A pontoon or a water deck can be a great way to optimise the space in front of your lake- or ocean-side property. When you work with a pontoon installer, they can help you come up with design ideas. To get inspired, you may want to take a look at the following options.
1. Consider a Floating Deck
Take a note from the traditional wood decks found on many homes and build your pontoon to look like a deck. Surround it with wooden railings for safety, add wooden furniture and put in a grill or other essentials if you like. This can be attached to a dock or pier, or it can be anchored out in the water and only be accessible by boat or swimming.
2. Don't Forget the Shade
Regardless of the design you select for your pontoon, you may want to put in some shade. You can add a gazebo or a thatched roof to create a tiki bar theme. Alternatively, consider putting on a roof that mirrors the shape of your house with faux dormer windows, roofing tiles and wooden siding.
3. Go With a Raised Design
Your pontoon doesn't have to be floating. It can be placed on a floating base and raised above the water. This creates a sort of balcony over the water and gives you a lot of options. You can connect the upper level to your dock with a set of stairs and put in shaded boat storage under the deck. If the water is deep enough, you can add a raised diving board or you can put in a slide for fun.
4. Play With Fire
The contrast of fire and water is beautiful, fun and soothing. Consider putting in a place where you can have some fire on your pontoon. You may want to go with a fire pit or a chiminea. Note that if sparks get onto the wood pontoon, you will need a way to put them out, so you may want to connect a hose to the water or keep a fire extinguisher on hand. Alternatively, you may want to put in a wood-fired pizza oven.
5. Don't Forget the Lights
Ideally, you don't want to have to rely on fire for light, and if you plan to hang out on the pontoon in the nighttime, you will need some light. Consider having the pontoon wired to your main power supply or put in solar panels so that you can run lights in the evening.