Finding the Right Fit for a Herndon Swimming Pool
Is it possible to build a luxury swimming pool for a small backyard? Yes, it is possible to overcome all sorts of challenges with creative design.
Our Herndon Virginia homeowner had already made a significant investment in landscaping. So, nailing this small backyard swimming pool design was tricky. The landscape architect designed a curvy lagoon-style pool that perfectly fit in limited space without throwing the composition out of balance or crowding other landscape features in the yard.
The existing backyard landscaping included a spa and flagstone patio anchored by a 22 foot long curved retaining wall with built-in stone bench seating and a magnificent stone fireplace.
Now, six years later, the owners decided it was time to add the swimming pool they’d left out of the phase one landscape design. What a great idea and what a compositional challenge.
Small Backyard Pool Design: Overcoming Space and Budget Limitations
Howard Cohen, the landscape architect, presented multiple concepts all driven by the need to maximize available space in the yard while preserving the existing landscape features. The iterations also attempted to find approaches that would help control cost. As the client put it:
“We had to find a place where the intersection of beauty and cost could meet. We were going back and forth on how much to spend. The more elaborate we got, with waterfalls and boulders, the more the landscaping cost.”
The clients felt that the reduced cost designs would not make them happy because they weren’t beautiful enough. So, they surrendered to beauty and chose the small backyard pool design that gave them everything they wanted.
Build Your Dream Inground Swimming Pool: The Ultimate Guide to Success
Before you take the plunge… read our ebook!
The most successful backyard swimming pools are holistic landscape compositions where shade structures, hardscape, and planting beds work together harmoniously. Be sure you know how to plan and who to hire!
Making the Most of the Least Space to Size a Swimming Pool in a Small Backyar
Once we’ve agreed on the shape and features of the pool as a sculptural form, we go to a rendering that shows the finished effect with boulders and plantings. The landscape architect gives a detailed picture from multiple views that show how it will feel to be in that environment.
Much of the beauty and interest in this lagoon style swimming pool design is grounded in practicality. The architect’s design is in many ways a creative response to site limitations.
Here are four core design features that characterize a swimming pool for a small backyard that overcome typical site limitations:
One: Create the Illusion of Depth in the Landscape
The pool design calls for a negative edge. This feature (also called infinity edge, zero edge or vanishing edge) creates an illusion wherein the water surface appears to vanish into the air at the end of the pool. When you sit at the fireplace area, the water’s edge will be at eye level. It will seem like you are “in the water.”
Likewise, when you are in the pool, because of the negative edge, the patio will appear to be “in” the pool.
This visual effect has a practical function as well. It allows the pool and the fireplace to co-exist comfortably close to each other in this somewhat limited space.
Two: Take Advantage of Existing Conditions in the Landscape
This small backyard pool design integrates a waterfall with boulders into the picture. The waterfall and boulders will naturally define the far end of the pool.
It is worth noting that this waterfall feature makes use of an existing condition on the site–the hillside. The designer used what was already there to benefit the design.
Three: Employ Visual Variety
The pool basin itself is fairly complex in both design and construction. Even for a lagoon style pool, this design employs many curving edges and walls—and a curved basin as well.
There are submerged ledges and steps. A diving ledge and boulders will be integrated into the surface concrete and patio work.
Four: Employ Landscaping Features to Soften the Edges
The pool is much closer to the house than we would like ideally. So the landscaping plan calls for tall grasses, drift roses and weeping tree specimens to ease the transition from indoors to outdoors and mask the view of the house from the pool.
These aesthetic effects contribute a lot to the functionality and appeal of this swimming pool for a small backyard. All together they make a beautifully composed and balanced pool environment that feels good to be in.
The Sculpture of the Pool: Where Creativity & Technology Meet
Even in unfinished form, a lagoon style swimming pool is an impressive piece of in-ground sculpture. And, while lagoon style pools give off an inviting and natural look, they are the result of a sophisticated construction technique and a multi-step process.
