Benefits to Adding a Pool House

Yes, pool houses or cabanas can increase the value of your home since they add square footage, but there are a lot more benefits to constructing a pool house. Here are just a few of them:

• Keep children (and adults) from tracking water through the house on their way to the bathroom.
• Add a shower and a changing area so you can leave bathing suits in the pool house and keep that chlorine smell out of the main house.
• Make your pool house into a guest house to accommodate overnight visitors.
• Pool houses with kitchens, or at least refrigerators, make it easy to access snacks and drinks without tracking water into the house.
• Pool houses give you a place to store poolside furniture during the off-season.
• They also provide an out-of-the-way place to store unsightly chemicals and pool equipment while keeping them dry.
  

Ready to build? There are no fast rules to how large or complex a pool house needs to be. You may only want a cozy place for storage with perhaps a shower for washing off. On the other hand, you may want a complete entertainment-minded add-on with guest sleeping area, kitchen, and full bath. Smaller projects can often be undertaken by the homeowner. There are numerous web sites that offer pool house plans or pool house designs with the do-it-yourselfer in mind. Plans for outdoor pool houses can usually be obtained fairly cheaply, but you may need to do some modifications to find something that meets your needs.

If you want to install plumbing and electricity, things can start getting more complicated. In these cases you may want a designer and/or contractor to help with the pool house plans and the actual construction. While it is true that a pool house can add to the appraised value of your house, only a professional looking job will impress potential buyers.

Remember, before you start building your pool house, check the regulations and building codes in your area.

Pool House Plan Books:

Yard and Garden Structures: 74 Easy-To-Build Designs for Gazebos, Sheds, Pool Houses, Playsets, Bridges and More
Coventry Pool & Garden House Plans: Plus English Summerhouses