Pool Houses Design Ideas, Inspiration & Considerations

Pool houses are a great addition to large backyards that have the space for them. There are a lot of pool house design routes you can choose too. Below, I guide you through all the benefits of pool houses, pool house types, some of my favorite design ideas, and some tips on making your design come to life. Let’s get started.

Main Benefits

First, let’s cover some of the pros and cons of having a pool house at your home.

Dedicated Changing Area

Nobody wants dripping wet bathing suits leaving trails through the house. A pool house provides a dedicated area for your family, friends, and guests to get changed into and out of their swimsuits right next to the swimming pool.

Additional Restroom

For pretty much the same reason as I stated above, having an additional bathroom next to the pool is a major plus. It’s convenient for your family and guests, and helps keep the main house clean.

Storage

Depending on how you set up your pool house, there is the potential for a lot of additional storage space. You can keep all your pool noodles, pool equipment, pool chemicals, towels, floaties, and other accessories out of your home or garage. That saves a ton of space in your main home! During the winter, you can also store your outdoor furniture in here to keep it protected from inclement weather.

Party Area

If you build a big enough pool house, it can serve as a fun area for you, your kids, and your friends to hang out before, during, and after your pool party.

Offseason Use

Pool houses can be really versatile, so when you’re building one, think about other use cases. Personally, I love the idea of having your pool house double as a home gym or an extra bedroom for out-of-town guests.

Watch Outs

The main “con” to building a pool house is the cost that comes with it. Pool houses can be expensive to build and will add a good chunk to your utility bills and maintenance costs. The additional structure on your property can also potentially increase property insurance costs.

And one last note on safety – a pool house is another area where young children can get into trouble. Make sure you have pool chemicals and other potentially dangerous items locked up tight.

Pool House Design Ideas

This design is super simple and easy to build. It has a nice bar and window set up next to the pool for easy entertaining.

I like the indoor and outdoor mixed-use space of this pool house.

Very cute and simple pool house with room for storage and a nice little seating area outside.

This pool house likely doubles as a guest house. You also see a big area for entertaining just inside the wide opening.

This pool house has a great shaded entertaining area on the right side. Inside, it’s big enough to have room for storage and entertaining.

I love the open concept of this pool house. Restroom and changing area on the right side, fireplace in the center, and a kitchen and entertaining area on the left side.

The wood-burning stove is the centerpiece of this pool house. If you do a lot of outdoor cooking, you could think about a similar concept.

This is a great example of a modern pool house design. Outdoor showers on the right side, storage and restrooms in the middle, and a cool hangout area on the left.

This pool house is definitely the party palace. It has a dining area, an entertaining area with TVs, and a rooftop.

This is an old greenhouse converted into a pool house. Very cool concept if you want to reuse something similar.

I like the simplicity of this design and how it blends in with the other privacy features around the swimming pool.

I threw this photo in here because I see a lot of pool houses opt for retractable glass windows to open up the space. This feature can be a nice touch for the right design concept.

I love the colorful barn doors as well to achieve a similar effect as the retractable glass.

Building a Pool House

I always recommend consulting a professional contractor and talking with your neighbors or friends who have built a pool house before diving headfirst into this project. A design consultant or contractor can guide you through design blueprints that incorporate all the features you want, talk about pricing, and the construction process. From there, I would comparison shop between a few contractors to find the best one.

I know there are some of y’all who are hardcore DIYers, though. I am working on a DIY pool house guide that I’ll link here soon once it’s published.

That’s about it for pool houses. Have questions? Feel free to drop me a line. You can head to my main pool design ideas research for more inspiration.