When you start thinking of hardscape projects including a new pool in your backyard, you may be focused on things like the shape of the pool, the tile you want to have around the border, or the materials you want to use for the decking. But one of the most important things that you’ll need to establish first is the project grade for the pool. It’s not one of the exciting components of planning and building your pool, but it is an essential step that will influence the design and functionality of your pool in the long term.
What is Project Grade?
Grade refers to the natural slope of the land. Your pool designer will first need to determine the grade of your yard to know where to place the pool and what measures will need to be taken to accommodate the pool.
You may not think that you have much slope in your yard, but the land can drop off significantly over a large space, which can have a big impact on what is possible for your pool design. Any slope – gradual or steep – doesn’t mean that building a pool will not be possible. It just means that you may need additional measures to accommodate the slope, such as tiered pool decking or retaining walls.
Hardscaping to Accommodate Grade
Usually, a pool will need to be built below grade. That’s because it requires a lot of support to build it above grade – which makes the project much more expensive and time-consuming. However, that also means that certain hardscaping elements may need to be put in place to manage the earth that is there, such as curbs, retaining walls, and more. A pool can never act as a dam for water draining. Certain planning and building techniques such as “perching” may come into play and makes planning beforehand that much more important.
It is important that you work closely with a hardscaping professional to understand what is needed in the space. Not only should all the elements come together to create a beautiful design, but they should also allow for the proper flow of water. Otherwise, you may have water getting blocked up that puts pressure on hardscaping elements and creates damage, or you may have water standing in the yard instead of draining.
Choosing the Right Hardscaping Materials
Once you know the right design for your pool, taking into consideration the grade, you can get to the fun part of choosing the materials for your hardscaping. Triad Associates can help you with both parts of this process, including the design of the hardscaping and the selection of the appropriate materials. Our hardscaping experts will be able to help you create the right design for your project grade and to install the materials properly so that you get the right drainage around your pool.
We’ll then help you to select the beautiful stones or other hardscaping materials that will give you a sophisticated look that will last a long time to come. You can create a truly stunning design for your pool that works perfectly with your natural landscape. You just need the right experts on your side, and the trusted professionals at Triad Associates are ready to help.
