Critique my house plan for pool and outdoor kitchen

[joallen001]

The wife and I are planning to build sometime next year. We just got a rough sketch back on our house plan. I wanted to get some thoughts and opinions on the pool and back patio layout. Again this is just the first sketch from the designer so we are making a list of changes now for the second sketch. The picture is a little blurry so I will list a few of the measurements. As you can see there is a lot of glass windows and french doors looking out to the pool. In the future I do plan to do an outdoor kitchen area. What would be a good spot for that? I also want to either make the garage deeper for pool storage closet, or maybe build something else to hold the pump and storage. I am looking for ideas and opinions on what will function and make sense down the road. The pool size on the drawing is not set in stone but it will be a liner pool. Would love to hear any thoughts, opinions, suggestions!!! Now is the time to make it right before we break ground next year. Thanks so much
Back porch behind great room is 14x22 (the steps are full length so 22')
Back porch behind master is 6x15
Also there is greenspace on each side of the steps

 

[JasonLion]

Bump

 

[ping]

The things I would add are:
1. At least a 1/2 bath in garage for easy access from the pool.
2. Pre plumb everything for the outdoor kitchen in the grow space outside of the dinning area.
3. Design in a gas fire pit.
4. Some sort of protection for the equipement. I like the location you have for it and depending upon your weather, just extend the roof line over it.

 

[Isaac-1]

This is somewhat a personal preference issue, but it seems to me most people build their pools way too close to their houses, sure there are often property line issues, but even where there are not it seems people often build close to the house then many regret it later, so if you have room ,consider moving the pool a little farther from the house. I just saw a house a couple of weeks ago that is the perfect example of this, the house sat on over an acre of land, yet the edge of the pool was only about 8 feet from the patio door.

 

[JohnT]

What I would want:

1. Bathroom accessible without going through the house
2. Shaded seating area of some kind near the pool. You want the space to be useful even if you aren't swimming.
3. Equipment protection and storage for chemicals and toys.

 

[joallen001]

The things I would add are:
1. At least a 1/2 bath in garage for easy access from the pool.
2. Pre plumb everything for the outdoor kitchen in the grow space outside of the dinning area.
3. Design in a gas fire pit.
4. Some sort of protection for the equipement. I like the location you have for it and depending upon your weather, just extend the roof line over it.

We are working on getting the 1/2 bath included. I also think the garage needs to be deeper. As far as putting the outdoor kitchen in the greenspace area behind the dining area. Do you recommend a pergola of some type or just go ahead and incorporate the roof to come out over the area? For the equipment. My original idea was to have a 5' hallway the whole length of the garage, this would basically be a storage hallway for holiday things, pool stuff, and all the other things we never plan to put in storage..

 

[joallen001]

This is somewhat a personal preference issue, but it seems to me most people build their pools way too close to their houses, sure there are often property line issues, but even where there are not it seems people often build close to the house then many regret it later, so if you have room ,consider moving the pool a little farther from the house. I just saw a house a couple of weeks ago that is the perfect example of this, the house sat on over an acre of land, yet the edge of the pool was only about 8 feet from the patio door.

Our lot size is 307' long and 216' deep so we should have plenty of room. Are you talking about the distance from the house to pool or the edge of the steps on patio. Is there a recommended distance between the two?
Thanks for bringing this up!

 

[joallen001]

What I would want:

1. Bathroom accessible without going through the house
2. Shaded seating area of some kind near the pool. You want the space to be useful even if you aren't swimming.
3. Equipment protection and storage for chemicals and toys.

Do you have a suggestion for the shaded seating area near the pool? The 2 porch areas will be covered which are 14x22 and 6x15. I also plan to place some umbrella post holders closer to the pool.

 

[Isaac-1]

Our lot size is 307' long and 216' deep so we should have plenty of room. Are you talking about the distance from the house to pool or the edge of the steps on patio. Is there a recommended distance between the two?
Thanks for bringing this up!

I was speaking mainly about the distance from the house to the pool, I would suggest trying to look over some build photos here from people that have pools built close or very close to their houses (6-12 feet), vs those minority that build their pools some distance between the house and the pool 25+ feet. The other common design mistake I tend to notice with pools is building the decking too narrow, their is a BIG difference between 3 ft of decking around a pool and 6 feet, and another big difference between about 6 to 10 feet of decking width. Remember here you want not only a path that is a safe width to walk on (many people get a bit nervous walking within a foot or so of the edge of a pool), but ideally wide enough for two people to pass without one feeling like they are about to be pushed into the pool, add to that room for lounge chairs, etc.

On a practical side it seems most pools are built with very poor pad layouts, Most pool builders seem to try to make the pads as compact as possible, and minimize the use of fittings having pipe stubs close to the concrete, etc. Many new pool owners seem to like this thinking it looks neat and professional, that is until the first time fitting springs a leak, or the pump has to be replaced then they find out hundreds or thousands of dollars worth of plumbing has to be torn out, and the pad may have to be jack hammered up because the pool builder left no room for splices.

Ike

 

[joallen001]

I will probably plan to do about 20' between the edge of the house and the pool. Some of that will be landscape and have the outdoor kitchen area. I am thinking at least 8' around the rest of the pool.