, to make sure you get it right the first time we highly recommend booking in a consultation with a TDL Design Manger. During the consultation a Design Manager can discuss pool design and landscaping advice, possibilities and ideas along with outlining the pool build process and the council and engineering requirements. We specialise in the designing and building swimming pools that belong with and enhance homes, stand the test of time and add the most possible enjoyment to their users, with the least possible stress.