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"Quick Advice for Swimming Pools"
Dear Miss Wydra
I love reading all
your books on feng-shui but I can't seem to find
anything relating to building a swimming pool.
We are about to build
a pool soon and I wonder if it matters where the pool
should be supposed to be situated since we don't have
much space in the backyard, nor can we choose the shape
of the pool. Since the pool company already
predetermines these factors, all we could do is modify
the landscaping around the pool area.
Would you be so kind
enough to give me some advice on landscaping features
around or outside the pool area in the yard?
Sincerely
CD, Houston, TX
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Dear Claire,
With summer on the
wane, it is a good time to begin planning next year’s
addition. Since you haven’t included a site plan so I
can make recommendations on your specific location, I
will use this opportunity to help all those planning a
pool on landscapes choices since zoning dictates
location most of the time and lot size, shape and budget
often limit shape.
The most important
consideration in planning a pool is to integrate it with
the contiguous indoor living space. The flow from inside
to outside should be as easy as it is to walk from the
kitchen into the dining room. I have seen pools set so
far away from the house that it is a chore getting there
or pools with small steps leading from the home making
the single file journey seem more like a parade than a
ramble.
Therefore first
consider how to make the entrance from the home
commodious and appropriate. You don’t want to have to
enter an area where dripping or dirty feet would upset
the scene or the occupants. A hallway leading into a
dressing and bathroom area is ideal.
The next consideration
is the amount of shade around the pool. With knowledge
of sun’s affect, many of us try to stay in the shade
most of the outdoor time. Plantings which will either
grow quickly or trellises, which can become shelters are
ideal to plan ahead. Often companies will cement
completely around the perimeter of the pool leaving
little available dirt for plantings. As a rule of thumb,
I suggest up to two thirds of the perimeter shady,
especially the shallow end where children are apt to
play for longer periods of time.
Lastly the shape of
anything can be altered by the color of the surrounding
materials. For example, where is it written that one
material has to be used for the whole circumference.
Perhaps designing one area game playing, one for
lounging and one for pool side dining would be the
divides making a change in flooring natural. Other
suggestions would be to shape the surface surrounding
the pool so that a straight edge is curved.
Placing planters
following a curved line can also create shaping the
perimeter’s edge. Here’s to summer and the
joys of living with a swimming pool.
Best,
Nancilee Wydra
Nancilee Wydra is
the most published American author on feng shui. Her
last two books are "Feng Shui Goes to the
Office" March 2000 and "Feng Shui for
Children's Spaces," November 2000. She teaches
nationwide professional certification classes (www.windwater.com)
and has a free Website
with 100 answers to the most frequently asked feng shui
questions, (www.EfengshuiUSA.com).
She can be reached at 1-888-488-FSIA
Read
Nancilee's Current "RX for Living" Column
Nancilee's July 2000 "RX for Living" Column
Nancilee's June 2000 "RX for Living" Column
Read
Nancilee's Feature Articles at
SoulfulLiving.com:
How Can You Uncover Another's Authentic Self?
Creating
a Soulful Garden
Spring,
When the World Wakes Up
What
is the Size of Your Soul?
Some of Nancilee's Book
Titles:
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