9 cool pool houses

If you live in farm country, you might be tempted to build a barn-style pool house like this one in the Berkshire Mountains of Massachusetts, where nights can be chilly and a poolside fireplace comes in handy. On a hot summer day, the open pavilion provides a shady respite from the heat.

Related: Adirondack Chairs: 10 New Classics for Today

Located in Atherton, California, this Victorian farmhouse-style pool house is attached to the main house. In a departure from its Victorian heritage, the interior of the pool house is flooded with light, thanks to clerestory windows and French doors that open to the covered porches. Scrollwork on the gables lends an elegantly playful touch.

Related: The Victorian House

This open-air pool house was designed to complement a mid-century home in the rural town of Pound Ridge, New York. Opting for a pavilion with an outdoor kitchen rather than a fully enclosed structure meant lower building costs and less maintenance, and kept the the focus on the woodland landscape and the pool itself.

Do you like the idea of a luxurious pool house pavilion that embraces green building practices? Then you might want to consider timber-frame construction, a centuries-old art in which hand-hewn beams are held together without the use of metal. While this particular timber-frame pool house provides a solid yet airy entertainment area with a bathroom and changing rooms tucked inside, timber-frame plans can be customized to your needs.

Designed as a poolside retreat amid formal gardens, this conservatory pool house in Oregon provides an elegant backdrop for entertaining. The freestanding glass house offers ample seating and a bar upstairs, as well as an exercise room, saunas, and showers downstairs. A spiral staircase connects the two levels.

Homeowners often choose a style for their pool house that matches the architectural design of the main house. This Asian-inspired pool house in Mill Valley, California, however, takes its cue from its tropical garden. Bamboo fencing extends the Eastern aesthetic around the garden and pool.

This brick pool house was designed to match the main house, also constructed of brick, in an upscale subdivision of Greenville, South Carolina. Part of a complete backyard transformation, the pool house includes a sauna and an outdoor shower. Together with the new hot tub, outdoor fireplace, and freeform swimming pool, the pool house enhances the resort-like setting.

Related: Brick Basics and Maintenance

A modern, glass pool house both contrasts with and complements the traditional, shingled farmhouse at this Hudson Valley estate in upstate New York. The structure provides shelter from the summer heat, thanks to generously shady roof overhangs and ceiling fans that keep the breezes moving when the oversize glass doors are slid open.

Built into a hillside, this storybook stone pool house in New England features a turret in the form of an open yet sheltered dining pavilion. The slate roof and detailed millwork add to the heirloom quality of this quaint poolside cottage in the woods.

For more about the best of backyard architecture, consider:

Cool Swimming Pools

Get Inspired: 12 Sensational Deck Designs

Incredible DIY Greenhouses