Live Like a Floridian: Plan Your Outdoor Water Feature
If you live in the Sunshine State or are moving here, water might be prominent on your list of homeowner must-haves.
Florida beaches are important for many of us, followed by recreational options involving Intracoastal Waterways, creeks, lakes and well-known water parks.
Then there’s that Florida staple, the swimming pool. If you’ve never lived with a backyard pool and have the opportunity to build your own, go for it. They’re tons of year-round fun.
But, a swimming pool isn’t the only water feature you can incorporate into the outdoor living space of your new custom home.
Here are a few other suggestions of how to live like a Floridian and plan your outdoor water feature.
Fountains
These can take any form, from energetic sprays that mimic Fourth of July fireworks, to a quiet, bubbly urn near your lanai.
If you opt for a swimming pool, give it double duty. Ask your contractor to install on-demand-decorative jets that spray over the pool and transform it into a backyard showstopper.
Spas
Many homeowners who opt for a swimming pool include a spa with soothing underwater jets and seating. Still, it’s a water feature, so feel free to individualize it with separate finishes, or to highlight it with lighting for those times when kids aren’t doing belly flops and splashing everyone in sight.
Not interested in a swimming pool? Perhaps a spa is all you need.
Waterfalls and ponds
“There’s no such thing as a waterfall in Florida,” you say.
Well, no, generally, but don’t let it keep you from having one. While you won’t find mountainous terrain and cascading streams on a subtropical peninsula, both features can be built into your outdoor design.
Work with your builder or landscape designer to incorporate Florida-native coquina (a coastal limestone) or coral rocks in a waterfall near your swimming pool, patio garden or screened-in back porch. The tumbling water is soothing to watch and hear. Plus, you can beautify your waterfall by landscaping it with favorite plants or flowers.
Rather have a garden pond? Perhaps a smooth reflecting pond whose surface mirrors its surroundings? Just substitute “pond” for “waterfall.”
