Turn your pool into a patio

Not every homeowner wants a huge swimming pool taking up valuable space in a garden and many are looking at the option to use this space or turn it into a patio area, use it for rain water harvesting, or convert to aquaculture.

 

futuregreenstudio.com

While I love having a swimming pool in the garden, with the kids all grown up and the time and cost to keep the pool looking good I am beginning to wonder if it is worth it. Filling in a pool, converting a pool into a natural pool, use it for harvesting rain water, rain water collection, or even transforming the pool into a sunken patio are trends that appear to be growing in popularity.

This rooftop pool is transformed into a stunning outdoor dining room after being clad with salvaged wood decking.

The planters surrounding the in-pool dining area are filled with a variety of herbs, plants and small vegetables, allowing the diner to pick their own fresh ingredients for the ultimate outdoor dining experience.

Simple banquette-style seating sits down one side of the long, rectangular table, with contemporary chairs on the other side. 

 

Even a small pool can be transformed into a comfortable sunken patio. After emptying out the pool with a sump pump you can decide how to finish off your new patio area.  

This homeowner has clad the pool walls with reclaimed timber painted white. Natural wood slat seating, wood plank floor and stairs add a wonderful contrast and blend together the new patio and surrounding garden.

 

enviroscapela.com

Another option for making use of a pool that is no longer wanted is to have it retrofitted for rain water collection, as seen above and below. As water conservation become increasingly important many homeowners are looking at rainwater harvesting to reduce dependency on municipal supply and a properly designed system can reduce - or even eliminate - your need for municipal water supply.

The edges of the pool were ground down, and the rest of the concrete form was retrofitted with a rainwater-storage system. Now, in place of a concrete pool filled with chlorinated water, there is a natural water feature and underground tanks to storage rain water. Utilizing the pool for greywater storage tanks allows you to install a larger system without using any additional area from the garden.