The staycation solution?

Why pack up the towels, the sunscreen, and floaties when the perfect summer escape can be steps away?

 

For some locals, the answer to beating the heat – and avoiding the chaos of public pools – is simple: build your own personal pool paradise.

 

Whether it’s for cooling off, working out, or unwinding at dusk, backyard pools have become a crown jewel of summer living, especially in the heat of a Lowcountry summer.

 

“I designed it myself,” said resident Karen Saldaña. “I work from home and wanted the convenience of being able to work and watch my kids in the pool.”

 

For Saldaña, her backyard has become more than just a splash zone; it’s a multi-purpose retreat. “I frequently work from the back porch while the kids are swimming. It’s for the kids, me, and, of course, entertaining friends.”

 

Saldaña’s pool gets used for everything from lap swimming to late-night dips and birthday parties.

 

Her favorite feature?

 

“The tanning shelf. I throw a chair in there and read a book under the umbrella.” 

 

She added, “I could never take a meeting at the public pool. My backyard is my own personal paradise.”

 

As for Daniel Island resident Marge Lawson, adding a pool was about reclaiming wasted space.

 

“We have a west-facing backyard, and all we did was mow grass and trim shrubs,” Lawson said. “It was so hot out in the back, and we never used it. We decided to put in a pool and utilize the space and have an outdoor oasis.”

 

Now for Lawson, the space is both functional and beautiful.

 

“We have lights, two waterfalls, it’s heated, and we have a deep-end ledge,” she said. “It’s very convenient to just walk out and jump in and relax or exercise and swim.”

 

On summer nights, the backyard is her favorite place to be.

 

“I love looking out at the pool in the evening as the sun sets and the lights come on. It definitely feels like a relaxing staycation.”

 

Katie Ross, a mother of three, said her pool is the “best investment we’ve ever made.” She and her husband added it to their Daniel Island home last spring to keep their kids active and off screens.

 

“They’re outside every day, swimming, doing cannonballs, even making up pool games with the neighbors,” she said.

 

Ross said the biggest perk is the family time. “We eat dinner outside, go for night swims, and even have friends and family over for pool nights. It makes summer feel like a vacation without ever having to leave home.”

 

With a summer full of heat and hustle approaching, these residents agree that, for them, a backyard pool is the ultimate cool-down.