How to Build a Poolside Cabana

Pick a style. Choose from a tent, prefabricated shed or luxurious mini-building, each of which can create a fine poolside cabana. Sketch out your ideal cabana shape after checking photos of different models found in design magazines and books. Set a budget based on materials, size and design and stick to it.

Build a tent cabana. Buy four tall, sturdy posts and four smaller roof posts to create the framework for your tent cabana, choosing from fence, pavilion, pole and light posts for the most amount of strength. Weld or bolt the four small posts into a square to make a roof. Attach the four long legs to each corner with bolts and station the cabana beside the pool. Hang lengths of industrial canvas from the framework or buy prefabricated canvas curtains that come in 8-feet by 10-, 12-, 15- and 20-foot sections. Hang the canvas curtains from the roof frame using heavy-duty S-hooks.

Modify a shed rather than starting from scratch. Re-purpose a shed originally made to store equipment and supplies by stationing the framework near the pool and making modifications to morph it into a cabana. Remove the doors to allow plenty of circulation so the cabana doesn’t turn into a steam closet because of a lack of ventilation. Hang diaphanous curtains from windows and across the door by installing rods inside the shed. Place a plastic shelving unit against a wall to hold pool supplies and necessities. Spray the curtains with a waterproofing product.

Build a deluxe, Roman-influenced cabana equipped with amenities. Hire an electrician to run power if this isn’t your area of expertise. Sketch out an open-air cabana composed of six cement pillars and a steel ceiling bridge. Build wood pillar frames if you prefer not to use latex or silicone molds. Mix and pour concrete, cure the pillars and remove the molds after they harden. Use a welding torch to fashion an attractive curved-roof structure. Arrange the pillars in a semi-circle, attach the roof with decorative embellishments and hang curtains from the roof frame so they surround the cabana's exterior.

Complete your poolside cabana project. Install a fire pit if you have the room to accommodate one and you have plenty of ventilation in your cabana. Hook up appliances if you’ve gone the luxury route. Stash waterproof containers of varying sizes within the structure so you don’t have to keep dragging towels, pool toys, matches and sunscreen from the house to your poolside cabana. Stow bungee cords and tiebacks so you’re able to tie curtains to your cabana’s framework when the wind blows.