Category: Pool House

Bit by bit, progress is happening in the pool house and we’re this close to being able to close up all of the walls.  If you’re feeling like we’ve been working on this forever, you’re not alone.  Officially, we started late last year on the ceiling, which was a task and a half.  Though the rest of this room is relatively accessible, the peaks via ladder, we still have dozens of steps to tackle.  And that’s just the walls and the stuff inside.

Creating beautiful rooms is only half the battle.  Creating functional and efficient spaces is the other half.  The far less glamorous, ugly, tedious, and often underappreciated half.  Right now, we’re still in the ugly phase, but hope to create something beautiful soon.

In the five and a half years we’ve lived in this house, the pool never functioned.  Which is a big reason we were able to scoop this house up for the price we did.  Because the pool doesn’t work, we shut off  all the water, hoarded building materials, and never have heated this space.  It’s large, about 1,600 square feet with 14 foot vaulted ceilings.  The majority of the north and west walls (straight ahead and right in the photo below) are concrete foundation due to the steep slope of our lot.

When our house was built in the 70’s, it was typical to build a wood framed wall atop the foundation and fir out the foundation with 2 by 2 inch wood strips.  Essentially, there’s a thin sheet of insulation and that’s it.  Actually, you can see a little bit at the bottom of the left wall in the photo below:

I guess what I’m trying to say is, this room as it was before, was about as efficient as a cardboard box.  And what’s the point of having an indoor pool if it’s impossible to heat the space to a comfortable swimming temperature in the cold months?!

To achieve that, we’ve framed in new 2 by 4 inch walls, tucking insulation between the old and new.  Above the foundation, there’s space for another sheet because we’ve eliminated the half wall step.

Our new electrical  runs behind the new studs, then Ben adds another sheet of insulation inside each stud bay.

Each 2 inch thick Polyisocyanurate foam sheet has an R value of 13.  (R value is the resistance of heat flow through a given thickness of a material.)  By doubling, or in some areas, tripling the insulation, we have a total R value between 26 and 39.  Fiberglass batts have an R value ranging from 2.9 to 3.8 per square inch.

Back in 2014, before we installed our new siding, we took similar steps to insulate the exterior of our home.  Then, when we remodeled our basement two years ago, we followed the same steps I described above.  Immediately, we noticed the house maintained temperature much easier, keeping cool in the summer and warm in the winter.

In the pool space, we (let’s be honest, it’s all Ben), have one more section of wall to insulate. We had already completed the front wall, so we took a break from the tedium of insulation to start hanging the 4 by 8 foot sheets of exterior grade plywood.

To complete the board and batten wall treatment, we need a durable backing that can perform in this wet environment.  Hanging the sheets requires marking the 8 inch spacing of the future batten strips, nailing in place where the strips will hide the nails.

Each sheet hangs 1.5 inches above the floor, to prevent the sheets from wicking up any water near the wall.  Baseboards will cover the gap and thin boards will follow the edge of the ceiling.

Another horizontal band will line the room at the 8 foot mark, covering the joint of the sheets.  Something along the lines of this, but you know, real:

As usual, there are many steps we need to take before we can get to that point, so we’ll keep working and I’ll keep you posted.

We’re in the thick of summer and a prolonged heat wave with temps near or above 100 for a few weeks now.  I mention this because the heat and lack of air conditioning in the pool house make for rough working conditions, thus very little progress.  Now more than ever, the prospect of a pool is really appealing and we’re excited to get the space finished.  To keep myself busy (and in the cool climate controlled house), I’ve spent more time researching the exact designs and products for the space.

I’ve always had a rough picture in my mind, but now’s the time to track down every.last.piece that will go into this area.  Planning the half bath is perhaps my favorite part, so let’s get into the design.  I took to Photoshop to translate the vision in my head onto paper, err, screen.

This is the only half bath we’ve ever had in a house, and it allows a bit more fun, less practical choices than a full bath.  That doesn’t mean it won’t be hard-working.

1  As with the rest of the pool house, the plan includes covering the walls in white board and batten for a bright, blank canvas.  2  We’ll also carry the Montauk Black slate into the bathroom for continuity.  3  With the black and white foundation, we need to add a warm wood to the mix, just as we did in our master bathroom.  Unlike the master bath, this half bath doesn’t need much in the form of storage, and a cabinet will surely accumulate junk.  Enter, stage left, the open walnut vanity of my dreams.  The top plank will hide the sink, with a slatted shelf below, perfectly modern, without room for clutter.  4  These Beaker sconces are one part industrial, one part nautical, and fully perfect for this bathroom.  5  Wall faucets are so sleek and simple, I think this is the perfect place to incorporate the Delta Trinsic in chrome, to match the sconces.  6  Clean lined vessel sinks are a go to of mine, but I want to go slightly off course with this semi-recessed vessel option.  7  I adore the collected look of mixed metals, so in addition to chrome, I’ll toss some matte black accessories in there, too.  We’ll need an odd sized mirror in this room, so I have plans to DIY a similar mirror with a slim shelf to store a small jar of cotton swabs and a lotion pump, both items I need after swimming.  8  Bringing in another black accessory to tie in with the mirror, this Trinsic towel ring is elegant and simple.  9  Cute Turkish hand towels will add a bit of pattern and color.  10  For a luxe touch, I’ll add  a beautifully scented Izola soap in a gorgeous and reusable glass dispenser.  Of course I have to add a little bit of green.  11  We’ll corral toilet paper in a cute basket, perhaps this wicker option or this black wire one. On the other side of the vanity shelf, we’ll stack extra towels.

I’m not 100 percent sure, but I’m leaning toward a white painted drywall ceiling for simplicity.

The other thing I’m undecided on is whether to add a marble back splash or not.  It’s a look I love, and it certainly would be more durable.  What’s your vote-back splash or without?

Over on the toilet side, things are much simpler.

In this small space, I don’t want to overwhelm the room with stuff.

1  The lack of natural light in this room, especially compared to the rest of the pool house which is so bright thanks to the generous windows and skylights, feels so dark.  Granted, before the walls were clad in dark stained wood and the only light source was an old light/fan combo.  To bring a little natural light in the room, we’re repurposing an old glass door by painting the frame and frosting the glass, similar to this one.  2  Carrying a bit of the warm wood to this side in the form of picture frames will make this side feel less stark.  3  For a burst of color, movement, and interest, I’d love to add gorgeous abstract art, like the Coral and Palm Nights prints from the talented Britt Bass.  4  While in Minnesota, I took a quick run (45 minutes start to finish!) through Ikea and grabbed a Grundtal toilet roll holder for this space.  The simple design was only six bucks, but I think I’ll paint it matte black to keep the mixed metals to chrome and black.

We’re still far off from the bathroom actually looking like this, but I find it helpful to get my ideas down, not only for myself, but also to show Ben what I have in my mind.  And in store for him in the building department.