The eight basic steps in concrete swimming pool construction are:
- Site Preparation & Excavation
- Plumbing & Electrical Rough-In
- Steel Forms
- Gunite (concrete)
- Pool Tile & Coping
- Pool Deck installation
- Install Mechanical Equipment
- Interior Finish: Waterproofing and Plaster
We’d like to focus briefly on steps three and four to help you understand how the pool construction contractor uses this technique to sculpt a pool into the form prescribed by the landscape architect.
After excavation and plumbing rough-in, the workers set steel reinforcing bars in the pit and bend them to follow the shape of the pool walls, basin and other features (steps or ledges) prescribed in the design. This steel “basket” will add strength for the next step: concrete.
In swimming pool construction, we use a low moisture type of concrete called Gunite. The Gunite is “shot” from a hose at high velocity to fill the space between the earth walls and steel framework. It is troweled and sculpted to follow the shape formed by the steelwork. So, you can see that this technique makes a wide range of creative expressions available to the designer.
The shape of the pool is carefully designed and construction is planned out, because the Gunite shooting happens rapidly. The workers have to be really on the ball. Workers move quickly to shape the Gunite as it is blown into place.
Building a Swimming Pool for a Small Backyard Adds a Layer of Complexity To Landscape Design
The constraints of the site in this Herndon project set the direction for design. But any landscape design that includes a swimming pool is going to require finesse. As you can see from the construction details we included, there are multiple steps and multiple parties involved. So it’s imperative that they work well together. We at Surrounds entrust many of our swimming pool installations to Town & Country Pools. It’s important for us to work with partners who are as invested in the success of our clients’ wishes as we are.
If you’d like to explore ideas for adding a swimming pool that is artfully woven into the fabric of your landscape, download our ebook “Build Your Dream Inground Pool: The Ultimate Guide to Success”
Or, schedule a consultation with one of our landscape architects to discuss your backyard pool and landscape design project.
Frequently Asked Questions About Swimming Pool Design for Small Backyards in Northern Virginia
In recent years, Northern Virginia homeowners have been investing in personalized outdoor living spaces for family play, entertaining guests, and privacy. Inground swimming pools are one of the most frequently requested amenities for these luxury landscapes.
1 Can you build an inground swimming pool in a small backyard?
Yes. A skilled landscape architect can design a custom inground swimming pool that fits a small backyard without overwhelming the space. Creative pool shapes, carefully planned dimensions, and thoughtful landscaping can make even a limited backyard suitable for a swimming pool.
2 What is the best swimming pool shape for a small backyard?
The best shape depends on your property’s dimensions, terrain, and existing landscape features. Freeform or lagoon-style swimming pools can be especially effective in small backyards because their curved edges can accommodate irregular spaces. A custom design can also incorporate steps, submerged ledges, and other features without requiring a large footprint.
3 Can I add a swimming pool without removing my existing patio or landscaping?
Yes, in many cases. A landscape architect can design a swimming pool around existing patios, retaining walls, outdoor fireplaces, and established plantings. The key is to integrate the new pool into the overall landscape composition rather than treating it as a separate feature.
4 How can you make a small backyard swimming pool look bigger?
Several design techniques can make a small pool area appear more spacious. A negative-edge or infinity-edge pool creates the illusion that the water extends beyond its actual boundaries. Curved pool walls, strategically placed plantings, and carefully coordinated patio elevations can also create a greater sense of depth and openness.
5 Can a small backyard swimming pool include luxury features like waterfalls and natural stone?
Absolutely. A compact swimming pool can incorporate waterfalls, natural boulders, submerged seating ledges, and custom stonework. Existing slopes or hillsides can sometimes be incorporated into waterfall designs. The challenge is selecting and positioning features so they complement the pool without crowding the available space.
About Surrounds Landscape Architecture & Construction
Surrounds is a combined landscape architecture, construction, and landscape maintenance firm. We build what we design and provide ongoing garden care for landscapes we’ve built. Our landscape architects know construction. Our construction and landscape maintenance experts understand design. We believe our all-in-one approach best serves Northern Virginia homeowners because it supports clear communication, creative collaboration, and procedural efficiencies that significantly benefit you, our client.