Swimming Pool Fencing Placement

Swimming pool fencing is often an afterthought when designing a pool. However, thought should be given to fence placement early on. It might be an important contributing factor in deciding where to place the swimming pool itself!

There are two main options as to where to place pool fencing.

• The first choice is to connect the fencing to your house corners, extending it out towards your side property borders. It would then follow the side and rear property lines. Your entire back yard will be enclosed.
• The second choice is to fence strictly around the pool itself, placing it either close to the pool or, if you have the property, further away.
  
  
  So what are the pros and cons of each one?
  

Swimming Pool Fencing Around The Property

• When installing swimming pool fences around your entire rear property, you can connect the fence to the rear or front corners of your house.
• Once you have decided where, extend the fencing out towards the sides of your property to the property line.
• The fencing would then turn, extend along the side property borders, continuing along the rear line.

If you connect the swimming pool fence to the front house corners, you have just captured your side yard as part of your backyard.

This provides a larger backyard and useful space, since the sides are within the fencing. Attaching the fencing to the rear corners, allows your side property to be visible from the street and makes your front look larger.

Look at space and decide which way would work best for your particular land.

If you have a side entry garage, it makes sense to connect at the rear, otherwise you will have fencing going across your driveway. You can also fence your entire property, both front and back, but you will need a gate across your driveway.

If you have small children or if you anticipate many children as visitors to your pool, you will not have the gate as a safety factor. They can exit a door and immediately enter the pool area. Some people are not comfortable with this. However, for others this is not a main concern.

Another disadvantage to this type of fence placement is that it is more costly since more fencing is being installed. If you have woods around your property, you might consider using black vinyl chain link fencing where it is not that visible. It is about one third the cost of the black aluminum fencing, which resembles wrought iron.

Also see:

Types of Fencing
Aluminum Fencing

Fencing Around the Pool

See video of this award winning pool design.

This type of swimming pool fencing segregates the pool from the rest of your backyard. It encloses the pool and the swimming pool landscape.

It is often difficult to expand the fencing and not have it cut up your yard; therefore, the fencing is placed relatively close to the pool.

That's not to say that it can't be designed so that there are both plantings and lawn area inside of the fence. You just must give it more thought so that your yard does not get chopped up and so that it is placed in an aesthetically pleasing way.

• If the property has the space, I do like to include lawn in the pool area. It gives the swimming pool landscape a more spacious feeling.
• Remember to provide a gate for the mower to get through.
• To soften the fence, it's a nice idea to plant on both the inside of the fence and on the outside. Looking directly at a fence, even if it is a beautiful design, gives a hard appearance.

Create an inviting path to the pool entry fencing. Make the area a desired place to go to. Consider an arbor with vines growing over it as part of the swimming pool fencing. This might be viewed from your patio or home and it can be a lovely architectural element. How about a beautiful gate? There are many attractive ones available, such as a moon gate. The idea is to make the swimming pool landscape area a special one.

Pool Safety

Different municipalities have different pool codes and swimming pool fence requirements. There are many that require a house alarm to go off upon opening doors if your fencing is not securely around the pool. In addition, there are different code requirements as to fence heights. Check with the zoning department where you reside regarding the pool safety fence.

Fencing on a Slope

Fencing must follow the grade of the land. There are two ways to install it if your property has a sloped area.

• If you are using board or rail fencing, it can just follow the land from section to section. This is typical of horse fencing. The top will look somewhat sloped like the land it is following.
• However, if you choose wood, aluminum or black vinyl chain link, it looks better if it is stepped. This means that each fence section steps down, providing all sections to be level at the top. If your land slopes downward, each subsequent section is lower than the last.

Pool fencing should be integrated with your entire pool landscape. Once again, consider its placement when first starting to think about your pool. This way all of the design elements will work together to help create a cohesive and beautiful project.

Also see my page on Pool Pictures

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