We made the call to put a pool in last year after spending so much time at home, and it’s nearly done! Here is our dream pool inspiration (spoiler alert, no slide is going in sadly) along with the details and progress of our own pool.
The process of putting a pool in can be both an exciting and nerve wracking process. Today I decided to pull together all my dream pool inspiration to show you some seriously swoon worthy backyards and hear your thoughts on what YOU like best!
Living in the Okanagan is a gift. Our long hot summers, coupled with the fact that we are hunkering down at home (in truth that’s our norm, we are home bodies) led us to explore putting a pool in. My parents put one in when we were kids back in 1985 (they still live in the same house) and us kids lived in it!
We made the decision to re-do our back yard to accommodate the pool and to make it look cozy with a traditional flare – so far I’m really happy with it. Our pool is expected to be done end of June, but in the meantime I wanted to answer some questions that we have received and to show you some inspiration! For more pictures check out our Pinterest board!
Top Pool Questions Answered
What are the Dimensions of our Pool?
Our pool is 16′ x 36′ with a 3′ lounging pad (the steps are designed so the second step is extra long so you can sit on it) in the shallow end. The shallow end is 10′ wide (3′ deep) which gradually slopes to a 7′ deep end.
Our Pool Features
Safety was the number one priority. We purchased a retractable safety cover that you can walk on and is locked which will be our best investment for obvious reasons.
We went with a concrete deck surround with a Top Cast finish that makes it not slippery in Light Grey with a 21’x16′ lounging area and 26×12′ deck space off the shallow end. No diving board was installed for safety reasons.
The pool is a steel panel with a vinyl liner kit that came through our friend Owen’s company at Sunquest Pools and it was fully customizable. Charles did almost all of the work himself which was so helpful and cut back on the cost and time that it took to bring it to life.
What Does a Pool Cost?
That truly depends on the size, the company you use, the finishing, equipment what type of pool you get (drop in vs steel panel with vinyl)… the list goes on. You can expect a 12′ x 24′ pool to cost somewhere around $50,000 typically. We were super lucky to have Charles do most of the work and ours didn’t cost as much.
Pool Inspiration
There are SO many images on Pinterest that make my heart go pitter patter. The first one below is from Rachel Parcell (she has impeccable style). And while our pool may not be as fancy as those below, they gave me a lot of inspiration for designing ours! All images and sources can be found here.
Let me know below if you have other questions and I will answer them here or in our final reveal post!
Hi
Is your boxwood planted right next to the concrete or is there a gap between?
Won’t run off salt/chlorine water kill the boxwood?
There is a gap, about 6 inches. And we don’t suspect it will kill them as there should be minimal run off!
Can’t wait to see the finished product!!! You both have great ideas so I can only imagine how beautiful it will look! Enjoy
Inspirations are AMAZING! So excited for your family to have this gift. We are in the High Desert above Hollywood and know this will eventually be our adventure in a year or two, too! Be sure to pamper your neighbors with your amazing leftovers! I’m sure there are a few noisy days ahead…or maybe behind? So great to have a gathering place that is YOURS! Hard work pays off!!
What was the work that your husband did to save you some money? And does the cost include the patio around the pool?
He did the excavating and installed all of the framework for the pool. The cost is super approximate – once it is all done I will ask him how much it cost from tip to tail!
Can you please tell me where you got the retractable safety cover? Thank you!
Sunquest Pools! In the lower mainland BC
I’m not familiar with Sunquest Pools or if they do work in the Okanagan (and they are probably great!) but we hire Alan with Pool Patrol to install all of our automatic pool covers. He does a great job, looks after our customers, and is a wonderful person.Just to add another great option!
That’s fabulous thanks so much we may reach out to him!
What made you go with concrete versus interlock?
My husband lol!
I love the look of the concrete around the pool! Is it brushed concrete or stamped?
It is brushed! It has a special no slip texture applied to it.
It looks so beautiful! What shade/colour of liner are you going with?
Thanks for the post.
It’s going to look beautiful! Just wondering, are you putting in a fence around the pool? We are trying to design something but I am curious about the fence since it changes the look altogether
Hi Lynn! We aren’t – we are fencing in our yard instead!
Hello,
Can you share how you achieved the raw concrete edge as coping? I LOVE it! Also how has the concrete surround stood up with the weather?
Hi Kelly! Yes it has stood up! And gosh we had it professionally done I honestly can’t say how they did it to be honest!