This article looks at 10 of the best swim spa installation ideas to help you…
9 Above Ground Swim Spa Landscaping Ideas
Looking for some ideas to create your Backyard Oasis? Check out these 9 above ground swim spa landscaping ideas.
Above-ground swim spas have been slowly becoming some of the best backyard decors on the market. These swim spas come on all different levels and costs, starting at the most simple swim spa ideas out there and turning into some of the most luxury-based swim spa ideas.
It can take hours and hours of thorough research and picture scanning to get a nice vision board of ideas going, but no one wants to waste time. Turn your outdoor living space into an overall magical space with these top swim spa backyard landscaping ideas, and also check out the best swim spa brands
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9 Swim Spa Ideas For Your Landscaping Vision Boards
1. Should It Have Decking?
When first looking into creating a swim spa space in your backyard, the most traditional thought is a deck. Whether your idea is a basic wood deck or a luxury wood deck, it’s a well-planned and easily installable option. This is one of the most popular swim spa deck ideas that homeowners consider.
One important aspect of creating a custom deck for your pool spa is dimensions. Since these spas aren’t the same as regular pools and come in various sizes and shapes, understanding the dimensions can come to be quite the challenge. If you’re planning on integrating a deck with your new spa, read more here to obtain a deep understanding of the dimensions.
Pro Insight • Epic Hot Tubs Service Team
“When we build a deck around a swim spa, the detail people forget is service access. Leave a removable panel or an open step-out on the equipment side so the pump, filter, and control pack stay within reach. Boxing the cabinet in on all four sides looks great on day one and turns a routine filter change into a demolition job a year later.”
2. Bar Integration Could Change Everything
Now, if you love entertaining and your guests love being entertained by you, this might be your best bet for designing your spa pool area. Creating an outdoor space where guests feel welcome is sometimes difficult to accomplish. Not so for this cohesive backyard design. Using beautiful wood paneling to create a bar surrounding your spa will be amazing for your next backyard retreat. Use bar stools to have a comfortable and inviting space for your guests.
3. Place It Directly on the Lawn
If you have a lush green backyard, it might be a great idea to set your swim spa directly on the lawn itself. The best part about a swim spa is it naturally fits anywhere. Perfect for both a nighttime and daytime swim, a lawn landscaping plan works great with a larger swim spa. One of the best parts about putting the swim spa on the lawn is that swim spa buyers are able to have flowers and other greenery surrounding the pool itself, making for quite the stunning swim spa installation.
4. Everything Is Better with a Little Stone
Stone is an absolutely mesmerizing swim spa installation idea. Stone is beautiful no matter where you put it, especially in your exclusive space. If you have plenty of space to create a stone patio around your swim spa, our experts highly recommend it.
5. Raise It Up | Swim Spas and a Raised Base
A raised base swim spa is beautiful and can literally be designed to your heart’s content. This amazing swim spa installation is easy and will make your swim spa experience much more enjoyable. When we say can be designed to the heart’s content, we mean it can be surrounded by brick, rock, or wood paneling.
Along with that, the raised base will help to keep your swim spa incorporated with your outdoor living space. It can be great for a super fun pool party and, make an incredible backyard feature.
6. Do You Need a Shelter?
There are so many benefits provided by having a shelter over your swim spa, but there are also some aspects that some spa owners aren’t too fond of.
Thankfully, our experts have come up with some recommendations to avoid running into this problem! One idea is to try an awning rather than a full-blown shelter. Another option is to install a ground-level patio with shade. This will help to have the best of both worlds. The options are really endless, and the best way to decide is to determine what fits best with your backyard renovations and overall backyard landscape design.
7. Don’t Let Your Swim Spa Fall Into the Background, Make It a Feature
Making your swim spa a central feature to the overall aesthetic of your backyard could be a make or break for some households. If this is your case, then take some of this advice to create the best possible swim spa experience for the look and size of your backyard.
In order to make it a feature, you’ll need to help it to blend in, but also stand out. With the proper, beautiful swim spa installation, this shouldn’t be too difficult. You’ll want to consider how much of your backyard the swim spa requires. Then, you can choose how to make your swim spa a feature without it dominating your entire backyard.
8. Privacy, Privacy, Privacy
Make your swim spa into one of the most intimate areas of your household. Using the proper privacy techniques will make it an optimal place to escape from the day-to-day, regular life.
The best options for a private space are privacy plants or shrubs, and privacy screens.
The top three plants that are the best for creating private locations are:
- Bamboo
- Skip Laurel
- Holly
Shrubs can work as privacy screens as well, especially if you plant them into raised beds where they can form a higher wall of foliage. Privacy screens are also an option. These may look artificial or could just be a boring fence.
Whichever you choose, the main idea is to create a private space for yourself and your family.
9. Private, Standalone Swim Spa
Creating a tranquil and private spa pool that is personalized to exactly what you’re looking for is a great option also. The aesthetic of this pool can be made with stone, wood, or bricks. It can be kept small and private.
You can create a private swim spa by placing it inside a small building, like a summer house or large shed. A thick hedge screen could create the same effect.
