Category: Pool House

In our plans for the pool house, we decided to add a trio benches to store the inevitable flood of pool noodles and toys.  One in the recessed nook at the deep end of the pool:

And a pair along the angled wall near the back door:

With the tile complete, we started constructing the benches.  A hundred little details were discussed and decided upon: finished depth, recessed area depth, how many/width of boards, hinge style, end panel finish, support structure, lid overhang/hardware, etc.  For a bit of depth and interest, we held the end of the angled bench four inches away from the wall, but parallel.

To get started, we measured everything and marked it either on the walls or floor to determine our angled cuts.  Ben cut a row of boards to make up the entire front, then laid them on the floor to ensure an exact fit.

To break up the vertical board and batten wall treatment, we ran the boards horizontally for a simple, modern look.

Vertical 2 by 4 boards form the corners of the bench, securing the horizontal pieces together.  Additional verticals are placed every quarter of the bench, screwed from the inside, to keep the front in line.

Comfortable chair height is around 18 inches, so we cut four 2 by 6 boards down to 4 inches wide to make up the fronts of each bench.  With the fronts complete, Ben ran another vertical strip along the back wall.  A piece connects the front and back, forming a center support for the bench lid.

 

More pieces attach at bench height to the back wall, screwing into the wall studs.

Along the back of the bench is a stationary strip, which holds the movable lid in place.

 

To build the tops, Ben screwed together three boards using trim scraps.

 

 

We really wanted to use hidden hinges, but couldn’t find any that a) had a high enough weight rating and b) had a wide enough angle.  So, we went with the most durable option: door hinges.  In order to get the smallest gap possible, Ben notched out the hinge placement.  First, he cut a small groove using a jigsaw.

 

Then, using the router set to the hinge thickness, he carved out the rest of the space.

 

It’s a slim gap, barely wider than the spacing of the other boards.

Once sanded and stained to match the beams, the oil rubbed bronze hinges shouldn’t be as noticeable.

 

We weren’t able to finish the construction of the third bench top or create the recessed handle detail.

It’s exciting to see it come together, but it’ll be even better after I finish with my part of the process.

Our Saturday started with tracking down hinges for the storage benches, followed up by checking out hot tubs.  Then the real fun kicked in, with grout by the bucketful.

Initially, Ben and I both applied the grout.  We quickly realized it was easier for him to apply grout and for me to follow-up with a sponge, cleaning off the bits left behind.  Sunday morning, we both thoroughly washed all 800 square feet, leaving most of our bodies aching.  With the floors grouted and clean, we’re able to start installing the remaining trim.  Trimming out the five sliding doors was first on our list, as the baseboard and batten strips terminate into these.

Working on the top piece first, Ben uses a scrap of the finish wood to measure the thickness of the door reveal.  He then secures shims behind, making the reveal of all doors match.

The same happens on the sides of the doors, extending the frame to fill the depth of the wall.

Carefully cut and measure to ensure a tight fit against the floor.

Before attaching the trim around the door, Ben sprays compressed insulation in the gap to eliminate air infiltration.

Now, the exciting part-adding the finish trim to the doors.  We chose 3 1/2 inch wide square fir trim for a simple, modern look.

For a little interest, and the ease of not having to perfectly match the trim to the extension, we leave about a quarter-inch of the extension showing.

It’s a simple process, not taking much time, but does make the space look more finished.

Is it Saturday yet, so we can get some more trim work done in here?  I’m incredibly excited to get paint on these walls!

We laid the last tile in the pool house this weekend and it’s a relief to have this huge task out of the way.  Grouting will come next, fingers crossed this weekend.

Once grout is complete, that concludes the floor saga for the pool house.  We’ll move on to trimming out doors, installing base boards, and attaching the rest of the vertical batten strips.  Creating the built-in benches will also happen somewhere in that mix, so I’ve given too much thought on the design of those.

Initially, I thought we’d have white benches, for simplicity, with wooden tops for durability.  A pair will follow the angled walls of the kitchen area, meeting at the corner.  Another bench will fill the recessed nook at the far end of the pool, as seen above.

Recently, while picturing everything in my head, I realized wooden bench tops weren’t going to cut it.  In a room with a white ceiling and (what will be) white walls, tile floors, and few other accessories, I don’t want this space to lack warmth.  Sure, adjacent areas will have wood in small doses, like the floating kitchen shelves:

And the half bathroom vanity:

But it’s still a stark contrast to the house, with hardwood floors and wooden furniture/accessories in every room.  In addition to the structural beams, the benches will be the main source of wood tones.

After considering options, I’ve decided I like the look of four horizontal planks along the front, similar to this:

The tops will open to access items inside, and I like the look of continuing the same boards along the top.  I’d love to have a very slight overhang of the top, with a cut in handle detail, like this CB2 bench, for a sleek look.

Loaded with pillows, it should be a perfect perch to hang out before/after swimming.  Or a place to watch the kids from.

Last we shared of the pool house was the addition of the batten strips and framing out the vent hood.  Certainly progress, but there’s one big step to cross off the list before the walls can be completed.  Tiling the entire floor, or roughly 600 square feet.  Dun dun dunnnnn.  Though I have the easiest part of the process, carrying/opening boxes of tile, I was dreading this step.

We know from framing the walls that nothing is square in here, with the floors sloping up to two inches over the length of the space.  Luckily, not much phases Ben and on Saturday, he jumped right in.

For a continuous feel, we’re using the same slate tile and herringbone pattern as the kitchen.

One small difference is slightly wider grout lines.  Knowing the floors are a touch uneven, we decided on 3/8 inch grout lines (versus 1/16 inch in the kitchen) to help minimize discrepancies.

Working around the pool proved trickiest, until Ben built himself a marking jig.  Scraps of plywood set to the depth of the pool lip with a screw slightly through the top piece.

The bottom strips slide along the inside edge of the pool, with the screw scoring the top of the tile, marking where to cut.

At the end of tile day one, Ben got roughly 1/4 or 1/3 of the space done.

The next morning, the tile had set so we pulled out the spacers.  I followed up by washing the tile, scrubbing off any extra mastic.

Obviously, grout is still to come.

 

 

 

Having this tile in various rooms throughout our house, we know this tile is durable and the texture is naturally slip-resistant.

Dark floors paired with (what will be) white walls will ground this bright space.

We still have at least several days of tile or tile related tasks in our future, but progress always feels good.