Pool House Pittsburgh Featured in HGTV Magazine Summer 2024

Our pool house is in HGTV Magazine!

The July/August 2024 Summer issue just came out with a story that starts like this: "Designer Betsy Wentz lives in the Pittsburgh suburbs, but when she upgraded her yard, she channeled Palm Springs."

And that’s exactly what happened.

My husband agreed to a small pool. Then, as I told HGTV, "The pool got a little bigger and then a pool house was added."

Now it’s where our family of six spends time long after the pool closes in the fall. As we said in the article, "We use it as a gathering spot through the holidays."

This is the same 800-square-foot pool house we built at our own home, the one Pittsburgh Magazine called "100% Fun" last month. HGTV saw a different side of it — less about the bright pastels and stacked blue tile (though those are still there), and more about how a Pittsburgh family can actually use a pool house year-round.

The idea: Palm Springs in Pittsburgh

We live in the suburbs surrounded by traditional brick colonials and century-old stone walls. Our main house is Mid-Century Modern from the 1970s, so for the pool house, we leaned into that — clean lines, indoor-outdoor flow, a playful sensibility. Palm Springs in Sewickley.

To make it feel like it’s always been here, we took that old tumbled stone from the walls around our property and used it on the exterior fireplace, then brought it right inside so it becomes an interior wall in the living room. It ties everything together.

Retractable doors are the key

If you take one thing from this project, it’s this: retractable glass doors.

They open the whole living area and bar to the pool deck and blur the line between inside and out. In the summer, we open the nano wall completely to the black-bottom pool. In the fall and winter, we close it up, light the stone fireplace on the covered patio, and still use it for homework, hangouts, and entertaining.

Built for real life

We wanted it to handle wet feet and splashes without looking like an outdoor kitchen.

Terrazzo floors from Concrete Collaborative in California, Perennials performance fabrics that can handle anything, custom white oak cabinetry sealed for humidity, and a little outdoor shower for after swimming. Thoughtful details, but they don’t sacrifice style.

The covered patio with the stone fireplace anchors the whole space — cozy seating, dining area, and it keeps the party going in every season.

Thank you so much to HGTV Magazine for featuring our backyard retreat.

Read the full feature: HGTV Magazine

See more photos: Pittsburgh Pool House

Sources: Terrazzo by Concrete Collaborative, retractable glass doors + nano wall system, black-bottom pool, tumbled stone interior/exterior fireplace, stacked blue tile kitchenette, vintage runner, Rob Tucker artwork

Featured in HGTV Magazine July/August 2024 Summer issue — Palm Springs-inspired backyard retreat. Photography: Donna Dotan. Also featured in Pittsburgh Magazine June 2025.