Steps to Determine How Big Your Residential Pool Should Be

Swimming pools are one of the most luxurious amenities you can add to your home. They are not only beautiful, but they are a great way to get outside and enjoy the great outdoors with friends and family, not to mention, swimming is the perfect way to get exercise, all while having fun doing it. If you need one more reason to consider a pool for your home, here’s a big one; they can add value to your home. Everyone would love to be able to increase the value of their property, especially for when it comes time to sell their home. Now that you know the benefits of owning a pool, it’s important you know the logistics involved with adding a pool, for instance, how do you know what size your pool should be? Well, we’ve put together a list of the steps to determine how big your residential pool should be, so keep reading to learn more.

Things to consider

When deciding on the size of the pool, you’ll need to have the area in mind where you want the pool. Once you have the idea of where you think it will not only flow with the layout of your property and look the best, you will need to make sure that the location is free of certain elements that could hinder the plans. Here are the things you’ll need to consider and make sure any of the following isn’t buried in the area:

• Sewer or septic (if you have a septic system)
• Electrical wires
• Telephone line
• Cable wires
• Water lines

These could not only compromise the size of the pool you want in that particular area, but it could mean you may need to move the location altogether. Once you know the area is clear of these important elements, you can move forward with the next steps.

Step one

Find out your city zoning ordinances are for adding a swimming pool to your property.

Step two

Have an idea of the area where you want the pool to be located. According to recommendations on Hunker, you’ll need to determine the level of the land and if any portion will need to leveled, or if any of the area will need to be built-up. Does any of the area need to be cleared? And how much, in order to have space for a pool?

Step three

You’ll want to enlist the help of a surveyor to go over your plot. Have your surveyor report available for him so he’s able to go over all the specs of your property. The surveyor will be able to explain exactly where (or if) your property meets any setbacks or easements, along with any drainage or utility easements that you may be encroaching on with the area you’ve planned for your pool. Many yards can fit a swimming pool, it just may take a little tweaking the size and shape to fit in with the existing structures and underground utilities you’ll need to avoid. You can see at Thursday pools, that once you’ve reviewed the survey report with the surveyor, this will tell you how much usable land space you’ll have to work with, which will help you decide the shape and size of pool you’ll be able to install.

A couple things to keep in mind: 

• Allow for a patio area that extends beyond the actual pool when figuring the final amount of area you’ll need and use. The suggested amount of space for a patio is between 9 and 12 ft. This give you space for easy walking around the pool, seating areas, and space to add decorative touches to help meld the pool with the landscape.
• Allow enough space from your back patio doors to the pool. You don’t want the pool just outside the your doors, and for the best effect if possible, a 16 ft. spread between your patio doors to the water is best.

Step four

Now that you know how much usable space you have and the layout of the land where you’re able to put the pool, you can start thinking about the shape. The space you have to use may be perfect for a classic rectangular shaped pool, or perhaps a simple circle or oval shape is what will work best in your plotted area. You may not be able to do something too elaborate with the shape, but adding a little curvature to one end of the pool so that it compliments a section of your landscape, could be doable. Of course the size and the amount of the space available will influence the shape you choose, but also consider what you will mostly be using your pool for. This will also play a role in the shape you choose. Things such as; exercise and lap swimming, just to relax in, kids playing and family oriented, entertaining, or perhaps it’s just a pool for decorative purposes for your property, or maybe a combination of the above, all can impact your choice.

Step five

Along with the idea of what you plan to use your pool for, according to Live About, you will want to consider how many people you plan to have use your pool, even if it’s periodically as opposed to the norm. If you are big on pool parties in the summer, have a big family, or your kids love to invite friends over often, you may want to increase the size of the pool to accommodate for the number of people you expect might be using your pool at times. It’s nice to have enough space for everyone without the feeling of overcrowding when you get in the pool. If your plans aren’t as big or grand for your pool, and it just needs to be enough to satisfy your small family or periodic guests, a smaller sized pool might just be all you need to add beauty and value to your home.

Step six

Everyone knows that with a pool comes added expense and time maintaining it. It goes without saying that the larger the pool, the more work it can be, as well as the more money it may cost to keep it running smoothly and looking pristine. Keeping the cost of maintaining a pool should play a role in your decision on the size as well. Do your research on the maintenance requirements for pools by talking to local pool companies, and there are plenty of sites online that can give you enough information to help you determine what size of a pool would best fit into your budget. The last thing you want to do is to go “big,” only to discover that it’s too much to handle, physically or financially and your pool becomes more of a detraction to your property, or even, unusable.

Final thoughts

The more research you put into the idea of adding a pool to your property, the better the decision you will make when it comes to choosing the perfect size for your home. Pools can be costly to add to your property, but what’s even more costly, is having to pay extra to correct mistakes made by not doing your homework and making bad choices to start with.