1. TRANSITIONAL SPACE
At its heart, a pool house is a space that facilitates swimming pool activities. Therefore, you want the majority of that space open to the outdoors. The front of the pool house should mostly be a transitional area. The ideal space will be covered but also fronted with a lot of joined outdoor space.
2. SEATING
Pool houses are often a hub for poolside entertaining. So you’ll want to have plenty of area for seating. Much of this seating will be in the transitional space in front of the pool house. However, you want to consider what kind of seating to have inside the pool house.
3. BATHING AND CHANGING AREA
One of the main functions of your pool house should be to provide some privacy for changing into and out of swimming suits. This privacy area can be part of a full bathroom, or you can simply designate an area that will be screened in. Either way, some hooks will be helpful for hanging wet suits and towels.
4. COHESIVE DESIGN PLAN
Generally speaking, pool houses tend to adopt the architectural style of your house. So if you have a Mission-style house, your pool house will likely follow suit. The exterior doesn’t have to mimic the style completely, but it should incorporate some of the details in your house’s façade.
5. STORAGE
On a purely utilitarian note, you’ll want to incorporate storage into your pool house design. You’ll need a fair amount of equipment to run your pool, and a storage space in the house is an ideal setup.
For the storage, the space should have access from the outside so you don’t have to march equipment through the public space. Designers often put this storage space in the back of the house, but you want to ensure easy access between the door and the pool. Likewise, include specialized storage cabinets and hooks for all your pool equipment.
