This may not sound like ground-breaking information to you, pool fencing has been around for many years.  However, it wasn’t until more recently that our favorite type of fence was introduced, invented actually.  You see, while safety is your primary concern, you don’t necessarily want to sacrifice the looks and flexibility of your patio design and layout.  Your swimming pool landscaping looks great, don’t ruin it with a big block wall or some thick, heavy duty metal fence.  Worse yet, those chain link fences of the past do your patio design ideas no favors.

So, what is a better solution to getting the safety, look and flexibility you want from your fence?  Our favorite is the mesh pool fence.  It goes by other names as well, like safety pool fence.  What you will first notice about it is its relative non-intrusiveness.  This fence will not stick out like an eyesore on your property.  There are several reasons for this.

The mesh fabric of the fence itself, while ‘solid’, is still less visually blocking than a traditional ½” or ¾” tube steel fence.  Plus, since you can get them in black, there is less competition visually for your eyes with regard to the background.  In other words, this means that your landscape will not take a second seat to your pool fencing.

Another key feature of this mesh fencing that makes it great is the way that it is installed.  Even if you have already had your pool for many years, this application can be installed.  The way it is done is using a special tool that bores holes into the pool decking.  It removes cement cylinders that look like core Earth samples.  Then, the fence posts are placed in those holes around your pool.  Because it is flexible to use, your fence can have a more organic shape, rather than straight lines of long spans.  Because of this installation, your pool fence can be removed if you ever need to take it down or remove it for a party or some other reason.

This seems like an elementary point, but you might not know how a plant, shrub or other tree behaves when it is out of season from when you purchase it.  You may fall in love with the colors of the flowers or like the shade that the leaves provide only to be disappointed when you find them plugging up your pool skimmer every other day.

This type of swimming pool landscaping is not available in all climate zones.

The point of having a pool is to be able to enjoy it.  The last thing you want to be hassled with is having to clean all your great landscaping ideas out of your pool time and again.  Sure, you could hire someone to do this or get one of those swimming pool covers, but it will still affect the performance and function of your pool equipment.  Your best bet would be to plan your pool landscaping ideas with respect to your climate and local conditions.

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You can see a lovely tropical setting happening in your backyard patio, with your outdoor fireplace, sitting on your chaise lounge listening to some great tunes, melting the night away.  The only problem is, if you live in a desert or more frost-prone climate, your tropical paradise oasis will quickly turn into a deserted island in the Sahara.  If you don’t match your landscaping to your climate, it will never survive and grow to be what you’d like.

With this in mind, keep native species in mind.  Native plants will do much better because, as their name implies, they have adapted over thousands of years to tolerate the weather conditions in your area.  Aside from this, they will likely bloom and go dormant at the times that would best suit your swimming season as well.  A term that is used for this type of use of native plants and thinking of natural water conservation is called xeriscape.  Xeriscaping can allow you to grow many different species of plants with minimal water use.  We are big fans of not only sustainable products and materials here at Patio Covers Place, but sustainable landscaping as well.  This is a wonderful option for swimming pool landscaping.

Let’s take the desert southwest, for example.  There, you can find structures that could shade your backyard, patio and pool landscape as well.  And, you can also have access to all the water you want – even though using it on landscaping can be considered a slightly irresponsible use of natural resources.  However, you could grow any number of plants and non-native species.  They would require excessive work and also force you to spend more time on them than enjoying your patio or pool.  Desert plants can have a wide variety of color and flowers that can bloom nearly year-round, depending upon species.

Hardscape Elements

This pool landscaping is highlighted by a stamped concrete pool deck and multi-colored gravel with a simple, repeating plant pattern.

There are also ‘hardscape’ features to consider.  In our example here, the plants and trees would be considered the landscaping, while the hardscape could include things like the rock, flagstone or patio pavers you intend to lay, creating some sort of path or walkway.

Great strides have been made in patio concrete designs as well, giving you the ability to paint, stain or stamp concrete in a way that can mimic any natural material.  We’ve written more extensively on this topic elsewhere in our ‘Patio Designs’ category if you’re looking for more specific help in that area.

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Your outdoor lighting is also something to consider.  Since we were talking about sustainability earlier, let’s continue that theme with a solar discussion for your lighting.  Things like solar garden lights are a great way to conserve energy and place points of interest in and around your swimming pool landscaping.

How far you want to go with your landscape designs is really up to you.  The ideas and material choices are essentially endless.  You can go for a more rustic look and add a nice looking patio cover to go poolside or go with something much more finished in its appearance.  Your patio furniture and other outdoor accessories are all part of your overall design as well.  Matching your outdoor fabric choices to blend in with your landscaping is a nice touch.

Let’s not forget to mention pool safety as well. While not necessarily your first consideration when planning your landscaping, but nonetheless important.  In many areas of the country, a pool fence is mandatory now in newer construction.  There are styles that are less obstructive to your visual line of sight, so they make great choices here.  The last thing you want is for your pool fence or other equipment to take away from your swimming pool landscaping design you worked so hard to create.

Past limitations only made a metal pool fence an available option.  There were also chain link style fences that had a vinyl coating to them.  There was also a time when swimming pool covers were used more for safety than heating.  In fact, there were some that claimed that they could support the weight of an elephant on them.  There is also a pool safety netting that is stretched across the top that will not allow a baby or small animal through.

The standard metal pool fence rails in black.

Now, it is more common to see the vertical rail styles in various powder coated options.  Most residential pool fences must be a minimum of 5’ tall to meet code, 6’ is the standard for commercial use.  With this metal rail style, the spacing can be no more than 4” apart.  This is to prevent childrens’ heads and other animals getting stuck in the fencing, causing potential life-threatening situations.  The lure of those brightly colored pool floats can just be too much to little inquiring and inquisitive minds.

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The rails in these styles are usually 5/8” thick and often have 1” tube top and bottom members that frame the rails.  Then, there are the posts at the end of each section of fencing.  These are often 2” square tubing.  For a standard pool installation, black powder coated finish and all right angles is the norm.  For a more custom look, you can opt for decorative top and bottom pieces to be detailed with scroll work or other metal patterns.  Panel work and other curved edges can be used for a custom job as well.  You may also like to choose from a variety of powder coating colors and pool gates.

Some people just don’t like the harsh look that this creates against their swimming pool landscaping and other patio features.  a metal If this is the situation you are in, don’t worry, you can still get a very pleasing to the eye looking safety pool fence that can also be taken down with ease for cleaning or repairs or even for temporary outdoor entertaining where adults are the only guests invited.  This type of removable pool fence is the one that we have chosen as our favorite.  It may also be referred to as a pool barrier fence or something along these lines.

Patio Place Pick – The Removable Pool Fence

This is less visually cluttering and allows for easy removal when not needed.

This type of pool fencing is essentially a vinyl-plastic mesh screen type material that is mounted between sturdy posts that are simply stuck into your pool’s decking surface.  It can be installed at any point, during or after construction.  In fact, with the boring tool assembly, the whole job takes less than half a day to complete in most cases, depending on complexity.  It works in a very simple fashion as well.  All you need to do is squeeze the expanding clip through the eyelet at the place where you would like the door to go and the fence is secure.  Opening for access is just as simple.  And, because it provides full coverage, no arms, legs, animals, toys or other objects can make their way through it.  This is really the future of safety pool fencing in residential applications in our opinion.  You might need to check with your local coding regulations to ensure it is an acceptable system in your area.                       Photo credit