Fancy a dip? Seven houses with outdoor swimming pools

The weather's warming up - and what better way to keep your cool than by lounging in your very own outdoor swimming pool. Your children will adore you, and your barbecues will be the best on the block.

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Having a swimming pool installed is a pretty major job, from digging the hole through to sorting out heating and filtration and then landscaping the garden around it. So why not buy a house where somebody else has done all the hard work?

We look at seven houses with outdoor pools that will have you dreaming of a dip.

Freshfield, Liverpool

This grand new-build is designed for entertaining, with a huge living area running right across the back of the house. It incorporates a bespoke kitchen with every gadget known to man, from an instant hot water tap to a teppanyaki hot plate. There are five bedrooms, so plenty of room for guests, and a cinema room. Taking centre stage in the large garden is an outdoor heated pool with electric cover and limestone surround, and there's a pavilion with a glass atrium roof alongside. The house costs £2.75 million from agent Colette Gunter.

Denton, Norfolk

Swimming pools aren't always the most attractive garden features, and the maintenance can be a bit of a pain too. But the owners of this four-bedroom house have got round this by having a swimming pond instead. Sitting in nearly an acre, the house has a large kitchen/diner with two reception rooms. The master bedroom has a vaulted ceiling and huge eaves window. Agent Purple Bricks is looking for offers over £575,000.

Chichester, West Sussex

Halnaker Cottage is bigger than its name implies, with five bedrooms and two receptions, plus a 35-foot detached garden room and a separate cottage annexe. On the edge of the South Downs National Park, it's not far from the coast - but why bother, when you can swim at home? The lovely pool area is pleasantly landscaped, with a stone surround, a diving board and even a palm tree for that truly tropical vibe. You'll have to ask agents Fine & Country to discover the price.

This amazing manor house really has got it all - quite honestly, the lovely swimming pool is the least of its attractions. There's a hot tub, outdoor kitchen and two ponds in the three acres of grounds. The original building is a large medieval hall house with a crown post roof, and its nine bedrooms and eight reception rooms are full of beams, inglenook fireplaces and other lovely features. Part of it's currently set out as a separate annexe. It's up for sale with agent Mapp & Weston for fifty quid under £2 million.

Stratone Village, Wiltshire

There's a Mediterranean villa feel to this large modern house - perfect for pretending you're on holiday. There's a pool house at one end of the heated swimming pool, surrounded by good-sized lawns. There are electric gates for sunbathing privacy. Inside, the four-bedroom house has been done up to a high standard, with a dramatic maple staircase and a modern bespoke kitchen. The house is priced at £800,000 from Richard James Estate Agents.

Rhoshirwaun, Gwynedd

The heated swimming pool outside this lovely period house has a very pretty outdoor entertaining space for sun loungers and barbeques. Indeed, the gardens as a whole are stunning, and feature a natural stream. The seven-bedroom house has the large farmhouse kitchen you'd expect, and a sitting room with large inglenook fireplace. The hige paster bedroom has a vaulted ceiling with exposed beams. The house costs £575,000 from Beresford Adams.


Corfe Castle, Dorset

The small lake that comes with this stunning cottage is stocked with rainbow and brown trout, and it's currently having a water filtration unit fitted to allow swimming. If that's too chilly, there's a bothy with hot tub heated by a solid fuel stove. The house itself is beautiful, with a pared-down Scandinavian style. It has three large bedrooms, and a lovely open-plan living room/kitchen with a lovely old stone fireplace. Langton Wallis Farmhouse is held on a 99 year lease from 1992 with the National Trust and costs £800,000 from agent Corbens.