A house plan, or blueprint, is a set of construction or working drawings that will define all the construction specifications of a home including:

• Dimensions
• Layout
• Materials
• Installation methods
• Techniques

Because a swimming pool can be a sizeable installation (and can be a large investment), it makes sense to tack it onto your existing plans. Here’s why.

All of the construction (and landscaping!) can be done at once

Having a major construction project going is already disruptive. It’s noisy and messy and there are builders and materials everywhere at any given time. To reduce the disruption done to your home, it makes sense to add a pool to your plans if you are considering adding one anyway in the next few years. That way, not only will it be incorporated into the design, you won’t have to landscape once and then re-landscape again a few years down the line.

It gives you more choice in terms of design

All properties have a finite amount of space to work with, but when a homeowner is starting with a blank slate, they can prioritise their property layout from the beginning. This means they can dedicate more space to the pool and surrounding area than they would normally be able to if there was an existing building in place. That means you have more choice in the pool size, type and shape, and, because there is no existing landscaping to work around either, you can really craft the pool of your dreams in a way that’s rarely possible when installing it into an existing build.

You save money

While building a new home costs a lot of money, homeowners will end up saving in the long run in a myriad of ways. For example, your landscaping will only have to be done once. If your site will be difficult to access once the home is built, you get a unique window of time to get your pool in place without having to resort to cranes or other creative solutions. You can also take advantage of having professionals, like electricians, already on-site that can plan and execute surrounding electrical work accordingly.

You have more flexibility with positioning the pool

Starting with a blank canvas allows you to really play with the positioning of the pool itself. You can also build your home to reflect the fact that a pool will be a long-term focal point. Taking a pool into consideration may affect how you build out access points (incorporating doors and patios) and views (pool-facing windows) into the architectural design of the house. You’ll also be able to reflect on how you use the pool and that may too affect the pool positioning. For example, if you want to use areas around the pool for al fresco dinner parties, positioning the pool with easy access to the new home’s kitchen may be a smart move.

You may spend less on materials

When homeowners buy in bulk, they tend to save money. That means if a pool is incorporated into the design early on in the process, and building happens in tandem with the house, homeowners may be able to spend a little less on a variety of materials, from cement to tiles, etc. What’s more, the materials will be able to match perfectly with the home. If you wait a few years or more, some types of materials may get discontinued, leaving certain design elements feeling disjointed.