Pool planning guides
Short and practical — what actually matters when you plan a pool, without the jargon.
How big should your pool be?
Pool size is the one decision you can't change later. Here's how to get it right the first time.
10 min read
Standard pool sizes and dimensions
Pools are built in a short list of sizes: 13 × 8 ft (4 × 2.5 m) for a plunge pool, 20 × 10 ft (6 × 3 m) for a compact one, 26 × 13 ft (8 × 4 m) and 33 × 16 ft (10 × 5 m) for a family — and in America the 12x24 to the 20x40, with the 16x32 as the classic.
11 min read
How deep should a pool be?
Most home pools run from 3′ 11″ (1.2 m) at the shallow end to 5′ 11″ (1.8 m) at the deep end, and many would be better at one depth. Depth decides who can use the pool, what it costs and whether anyone may ever dive — and most pools need less of it than people think.
9 min read
How much water does a pool hold?
A 26 × 13 ft (8 × 4 m) family pool holds about 11,624 gal (44,000 litres) of water and a 33 × 16 ft (10 × 5 m) pool about 17,964 gal (68,000 litres). For your own, multiply length by width by the average depth, measured down from the water line rather than the deck.
11 min read
Pool edges: skimmer, overflow or raised
The edge system decides how your pool looks at a glance and how its water stays clean. It's the most architectural decision in the whole build.
10 min read
Choosing a pool shape: a practical guide
Shape is where taste meets consequences: it changes the swim, the build cost, the cover and how the pool sits in your garden.
9 min read
Pool interior finishes: tile vs plaster
The interior finish sets your water's color, your maintenance calendar and a surprising slice of the budget.
9 min read
Pool steps, ladders and entries
A comfortable pool step height is 7 1/8–9 7/8″ (18–25 cm) of rise with a tread 11 3/4–13 3/4″ (30–35 cm) deep — lower and deeper than a house stair. Nobody thinks about the entry until it's wrong, and its width and place decide whether the pool is easy every single day.
9 min read
Tanning ledges: the shallow shelf
Ask pool owners about their favorite square metres and the tanning ledge wins: 5 7/8″ (15 cm) of water where all the lounging happens.
9 min read
Pool lighting: layouts that actually look good
Lighting is the difference between a pool that disappears at 9 pm and one that becomes the garden's centerpiece.
9 min read
Pool circulation: skimmers, inlets, drains
Clean water isn't made by the filter alone — it's made by water actually reaching the filter. That's circulation.
10 min read
Pool skimmers: how many you need and where
A pool needs one skimmer for every 269 sq ft (25 m²) of water surface, rounded up — one for a 20 × 10 ft (6 × 3 m), two for a 26 × 13 ft (8 × 4 m) or a 33 × 16 ft (10 × 5 m), three for a 39 × 20 ft (12 × 6 m) — set in the wall the wind blows toward.
12 min read
Pool covers: heat, safety and fewer leaves
A cover is the highest-return accessory a pool can have: it halves heating costs, keeps debris out and can add real safety.
9 min read
Pool heating basics: heat pumps & solar
An unheated pool in a temperate climate is comfortable six weeks a year. Heating — done sensibly — turns that into five months.
10 min read
What actually drives pool cost
Two pools with the same footprint can differ by 3× in price. Here's where the money actually goes.
9 min read
Pools for small gardens
You don't need a lawn the size of a tennis court. Some of the best pools we've seen fit in 215 sq ft (20 m²) of garden.
9 min read
Small pool sizes, from 3 to 6 m
A small pool is one between 3 and 6 m long, from a 9′ 10″ (3 m) round plunge pool that holds about 2,113 gal (8 m³) to a 20 × 10 ft (6 × 3 m) rectangle that holds about 6,076 gal (23 m³). Each size decides what the pool is for: cooling off at 3 to 4 m, floating and a few strokes at 5 m, a compact family pool at 6 m.
10 min read
Planning a lap pool
A lap pool is exercise equipment made of water. Design it like sports gear: long, calm and predictable.
10 min read
Pool maintenance basics for future owners
Maintenance fear stops more pools than budgets do. The truth: a well-designed pool takes 20 minutes a week.
10 min read
Pool closing: how to winterize a pool
Close a pool once the water stays below about 15 °C (60 °F), before the first hard frost: clean and balance the water, shock it, lower the level, empty everything that holds water, then cover it. In a mild climate you may not need to close it at all.
13 min read
Plunge pools: small water, big luxury
The plunge pool is the espresso of pools: concentrated, intense, and exactly enough.
9 min read
How much does a plunge pool cost?
Expect about 60% of a family pool's build price for just over a quarter of its water: this site's plan pages put a 13 × 8 ft (4 × 2.5 m) plunge pool at €15,000–43,000 installed, and a US 8x16 at $26,000–66,000.
11 min read
Designing a family pool for everyone
A family pool serves a six-year-old, a lap swimmer and a grandparent — at the same time. That's a zoning problem, and zoning is design.
10 min read
Infinity and deck-level pools at home
The infinity edge is photography's favorite pool trick — and at home, its quieter sibling, the deck-level pool, is the one most gardens should actually build.
10 min read
Concrete vs fiberglass vs vinyl pools
Every inground pool is one of three things under the water: a concrete shell, a fiberglass shell or a vinyl liner. Pick that first, because it quietly decides everything else.
11 min read
What size pool fits my yard?
Start with the whole yard and take things away until only the water is left. The pool that fits is usually a size smaller than the one you pictured, and a better one.
10 min read
Pool regrets: what owners wish they'd known
Most pool regrets are decided months before the digger arrives, at a kitchen table, often in a single afternoon. These are the ones owners bring up most, and what I'd do instead.
11 min read
Questions to ask a pool builder
Write these down while you're still planning. Walk into the first meeting with your own drawing and this list, and the builder ends up pricing your pool instead of selling you theirs.
11 min read
Pool permits, HOA rules and fences
Before you fall for a shape, find out what your lot, your HOA and your building department will let you build. It takes an afternoon and saves a redesign.
10 min read
How long does it take to build a pool?
Two clocks run on every pool. The builder's is measured in weeks. Yours starts with the first sketch, is measured in months, and decides which summer you actually swim.
9 min read
Pool and spa: adding hot water to your pool
The spa is the part of a pool people use in November. It's also a small, hot, separately plumbed pool of its own, and it deserves its own plan.
10 min read
Go on — put a pool in your garden.
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