House Review: Pool Houses & Cabanas – Home Building

Outdoor living spaces endure as a priority for many clients when planning a home. Because pools remain one of the most common outdoor areas, pool houses and cabanas become a natural focal point. Just as the kitchen is the dominant feature inside the home, an outdoor kitchen becomes an important part of the backyard. With the introduction of weather-resistant furniture, outdoor living rooms now rival interior spaces with tile or polished concrete floors, fireplaces, and even flat-screen televisions. The following ideas from our House Review team range from basic entertainment pavilions to structures that can easily double as stand-alone guest quarters. Each provides outdoor spaces with the functionality and comfort of an indoor living area.

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ARCHITECTRichard Handlen, AIA, LEED APEDI Internationalrichard.handlen@edi-international.comedi-international.com415.362.2880

PLAN SIZEWidth: 35 feetDepth: 14 feet, 4 inchesLiving area: 1,000 sf

This pool house is both an escape and a guest house. Downhill from the main house, it provides a retreat from the daily grind and a private place for guests to come and go without interrupting the household. Strict development limitations imposed by the jurisdiction required that half the floor area be below grade. The upper floor is a party pavilion with supporting bath and laundry facilities. Two sides of the pavilion open to the southwest with large awning doors. These lead to the pool deck and outdoor kitchen. The deck expands when the pool cover rises from the bottom and meshes with and matches the paving. The lower-level houses a bedroom suite that opens out to a sunken courtyard and open air stairway leading back up to the pool area.

A. Parking area shielded from the main house by the pool houseB. Party pavilion with a full kitchen and central island focusing on a large-screen TV above the stair rail. Two sides open up with awning doors facing the sun and pool patioC. Laundry area for both pool and guest house useD. Bath opens directly to the pool deck and also connects with the houseE. Lap pool as retaining wall waterfall. Pool floor rises up with the press of a button to form a cover and expand the surface of the patioF. Bedroom suite opens out to the lower courtyardG. Sunken courtyard with stairway leads up to the pool deck

DESIGNERGary IltisResidential Design Conceptsgaryrcdesign@gmail.com713.598.0964

PLAN SIZEWidth: 30 feetDepth: 20 feetLiving area: 545 sf

Adjacent to the swimming pool and designed for informal outdoor gatherings, this pavilion offers a compact space for grilling, dining, and conversation. The combination of stone and brick along with tile flooring and granite countertops provides for low maintenance. The 12-foot vaulted ceiling adds to the feeling of spaciousness.

A. Pavilion exterior uses a combination of stone and brick for the fireplace and column basesB. Kitchen area offers a sink, grilling area, refrigerator, keg tap, and granite countertopC. Sitting area features a stone fireplace with a flat-screen television above it. The TV is placed in a cabinet for protection from the elements. The ceiling is vaulted from 9 feet to 12 feet in heightD. Dining area

ARCHITECTThe Evans GroupDonald Evans, AIAdevans@theevansgroup.comtheevansgroup.com407.650.8770

PLAN SIZEWidth: 40 feetDepth: 94 feetLiving area: 2,046 sf (optional 109 sf pool cabana)

This is the ultimate indoor-outdoor home, wrapping around a private and lushly landscaped pool courtyard, with 560 square feet of covered outdoor space. It lives larger than its square footage and boasts an open floor plan with lots of natural light throughout. The outdoor living environment is fully screened and provides space for a pool and fountain as well as a garden, outdoor dining room, outdoor seating areas, complete outdoor kitchen, and an area for sunbathing. The flex option, which enables creating a pool house from the garage storage, adds even more flexibility and space to this floor plan. The plan proves that a courtyard home with a separate pool house and cabana neednt be large and can be right-sized for todays market and buyers.

A. True courtyard home with fully screened-in outdoor livingB. Pool with fountain feature, garden, seating, and diningC.Outdoor cool kitchen with a seating bar, grill, refrigerator, wine refrigerator, and sinkD. Garage storage space flexes to become a pool house, with sliding glass doors opening to the pool area

ARCHITECTGMD Design GroupScott Gardner, AIAscott@gmddesigngroup.com919.320.3022Donnie McGrathdonnie@gmddesigngroup.comgmddesigngroup.com770.375.7351

PLAN SIZEWidth: 45 feetDepth: 18 feetLiving area: 749 sf

This multifunction cabana is designed to provide indoor-outdoor living. The cabana interior has a small sleeping area for a guest and a large open area for relaxing and entertaining. There is a covered porch, and an outdoor fireplace and arbor complete the outdoor living experience.

A. PoolB. Pool deckC. Arbor with seating areaD. Outdoor fireplaceE. Covered porchF. Open living and eating areaG. Bath with direct access to the exterior and interiorH. Guest suite

ARCHITECTTodd Hallett, AIA, CAPSTK Design & Associatesthallett@tkhomedesign.comtkhomedesign.com248.446.1960

PLAN SIZEWidth: 44 feet, 4 inchesDepth: 28 feetCovered area: 561 sfBath: 78 sfStorage: 90 sf

The entertainment industry has poked fun at the luxury of owning a pool cabana (Oh, cabana boy ...). Its amusing, yet with as many pool houses as our firm has completed, weve never encountered that particular client profile or attitude. Most pool houses are used by families to entertain while keeping an eye on the little ones as they splash and carry on. A well-designed pool house should be as functional as it is great-looking. Its job is to provide both shelter from the sun as well as the amenities required to make the outdoor space as enjoyable as possible.

A. Large covered area protects the family from UV rays while allowing high visibility. The spaceis designed for a large farm table bookended by two flanking seating areasB. On the back wall, a large TV is great for watching sports and providing a little background noiseC. Built-in cabinetry offers plenty of storage and a framework for outdoor kitchen appliancesD. An outdoor shower is a nice way to clean off the chlorine (or salt) without soaking an interior spaceE. Bath is large enough for a changing area and is designed for privacyF. Storage area is large enough to hold pool toys and unsightly pool equipment

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House Review: Pool Houses & Cabanas - Home Building