Deciding Where to Place Your Swim Spa
When deciding on the placement of your swim spa, one should focus on the most space being saved. While the middle of the yard may look very attractive, it’s not necessarily the best place for using most of your space.
Another thing to keep in mind is if you plan to use your swim spa in the colder months. In the colder months, you’re not going to want to run across your yard to get to it. Therefore, keeping it close to the door or entrance of your home is a very good idea. If you need some more ideas or in-depth knowledge of placement, check out this website.
Pro Insight • Epic Hot Tubs Service Team
“The owners who use their swim spa most through winter are the ones who placed it a few steps from the back door, not out in the middle of the yard. Plan the path you will actually walk in January and keep it short, lit, and sheltered. It is also worth standing where you plan to soak and checking the sight lines from neighboring windows before you plant, so your privacy screening ends up exactly where you need it.”
Materials to Use
When planning out the integration of your new swim spa, it’s important to use materials that will fit in with the overall aesthetic of your backyard. Therefore, try to use materials that match with, for example, your patio, house siding, or gazebo. This way it will all be one cohesive environment.
Colors Could Make or Break It
When deciding on colors for your swim spa, there are two main colors you’ll be in charge of choosing. The first is the cabinet, and the second is the interior. Keep in mind that the interior is only seen when the cover is off, while the cabinet on the other hand is seen all the time.
Shape Can Pull It All Together
Making sure that the shape fits with the rest of your yard can be another make or break. Not only will the shape help the swim spa fit into your yard, it will also help to pull the yard together. Most swim spas are rectangular to help with the current flow. But your swim spa deck and installation don’t have to be rectangular. There are many above ground spa ideas that incorporate various shapes to suit different aesthetics.
Bring It Up with Levels
Levels can help smoothly bring that big boxed pool into your yard. It will help to make it fit in smoothly, while also giving off a leveled aesthetic which is overall very pleasing to the eye. By levels, we mean different terraces or broad steps. So, your swim spa could sit at the highest level, while a lower level with seating and loungers camouflages the raised deck holding your spa cabinet.
Make It All Accessible
Just like with a regular hot tub, upkeep often requires maintenance. In order to properly provide maintenance to your swim spa, you’ll need to keep it in a place where it can be easily accessed.
Lighting Will Enhance Any Mood and Aesthetic
String lights, fire pits, and all other lights imaginable are exactly what you need to add to your backyard oasis. Lighting can quickly add life to any aesthetic you put your mind to, making your backyard the perfect destination for a nighttime pool party or for a little nighttime rest and relaxation.
Don’t Forget the Swim Spa Cover
Adding a swim spa cover that will only add to your landscaping aesthetic is almost a no-brainer for creating your backyard’s enchanting place.
Swim Spa Landscaping FAQ
Do you need a deck around an above-ground swim spa?
No, a deck is not required, but it is the most popular way to finish an above-ground swim spa because it hides the cabinet and gives you a level surface to step onto. It is not your only option. You can set the spa directly on the lawn, wrap it in a stone patio, or raise it on a base finished in brick, rock, or wood. Match the choice to the size and style of your yard.
What can you put around an above-ground swim spa?
Plenty. The most common surrounds are a wood deck, a wood-paneled bar with stools for entertaining, a stone patio, and a raised base wrapped in brick, rock, or wood so the unit blends into your outdoor living space. For screening, privacy plants such as bamboo, skip laurel, or holly and privacy screens all work. Use materials that match your patio, siding, or gazebo so everything reads as one cohesive space.
Can you recess an above-ground swim spa into a deck?
Yes. A deck can be built up around the unit so the cabinet sits below the deck surface for a flush, built-in look, and some owners go further and partially sink the spa itself. Whichever route you take, plan for access to the pump and filter, and confirm the framing can carry a full swim spa before you build.
Do these landscaping ideas work for an above-ground hot tub too?
Yes. A hot tub is smaller, but the same ideas carry over: build it into a deck, surround it with stone, screen it with plants for privacy, add levels so it sits into the yard rather than on top of it, and use lighting to set the mood at night. Start from the same question of how the spa should fit the size and style of your backyard.
Conclusion
Swim spas can make some of the best additions to your backyard landscaping. They can be surrounded by plants and grasses, or they can be hiked up on different levels covered in ash-colored bricks. Swim spas may not outweigh the overall traditional pools, but in some cases, they are much more preferred. If you’re not sure which one to go with, check out the differences here. With that in mind, there’s also often a bit of a toss-up between hot tubs and swim spas; read more about that here. Whatever aesthetic fits with your backyard ideas is the best option for you.
Have questions, or want to see options in person? Stop by any of our five North Carolina showrooms and talk it through with our team: Raleigh, Durham, Sanford, Charlotte, or North Charlotte. We are open 7 days a week, no appointment needed.
About The Author:
Richard Horvath
Hot Tub & Spa Expert
Richard has been in the hot tub & spa industry for years. As a long hot tub & swim spa owner himself, Richard has a passion for helping homeowners create their dream backyard.
