Have you ever wanted to relax by your fibreglass pool, while taking a sip of your favourite drink? A swim up bar is something you’re likely to encounter at a resort or a high-class hotel. But you can also add a swim up bar to your backyard.
If you love spending time with your family by the pool, or enjoy entertaining your friends there, then a swim up bar can be an excellent addition to your home.
What Is A Swim Up Bar?
A swim up bar is a custom feature that you can have installed in your fibreglass pool. It comes with barstool seating as well as a countertop. It’s also common for a swim up bar to come with a dedicated serving area. This is located outside the pool, and is usually called the ‘dry side’.
In a swim up bar, you’ll be getting up to five bar stools that will be built into the floor of the pool. The top of the stool will be just below the pool’s water level. Usually, when someone sits on this barstool, they’ll have half their body inside the water, and the other half outside of it.
This way, people can easily hold their food and drinks and place them on the counter that’s in front of them. The countertops can either be curved, or they can be straight. A popular idea you can consider is to ensure the exterior is covered with a decorative stone or tile.
You may also wish to prevent the sun rays from reaching your swim up bar, in which case, you can build a shade around it. A pavilion or a pergola would be perfect. Or you could pick something simple, like a patio umbrella.
Some people opt for configurations that are more elaborate. They create dry areas around their swim up bar, alongside an outdoor kitchen as well. This kitchen includes appliances that they can cook with, as well as a cooler that can keep their drinks chilled. Some people even add an outdoor television to their swim up bar area.
What You Should Know About Planning To Get A Swim Up Bar For Your Pool
Two important considerations that you shouldn’t ignore are style as well as functionality. But even more important is taking into account how much available space you have to build your swim up bar.
How much space you have in your backyard, as well as the total square footage that you want to devote to your aquatic retreat is important. This will help you decide how much space you can allocate for your swim up bar.
Know also that adding a swim up bar to your fibreglass pool isn’t difficult. But once it’s been installed, then switching its position around could be hard. If you’re about to get a new fibreglass pool installed, then talk to the Pool Builders Sydney about adding a swim up bar.
Your swim up bar should be included in the initial plan for the project. At this time, your pool builder can also let you know how much adding a swim up bar will cost.
Tips On Adding A Swim Up Bar To Your Pool
Do you want to combine your swim up bar with an outdoor kitchen? You could get a swim up bar where the countertop is built into the edge of your pool. The stools could be placed before it. So, with your outdoor kitchen just a few feet away, you can serve your guests good food and drinks whenever you like.
Separate your swim up bar area into a wet side and a dry side. The wet side is where the barstools are placed. When your guests sit on these stools, their bodies will be half submerged in water. The dry side of the pool includes the cooking area, as well as the shaded area you’ve installed.
You could also opt for a swim up bar that’s more elaborate. Use coordinating tiles or stones to make your swim up bar stand out even more. If you’ve used stone or tiles in other areas around your pool, then you can use the same design for your swim up bar as well.
You can also get your swim up bar installed in the centre of your pool. But for this, the countertop will need to be installed first. The barstools for such a design will usually be submerged. This kind of bar is sunken, so those on serving duty are closer to the guests. This kind of design also makes it easy for people to go get food and drinks while they’re in the swimming pool.
You could also want your swim up bar to be in a dedicated space, towards one end of your pool. Add the shaded structure around the pool such that your outdoor kitchen is covered by it. The outdoor kitchen can be right next to the countertop, in this design. You can add everything from cabinets to even a barbecue grill to your outdoor kitchen.
Guests will also be able to find relief from the Sun’s rays, by sipping a drink while sitting in the shade, in your swim up bar.
Instead of having your swim up bar close to your outdoor kitchen, you could also choose to place your bar next to the lounge area beside your pool. This will allow swimmers to socialise with people who are relaxing in the deck chairs you’ve placed next to your pool.
Conclusion
Adding a swim up bar to your pool area can be a great idea. A swim up bar allows you to bring the resort-like experience to your home. You’ll be able to provide your guests with food and drinks, while they’re still in the pool. A swim up bar can be integrated into your pool in various ways. This guide provides you with tips on how you can integrate a swim up bar into your pool area.
Usually, you should get your swim up bar installed at the same time you’re getting your pool installed. But you can still have a swim up bar installed later if you already have a fibreglass pool.