Bazén ve svahu: největší problém nebyl svah

When we first started planning a pool on a slope, we felt like we were in for nothing but complications. The slope, structural engineering, concrete, water pressure—basically everything you’d rather not have to deal with when building a pool.

After several years of experience, we would put it differently. A pool on a slope is more challenging to design. But if done right, it can be smarter in many ways than a pool on flat ground.

First mistake: thinking that a pool on a slope is just a regular pool

At the beginning, we fell for a solution that looked very appealing. Polystyrene blocks serving as permanent formwork promised quick construction and thermal insulation at the same time. In the mountains, where every extra foot of water matters, that made sense. It turned out, however, that insulation isn’t the main concern for a pool on a slope. The main concern is structural integrity. A pool that is partially sunken and partially above ground transfers forces completely different from those of a standard pool on flat ground. In particular, the corners and walls that aren’t supported by the surrounding soil take a much heavier load. In the end, we settled on a classic reinforced concrete structure. A less impressive solution on paper, but significantly more reliable.

A surprising advantage: less excavation

Most people imagine that a pool on a slope means more earthwork. In reality, it’s often exactly the opposite. If you position the pool correctly in the terrain, you only need to excavate part of the volume. Simply put, you cut a triangle into the slope and set the pool inside it. Compared to a pool on flat ground, we ended up with about half the amount of excavation. And since a sloped garden naturally incorporates terraces anyway, we were able to use most of the excavated soil right on the property. We didn’t have to pay to haul dozens of tons of material to a landfill, and at the same time, we gained a naturally contoured garden.

Shallow Area Instead of Steps

One of the best decisions we made was originally driven by a technical need. We needed to relieve the stress on the most heavily used corner of the pool. So we raised the bottom in that section and created a shallow area. In the end, it turned out to have many more benefits than we expected. It created a place where children can play. A place where you can sit or lie in the water on hot days. And most importantly, we completely eliminated the stairs. No built-in steps, no stainless steel ladders. You swim to the shallow area, stand up, and step out in one go. We haven’t found a simpler solution yet.

What pool shape works best on a slope

A classic family pool is usually quite wide. On a slope, however, it’s worth thinking differently. The wider the pool, the greater the impact on the terrain and the larger the structure protruding above the slope. That is why we chose a 2.5 × 10-meter swimming lane with an additional two-meter shallow end. The pool better follows the contour lines, fits more naturally into the garden, and at the same time provides a comfortable space for swimming. We also deliberately chose a dark-colored liner that won’t shine into the distance. You can read more about the entire project in the barn renovation section BOX.

The sun is more important than the view

When choosing a location for a pool, most people focus on the view. Today, we would focus primarily on the sun. Swimming in the shade isn’t very pleasant, even during a hot summer. This is doubly true in the mountains. The water heats up more slowly, the surrounding air tends to be cooler, and every extra hour of sun makes a difference. That’s why we placed the pool in the sunniest part of the property. The ideal spot is one that gets sun for most of the day and isn’t shaded by the house, trees, or the surrounding terrain. When designing a pool today, we’d prioritize all-day sun over a spectacular view from the living room. It makes a much bigger difference to your swimming comfort.

The equipment room is a bigger problem than the pool itself

There was one thing nobody prepared us for. Not the pool construction. The equipment room construction. We were surprised by how little documentation the contractors were able to provide. Mostly, we just heard something along the lines of: “Set aside two square meters and we’ll fit in there somehow.” But the difference between technology you can easily access and technology that has you crouching on your knees your whole life is determined right during the design phase. If we were to do it over, we’d design the utility room as a long, narrow service cabinet running along the pool. Everything accessible from the outside, no climbing, and no compromises.

What Affects Pool Operation in the Mountains

The biggest enemy isn’t snow. It’s the open water surface. If you don’t cover the pool in the evening, the heat disappears surprisingly quickly. That’s why we consider the safety slatted cover to be one of the most important parts of the entire pool. It protects children, significantly reduces heat loss, and has one more bonus that isn’t often mentioned in catalogs. If you don’t cover the pool, you’ll sometimes find yourself fishing (dead) mice out of the skimmer in the morning.

How We Threw Away a Cover That Cost Sixty Thousand (and Solved the Problem of Winterizing the Pool)

We struggled with winterizing for a long time. We tried an expensive tarp on an aluminum frame. It was heavy, hard to store, didn’t work well under snow, and on top of that, it let rainwater back into the pool. After the first season, it ended up cut up in the trash. Eventually, we arrived at a solution we wouldn’t have thought of at all at the start: wooden planks. Simple, cheap, easy to move, and surprisingly resistant to snow. The cost was about one-fifth of the original system’s price, and they work better. Sometimes the most modern solution is simply a piece of wood.

Where to Actually Place a Pool

In renderings, the pool is often depicted right on the terrace and in front of the living room windows. It looks great. But for most of the year, you’re not looking at the water’s surface. You’re looking at a roller shade, a winter cover, or other functional elements. In our climate, the pool is closed much more often than people realize. But even more important than the view is the sun. The pool should be in the sunniest part of the property and ideally in a spot that isn’t shaded during the day by the house, trees, or a slope. That’s why today we’d place it close to the house, but not directly in the main line of sight from the interior. You want it close at hand. Not necessarily always in plain sight.

FAQ

• How to design a pool on a slope? Don't underestimate the structural engineering. For a pool on a slope, we recommend a monolithic reinforced concrete structure designed specifically for the site.
• What pool shape is best suited for a slope? Long, narrow pools that follow the contour lines work best and require less terrain modification.
• Do I need a utility room for the pool? Yes. The filtration system, heat pump, and other equipment require their own space. It’s worth planning for this right from the start of the project.
• Is a pool in the mountains worth it? Yes, but you need to account for heating and a high-quality pool cover. Heat loss actually has a greater impact on operation than the altitude itself.
• Where should the pool be located on the property? First and foremost, look for the sunniest spot on the property. The ideal location has all-day sun exposure without shade from the house, trees, or surrounding terrain. We recommend placing the pool close to the house, but not directly in the main line of sight from the living room.

by Radka - 3. 6. 2026