Property developer Peter Marchant knew he wanted a sharp, contemporary design when he was planning a pool house for the garden of his home in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex.
Peter and his wife Katie chose a pared-back architectural style for their huge, 75 square metre glass box pool house which features elegant white porcelain floor tiles and stylish cedar cladding.
Here, Peter tells us why the glazing was crucial to the success of his pool house and how he achieved the contemporary look he wanted with the help of Minima’s frameless sliding doors.
We’d toyed with the idea of installing an outdoor pool, but we decided we wouldn’t get enough use out of it because of the good old British weather! Instead, we built a large pool house with a steam room, shower and changing room as well as the main pool and jacuzzi.
We have bifolds across the back of our house which look on to the pool house, so it was really important that the new building would look pleasing to the eye. We wanted a contemporary design with lots of glass and a really clean finish.
We’ve ended up with a huge 10.4 metre opening across the front of the pool house with four big sliding glass doors. We also have a pocket door at one side that slides into the wall separating the shower room from the main pool area. This creates an open corner which has become the main access to the pool building as well as the area where we have a patio with sun loungers.
Slim sightlines were essential for this project and Minima Sliding were able to offer us a clear 20mm sightline all the way around the doors. Also, the design of the Ultraline doors really appealed to us. There are no handles and no visible locks because the lock is hidden in the head of the door.
From the first time I made contact with Minima, they went above and beyond to help. I was impressed with their levels of service and commitment as well as with their amazing product.
Every build has its challenges, but with this one the main problem was access. Our property has a good-sized garden, but the side access narrows to just 60cm because of a protruding external chimney stack. The only solution was to use a crane and Minima were instrumental in making this aspect of the build a success.
Dan at Minima recommended a specialist crane company, and we ended up using them to lift the roof lights, too, so that was a really great contact to have. I couldn’t believe the crane was small enough to park on our drive, and yet it could still achieve a 38 metre reach so that everything could be lifted up and over the house.
Minima craned all the glazing panes over the house, and then they lifted their glazing robot over, too! Everything was installed, and then later that same afternoon, the robot was craned back over and the job was done. It was amazing!
From start to finish, Minima were fantastic to deal with. The team are proactive and it’s clear they really care about what they’re doing. At every stage, they wanted to do an excellent job for us, and we’re delighted with the result.
It’s a great space for entertaining. Our goal was to have the pool house ready in time for Christmas, but it was a tall order to get everything done. Minima installed the glass on 5 December, the pool was filled on 16 December, and then it was a rush to get all the plastering and decoration finished. But on Christmas Day we had all the family over and had champagne in the new pool house. We all went for a swim and used the steam room and the jacuzzi. Everyone loved it. It’s like we’ve got our very own spa in the garden!
And, of course, going for a swim in your own pool is pretty special. I never imagined I’d be able to have my own pool house. But now I swim in it every day and I feel very fortunate.
Make sure you bring in the right experts to ensure everything goes smoothly. You’re investing a lot of money and energy into a project like this, so you need to do it properly or why do it at all? Go for the best products you can afford for every aspect of the build and then you’ll be happy with the results for years to come.
Related read: Making a splash: A guide to creating the ultimate pool house
Are you thinking about building a glass pool house? Contact us now to find out more about Minima Sliding’s award-winning, British-made sliding doors.