I’ve designed hundreds of pools across Paradise Valley and Scottsdale over the past two decades, and I can spot a poorly planned pool from a mile away. Not because of bad craftsmanship. Most pool builders in this market do solid work.
It’s because the pool design mistakes happened earlier, when decisions were made in isolation, without thinking through how the pool fits into the bigger picture of the home and the way a family actually lives.
A pool isn’t just a hole full of water. In luxury outdoor living, it’s the centerpiece of the whole backyard experience. When the design misses, you’re not just unhappy with how it looks. You’re stuck with problems that are hard (and pricey) to fix once the concrete is poured.
Here are the mistakes I see most often, and what to do instead.
Mistake #1: Designing the Pool Before the Landscape
This is the one that breaks my heart every time. A homeowner falls in love with a pool shape from Pinterest, gets it approved, and only then brings in a designer to “make it pretty.”
The problem? The pool was placed without considering sun exposure, views from inside the home, privacy, or how the surrounding hardscape and planting would work with that shape and location. I’ve seen pools positioned so the afternoon sun makes the deck unusable in summer. Pools with zero relationship to the home’s architecture. Pools that block the best mountain views instead of framing them.
What to do instead: Design the pool and landscape together, from day one. When I’m involved early, I’m looking at sun patterns, sightlines from every room, wind direction, and how the pool connects to everything else you want in the yard: the ramada, the fire feature, the spa. It should feel like one cohesive design, not a pool with some plants stuck around it. (Here’s how we approach custom pool design for Arizona.)
Mistake #2: Choosing Trendy Over Timeless
I get it. Instagram is full of gorgeous pool trends: sunken lounges, bold geometric tile, ultra-specific color moments. Some of them are genuinely beautiful.
But here’s what twenty years has taught me: trends fade, and a pool is a decades-long investment. I’ve had clients come back a few years after building a “trendy” pool wanting to redo tile or hardscape because it already feels dated. That’s a painful lesson.
What to do instead: Build the permanent pieces around timeless elements: clean lines, quality materials, and a design that complements your home’s architecture rather than chasing a moment. Save the trendy stuff for things that are easy to update later, like furniture, umbrellas, pillows and planters. Your shell, finish and hardscape should feel right for decades. If you’re weighing surfaces, our guide to pool finish options can help.
Mistake #3: Underestimating Deck Space
This one is so common. Homeowners get focused on the pool itself (the shape, the water features, the spa) and forget about the space around it. Then they end up with barely enough deck for two lounge chairs, let alone the gatherings they pictured when they started.
I sell the romance of the experience, not just the water feature. And that experience includes entertaining space, lounge areas, a dining spot, maybe a fire feature. All of it needs real square footage.
What to do instead: Before you finalize pool shape and size, map out everything else you want in the backyard:
- Lounge chairs and shade
- A dining table that seats your real guest list
- Outdoor kitchen and bar
- Fire feature seating
- Clear walking paths that don’t cut through conversations
Work backward from how you’ll use the whole space, not just the pool footprint. Sometimes that means going a little smaller on the pool to gain a dramatically better overall experience.
Mistake #4: Ignoring How the Pool Looks From Inside the House
You won’t only see your pool from outside. You’ll see it from your kitchen, your primary bedroom and your living room every single day. I always ask clients: where are you standing most often when you look outside?
I’ve seen beautiful pools placed at odd angles that look strange from the home’s main sightlines. Equipment visible from the primary suite. Shapes that look great from a drone but awkward at eye level from the patio doors.
What to do instead: Walk through your home and note every window and doorway with a view of the pool. Design for those sightlines, not just the aerial view. This is exactly the kind of detail that gets caught when your outdoor designer works alongside your architect from the start. Understanding both the design and construction sides means I know how to carry the interior of the home outdoors seamlessly.
Mistake #5: Skipping the Lighting and Nighttime Design
Daytime pool photos are gorgeous. But in Arizona, some of the best hours to actually use your pool are early morning and evening. I can’t tell you how many stunning pools I’ve seen with an afterthought approach to lighting: a few basic pool lights and nothing else.
When lighting isn’t part of the original design, you miss that resort-level ambiance. Underwater lights that don’t highlight the water features. No path lighting for safety. No accent lighting on landscape or architecture. The pool looks incredible for one sunset photo and forgettable every other night of the year.
What to do instead: Plan lighting at the same time as the pool. Layer it: underwater lighting, lit scuppers or spillways, deck and step lights, landscape uplighting, and accents on structures. A well-lit pool at night is one of the most impressive things you can share with guests, and it extends your usable hours during the hot months. Our landscape lighting guide walks through the layers.
A Bonus Mistake: Letting the Installer Decide Where Equipment Goes
Pumps, filters and heaters need a home. When that location isn’t designed, it often ends up wherever is convenient on install day, which can mean a noisy, visible equipment pad next to your spa or under a bedroom window. Decide it in design, screen it well, and leave room for service.
The Bottom Line on Pool Design Mistakes
A pool is one of the biggest investments you’ll make in your outdoor space, and these mistakes aren’t small. They’re the difference between a pool you love for decades and one you already wish you’d done differently.
The common thread? Isolated decision-making. Treating the pool as a standalone feature instead of one piece of a cohesive outdoor living design.
When I work with clients, I’m not just designing a pool. I’m designing an entire outdoor experience where the pool, landscape, hardscape, lighting and architecture all work together. You’ll see it all in 3D before anything is built, which is where most of these mistakes get caught. Here’s what to expect at your design presentation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most common pool design mistake?
The most common mistake is designing the pool in isolation, before the landscape and the rest of the backyard are planned. That leads to poor sun orientation, awkward views from inside the home, too little deck space and afterthought lighting. Designing the pool and landscape together from the start avoids nearly all of these problems.
How much deck space do I need around a pool?
It depends on how you entertain. Start by listing everything you want near the water, such as lounge chairs, a dining table, an outdoor kitchen and fire seating, then plan the pool around that. Many clients end up choosing a slightly smaller pool to gain a far more usable and comfortable overall backyard.
When should I plan pool lighting?
Plan lighting at the same time as the pool, not after. Conduit, fixture locations and lit water features are much easier and less expensive to include during construction than to retrofit. In Arizona, where evenings are prime pool time much of the year, lighting is what makes the space usable after dark.
Can a pool design be fixed after it’s built?
Some things can be improved, such as adding shade, lighting or better screening. But placement, shape, depth and the relationship to your home’s architecture are very difficult and costly to change once the shell is poured. That’s why investing in thoughtful design before construction pays off.
Let’s Get Your Pool Right the First Time
Thinking about your pool project? Let’s talk about how early, integrated design can save you from these costly mistakes and give you a pool you’ll still love in twenty years. Explore our services, browse our portfolio, or schedule a design consultation. Your design retainer is credited toward construction when you build with Lavender. Getting started is easy: a call with our client coordinator and an initial in-office consultation are both complimentary, and on-site consultations require a $250 deposit that’s credited toward your design.
