Small Modern Pool & Patio in Scottsdale

This small, modern pool & patio in Scottsdale created a simple, compact, modern oasis in the heart of Old Town Scottsdale. Before the pool and patio installation the yard was boring and featureless.

The site posed several challenges. 

• This home in the heart of the city has a small back yard
• Electrical wires overhead limited the size and placement of the pool
• Safety was paramount, so we installed a pool fence
• Drainage for heavy monsoon rains needed to be created

Small pool in a small yard

The yard is very compact, so we had to squeeze the 10′ x 20′ pool between an existing patio and the main overhead electrical wires feeding the house. Pool codes dictate the distance the pool needs to be from these wires, so we had to make it work.

This backyard renovation project was tricky because the yard had poor drainage. Water from heavy monsoon rains would collect close to the house.  Installation of the pool left even less room for this water to drain. We had to divert storm water to two points on either side of the yard.

We created a “dry pond’ drainage pit on one side of the yard, and an underground “dry well” on the other side. These are fed by underground drainage pipes with drainage grates in the gravel landscape pathways.