Yes, a huge, impressive pool can be #backyardgoals, but it might not be the most practical thing, especially when you consider location and how much time and money you want to spend on maintenance. That’s what designer Emily Henderson and her family thought when they were doing a big overhaul of their property in Portland, Oregon—which included shrinking the sports court; adding a pool area, pool house, garden, and flagstone pathway all around the whole property; and putting in a new healthy lawn in the front.
Kaitlin Green
“When we first closed on the farm, the innocent fantasies for the property began. With almost 3 acres we technically have the land for a big old pool. But living in the Pacific Northwest it doesn’t make as much sense to spend that kind of money or space to stare at a pool cover eight months of the year,” Emily explains. “At the same time, thanks to climate change, the summers are now crazy hot, and while there are rivers and public pools, the heat last summer reignited the pool question with the same ‘it just doesn’t make sense for us’ conclusion.” Emily says she even considered a bio-dynamic swimming pool, but realized that…
