This cabana was designed and erected by myself and my Husband Paul, with the engineering & welding expertise of a very talented friend, to compliment the pool yard so that the pool is able to be enjoyed and the dining and entertaining area is accessible to the pool (which is great for parents watching their children swimming).
The inclusion of an entertaining area inside the pool fence is such an asset to any pool space, so when you are designing your new pool yard make sure that you put some serious thought into having space inside the fence. One thing I find so baffling is a stunning pool very tightly surrounded by its fence. Not only does this segregate the loungers from the swimmers, it also means less room for run ups and bombs- one of the greatest pool entries there is!
LED down lights were chosen for the lighting in the cabana as they were non-descript and blended in well with the ceiling. The focus was then not taken away from the other features in the pool yard, such as the tongue and groove VJ ceiling, the sandstone pavers and the stunning pool itself. The LED down lights are energy efficient and offer fantastic lighting for this outdoor dining space. The addition of a ceiling fan not only makes the space more comfortable as it ensured that air was moving and a breeze generated but it was also a fabulous way of keeping the flies, mosquitoes and bugs away while outside enjoying the summer days. Both the ceiling fan and the LED down lights were also wired to a remote control so that they could be switched on from inside the house or out in the pool yard- what luxury! (and I haven’t even mentioned the hard wired outdoor speakers connected straight to the TV and entertainment unit inside- the pluses of being hooked up with a sparky!)
The pool itself was also fitted out with LED pool lights which were placed on the pool wall which is closest to the house. By placing the pool lights on this wall of the pool only it meant that the pool glowed gloriously at night and you weren’t blinded by two round “headlights” – such a fantastic thought. The view from the kitchen bi-fold window was quite stunning.
So much thought goes into lighting design that you have probably never had to think of if you haven’t tackled it as a project yourself. So ensure you put a lot of thought into lighting choices in your outdoor spaces as well as other electrical inclusions such as hard wired weather proof speakers, ceiling fans, sensors and timers. It is only a minor extra for your electrician but it is a lifetime of convenience and luxury for you and your family living in your home. And communicate with your tradies; remember they do this every day so they know the ins and outs very well.
(Don’t these pics just make you crave summer? Get cracking now so its all ready for lazy summer days come November)
