Avoid This Mistake Before Building Your Pool
If there's one piece of advice I could give to anyone thinking about building a pool, it's this: don't start without a design.
Every season (yes, even in the winter months), I meet homeowners who've dreamed for years of transforming their backyard — envisioning a place where water and stone meet in perfect balance, where evenings glow with reflections of the sky, and where the line between home and nature disappears. They're ready to take the leap. They start making calls, collecting bids, and imagining next summer by the pool.
But that's where most projects quietly veer off course.
When there's no design, each builder you call is imagining something different. One envisions a crisp modern rectangle; another sees a freeform oasis surrounded by rock and greenery. By the time the bids arrive, you're comparing prices on entirely different concepts. That's the most common mistake — and it can cost time, money, and the integrity of the finished project.
Without a unified design, you can't compare "apples to apples." And without that clarity, it's impossible to ensure that everyone involved — from the builder to the landscaper to the electrician — is working toward the same vision.
At Battlefield Decks and Patios, we take a design-first approach because design is what turns chaos into cohesion. It's the sheet music for the musicians — the thing that keeps every player in sync to create a beautiful, harmonious result.
A great pool isn't just built — it's composed.
When I design, I start not outside, but inside the home. I stand where my clients stand. I look through their kitchen windows, their great rooms, their upstairs balconies. I imagine how the morning light hits the water, how shadows move across the deck through the day, and how the reflections come alive at dusk.
From there, I look at the property as a living canvas. The slope of the land, the way the house sits on its foundation, the movement of trees in the wind — all of it informs the design. Some homes call for sharp geometry and modern precision. Others whisper for organic curves and soft transitions, where the pool feels like it's always been part of the landscape.
But regardless of the style, every outstanding design shares one thing in common: intentionality. Every line, every elevation, every material choice should feel deliberate — a decision made not just for beauty, but for balance. The pool, the hardscape, and the landscape should feel like they're in conversation with one another.
Landscaping, in particular, is not an afterthought for us. It's the frame around the art. A pool without landscape design is like a painting without a frame — unfinished, unanchored, and incomplete.
And when you approach a project this way — as a holistic design rather than a construction task — everything changes. Builders have a clear roadmap. Materials can be priced precisely. The homeowner knows what to expect. The process becomes efficient, transparent, and inspired.
That's what separates a project that's "nice" from one that takes your breath away. The most extraordinary outdoor spaces aren't lucky accidents; they're the result of foresight, artistry, and collaboration guided by one unifying vision.
By the time construction begins, every question has been answered. Every decision has purpose. Every part of the process is working toward one goal — a pool that feels timeless, balanced, and unmistakably yours.
So before you make that first call for bids, pause. Start with design.
Because when the design leads, everything else follows — the builders, the budget, the details, and ultimately, the experience itself. A well-designed pool doesn't just add beauty to your backyard; it transforms how you live in your home.
And that's the real goal — not just a pool to swim in, but a view to live with, a space that feels calm, complete, and completely you.