PHOTO BY LAURA PETRILLA

I recently returned home from our first family trip to Walt Disney World in Florida.

Besides the rides, the princesses, and the general magic of the happiest place on Earth, one of the most memorable parts of our vacation — at least for me — was the blazing hot sun that beat down on us as we walked (and walked and walked) throughout Disney’s four parks in 95-degree heat.

Clearly, a pool to cool off in is a necessity in Florida, as evidenced by the number of nearby homes with screen-enclosed pools I noticed as we drove from the airport to our resort.   In Pittsburgh, with its changing seasons and often cloudy skies, not so much — unless you’re SPLASH Kitchen Bath Home marketing director Beth Fay Lane and her husband, Calvin.

The couple (aided by Shelton Design/Build) figured out a way to outsmart Pittsburgh’s unpredictable weather by adding an innovative indoor/outdoor swim-spa pool space to their Mid-Century Modern home in Upper St. Clair.  Topped by a massive rooftop deck, the swim-spa space is enclosed by a wall of panoramic glass doors that open to let the outdoors in during nice weather. In the colder months, the pool is still usable as the couple keeps the indoor temperature at a summer-like 80 degrees.

It’s a clever, and beautiful, way to keep the seasonal affective disorder that affects many of us (OK, me) at bay during Pittsburgh’s endlessly gray weather. Learn more about the luxury renovation here.

Speaking of magic, the Three Bears House is its own kind of fairytale. Like Cinderella, the former mill house underwent a remarkable makeover that transformed it from mistreated Pittsburgh hillside home to a rare beauty that serves as both workshop and family abode.  Adding some intrigue is a double-decker front porch anchored by stunning tree-trunk columns, as well as its location in what’s been deemed Pittsburgh’s next “it” neighborhood, Hazelwood. The Bell family’s story starts here.

The roller-coaster real estate market continues to be a trending topic nationally as well as locally. You can find out more about what’s selling in our area (and for how much) with Hot Property as well as how to up your home’s value with curb appeal tips from gardening expert Martha Swiss.

HOME Editor Jessica Sinichak can be reached ad jsinichak@pittsburghmagazine.com