Gazebos and Patios and Cabanas, Oh My!!
Some swimming pools,
including every Kayak Pools Midwest above ground swimming pool, come
complete with some form of pool decking that provides additional space for
guests and pool accessories like chairs or tables. But when it comes time to provide even more
space through intelligent swimming pool landscaping, your choices suddenly
become exciting. And a little daunting.
There's a lot to
consider-space, price, how the additional landscaping will be used-all
considerations when choosing among the following three popular additions to
swimming pool landscaping.
Gazebo: A traditional gazebo is an
octagonal structure (eight sides) usually built of weatherproof wood materials
and traditional roofing. Since gazebos
tend to be taller rather than wider, they can provide simple shade, basic
shelter, and make for an attractive addition to your swimming pool landscaping
without eating up a significant amount of real estate. While more ornate styles and materials are
available, a gazebo often represents the lowest cost-per-square-foot among the
choices seen here.
Cabana: Think of a cabana as a gazebo
that's been super-sized. It's a
free-standing structure with a traditional, cedar or thatched-material roof,
surrounded by walls that can be solid, draped or partially open to the outside
air. Cabana's can be wooden, steel, or
aluminum and often feature creature comforts such as electricity, fans,
plumbing, ample seating, even television, stereos or refreshment bars. A cabana is a covered oasis adjacent to your
swimming pool that adds flair and convenience to your swimming pool landscape. While the basic structure itself may only be
slightly more expensive than a traditional gazebo, additional costs for
additional comforts in a cabana can elevate the price. Elements can be added over time, however, to
ease the size of your initial investment.
Patio: Spanish for "back garden" or
"backyard", the patio is a versatile addition to swimming pool landscaping,
simply because it can be built in a wide variety of shapes, and out of a wide
variety of materials. Patios are usually
made of poured concrete or stone slabs/bricks called "pavers". Laid over a firm base of gravel, sand and
mortar, patios can be square, ovular, rectangular, narrow, wide-whatever the
landscape demands or needs to add additional space for people, seating,
barbecues, umbrellas, even decorative planters.
Costs for patios can vary greatly based on the design and the materials
you use-as well as whether or not you do the work yourself or hire a
professional contractor.
No matter what the
addition to your swimming pool landscaping, be sure to check with your local
borough or township to verify the need for additional building permits, and if
doing jobs yourself, remember that your handiwork must meet the same standards
as local building codes.
If you have the
backyard space for additional swimming pool landscaping, and need more alternatives
for best using your backyard space, then consider the addition of a gazebo,
cabana or patio to your backyard to add recreation space, flair and a little
pizzazz to your swimming pool landscape.
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