Must See Ideas for Hardscaping Around Your Pool

So you’ve decided it’s time to add a pool to your backyard, and you can’t wait to enjoy the long summer days, relaxing evenings, and fun family gatherings. However, the pool is only one part of making your dreams a reality; you have to consider how you want the area around the pool to function and feel. That’s where your hardscape comes into play. Hardscapes are the non-living landscape features around your pool, like pavers, concrete, fire pits, stairs, built-in benches, decks, and more. 

We like to think of hardscape as the backdrop for the rest of your landscape features, which is why it’s an important part of your pool landscape design. As experts in landscaping around pools, we have a lot of ideas and inspiration to help you decide what your pool design could be, as well as ideas for how to add landscaping around your pool.

Best Pool Hardscape Ideas for a Stunning Outdoor Space

Planning your pool hardscape means planning the backdrop for every other element in your pool design, so it’s important to have a solid idea of how you want your final result to look and feel. We’ve gathered some of the best ideas from our projects to help you find inspiration before you start your project! 

Add Some Fun With Pool Hardscaping

Your hardscape is a visual feature, but it can also be the focus of the fun! In this backyard pool, the hardscape includes the poolhouse, with a rope swing, a double retaining wall, and a couple of custom water fountains. Overall, this is one of the most fun ways to use hardscaping in your pool design. 

Add A Water Feature With Hardscape

What’s better than one waterfall in your custom pool? Two waterfalls into your custom pool. We loved designing this double waterfall feature, but don’t forget the in-pool hot tub and the custom jumping platform, which add more variety to the space. 

Fire Features For Poolside Fun

This hardscape design enhances the pool space in three ways: with a fireplace, hot tub, and waterfall. The firepit near the hot tub makes this space usable year-round, making it easy to enjoy a winter dip. Of course, the soothing sounds of the waterfall make for a unique and fun addition to the pool. 

Add Entertainment Space With Hardscaping

Add tons of entertainment space to your backyard with a well-designed hardscape. This backyard features several separate entertainment spaces, custom planters, built-in seating, and plenty of room to lounge all summer long. 

Add Your Aesthetic To Your Space

It’s the details that bring out your individual style, and that couldn’t be more true for this pool’s hardscape. With neutral tones in the gravel and pavers, clean lines, and repetition, this space showcases the owner’s preference for a simple, modern design. 

Unique Features Through Hardscape

Sometimes, hardscaping is the best way to add features that are truly unique to you, like this water sphere we added to a client’s backyard pool. This is one of the most fun additions we’ve created for a client, and it took some ingenuity and creativity. Thankfully, we love to strengthen our design and engineering skills, so any unique feature you want in your pool hardscaping, we can make happen! 

Maximize Your Pool Space With Hardscape

When you think of installing a pool, you have to think about the area around it, and this project features one of the best layouts we’ve designed for pool hardscaping. Note the multiple entertainment spots, including a dining area. There’s also a sport court in the back, but with a retaining wall with trees, it feels separate and accessible at the same time. Of course, the custom, in-ground hot tub is one of our favorite features, and we love how sleek and effortless the whole design feels. 

Combining Hardscaping and Landscaping Around Your Pool

Remember, hardscape is the background for the rest of your landscape, including the plants, shrubs, lawn, and flowers you add to your space.  Note that in all of our projects, the hardscape helped to accentuate the landscape elements and create “rooms” in the yard to designate activities. 

For example, one project features a retaining wall with trees, creating a visual barrier between the pool and the sport court. Using both hardscape features (the retaining wall) and landscape features (the trees), we were able to make the space functional for the homeowners. Landscape and hardscape features should ideally have the same color palette and design style to ensure the space feels cohesive. For example, a yucca plant’s straight, uniform lines pair beautifully with the straight lines and neutral color of a white square paver, creating a cohesive and thoughtful final design. 

Hardscaping for Pools FAQs

What is the best hardscaping material for pool areas?

Depending on your space and needs, many options could work, but high-quality concrete pavers or porcelain tile pavers are some of the best. 

What are the most popular pool hardscape ideas?

Fire pits, custom planters, custom diving boards, water features, waterfalls, and raised hot tubs near the pool are some of our favorite options for popular hardscape ideas. 

How do I design a hardscape around my pool?

Define your style and budget, then search for inspiration online. Ultimately, we recommend hiring a landscape contractor to help design your pool hardscape. 

What are the benefits of using pavers for hardscaping around pools?

Pavers can be a cost-effective option around a pool and offer many colors, types, and styles to create a custom look. 

How do I create a low-maintenance pool landscape?

Hardscape is a low-maintenance option for pool landscapes. Add greenery, dimension, and color with native plants and unique features like built-in benches and planters. 

What plants are best for landscaping around pools?

This is somewhat dependent on your location (for example, a bird of paradise is a lovely choice, but it will only do well in more tropical or humid environments), but overall, look for succulents, trees that don’t shed too much debris, plants that don’t attract bees, and low-growing shrubs that tolerate heat and water well. This is another area where the right pool landscaping contractor can help you figure out your best option. 

Create Your Dream Pool Area with Big Rock Landscaping

Hardscape is one of our favorite features to add to pool plans as the backdrop for the rest of your landscape design. We love helping our clients find the style, colors, features, and functions of their hardscape design for their pools, and we take pride in finding custom options for every request. 

We’ve been designing and installing pools using our combined decades of experience, and we’d love the chance to help you make your dream pool come to life. Find out how we can make your pool perfect by contacting us today for your free consultation with one of our landscaping design experts. We can’t wait to hear from you and bring your pool dreams into reality.