Completed custom swimming pool with raised spa and limestone decking
Luxury backyard swimming pool and outdoor living design
Completed residential pool with clear blue water and landscaped patio

3D pool designer · Charlotte & Lake Norman

3D pool design that brings your vision to life.

I create detailed 3D pool environments that make the design feel clear, exciting, and real—long before construction begins.

01 / 03

3D concepts · completed pools
Outdoor living, thoughtfully visualized

Kathy Buchanan, 3D pool designerDesign should feel exciting—not overwhelming.
01

Meet the designer

Hi, I’m Kathy Buchanan.

I turn pool ideas into detailed visual stories that homeowners, sales teams, and builders can understand together.

For more than seven years, I have worked in residential pool design, homeowner consultation, sales support, and pre-construction coordination. I create detailed, true-to-scale 3D renderings and 2D plans that show how a pool, spa, decking, landscaping, and other outdoor features will work together within the actual property. These realistic visuals allow clients to explore layouts, materials, colors, and design details before construction begins—creating confidence in each decision and giving the entire project team a clear direction. Before entering the pool industry, I spent more than 20 years in training development, multimedia, application development, and learning systems. That experience taught me how to simplify complex information, design intuitive visual experiences, and develop practical tools that help people work more effectively.

Today, I bring those skills together through both pool design and digital product development. In addition to creating custom backyard concepts, I develop interactive configurators, material-selection tools, pricing and proposal systems, CRM workflows, equipment-planning tools, and other digital solutions designed specifically for pool businesses. Whether I am designing a backyard or developing a better way to guide customers through the pool-buying process, my goal is the same: to turn an idea into something clear, personal, functional, and ready to bring to life.

VIP3D visualizationResidential pool design2D construction plansMaterials & presentation
02

Design portfolio

Open a project to explore its 3D design concept alongside the completed pool photography.

Why visualization matters

A 3D rendering is more than a beautiful image—it brings the design to life, reveals opportunities, and identifies potential challenges before construction begins. It gives homeowners and construction teams the confidence to move forward with a clear, shared vision.

Detailed 3D pool design renderingVision · Detail · Clarity
03

My design process

Creative, clear, and grounded in how pools are built.

01

Listen

I start with how you want the space to feel, function, and connect to your home.

02

Design

The pool, spa, elevations, hardscape, and outdoor-living features come together as one environment.

03

Visualize

Detailed 3D views make scale, materials, lighting, and movement easy to understand.

04

Refine

Focused revisions turn the first concept into a clear presentation and buildable direction.

Let’s design what’s next

Have a pool idea? Let me help bring your vision to life.

Whether you’re a homeowner exploring a new backyard or a pool professional who needs presentation-ready design support, I’d love to hear what you’re working on.

Open the contact form