A couple questions from first time poster, currently in excavation stage (Austin, TX)

[aggie1tbh]

First, I'm curious as to the overall size of our pool. It's free form and will be 93.5 perimeter feet and about 510 square feet. The pool builder keeps telling me that the pool will look bigger once all excavation is complete, but I wanted general thoughts on if this is what many would consider a small pool? We were trying to preserve some yard space and also stick within a budget, but there is room to expand the size if necessary.

Also, they hit rock about 6" into the dig. Common sense would tell me that the pool being built in rock surrounding would make for a more solid foundation, but is this the case?

Thanks in advance.

 

[RobbieH]

Welcome to TFP!

Has the PB given you an estimate of volume?

 

[aggie1tbh]

I don't think so, I can ask. I also forgot to add that it's 33' x 20'

 

[bmoreswim]

Also, they hit rock about 6" into the dig. Common sense would tell me that the pool being built in rock surrounding would make for a more solid foundation, but is this the case?

Surely it does make for a more solid foundation but it is of no practical consequence (peace of mind - yes). Virgin soil provides a perfectly sufficient base for a concrete pool shell. The only time there is really an issue under a pool is if the soil is disturbed. Then it must be addressed with a geotechnical engineer.

Also, pools look smaller when drawn out versus after being dug out - almost universally the case. For reference, your pool is 75% the surface area of ours (684 sq. ft.) which is considered big. Our pool is on an open acre lot. Pool size is relative to the surrounding lot. I feel that size will seem very nice if you have a common size fenced/walled TX subdivision lot that I see here. (Which BTW I always think its interesting that lots in TX (and CA and FL for that matter) are often smaller (in a huge states) than in the northeast. Just regional differences I realize.)

 

[santacruzpool]

I wouldn't think of a pool 33x20 as a small pool. But everyone has different ideas!!

Our pool is 30x15 and I don't think of it as small - it certainly isn't very big either, we didn't want the pool to cover our entire back yard. Now if we lived in a location that could support a much larger pool, then ours might feel a little smaller.

I think the majority of pools I see built are in our size range. When pools start getting 50ft and bigger is when I think of them being large.

 

[sham]

That seems like a good size for our typical Texas size lots. Most of the pools in our neighborhood are 450-500 sq feet. Ours is going to be 18 by 40, but the tanning ledge takes up about 5-6 feet of that 40' length.

 

[aggie1tbh]

Thanks guys. I just wanted some confirmation that it wasn't going to be extremely small. It sounds like it won't be the case, which makes me feel better. Like I said I've been trying to balance a decent sized pool with the ability to still throw and kick the balls with my kids in the backyard and I think we've achieved that.

 

[RobbieH]

It depends on the Texas lot. A lot in Richardson is typically different than a lot in Garland, because Richardson's houses mostly have rear-entry garages. When on a .16 lot, that leaves no room once the pool is in. In Hurst, I had front entry garage on a .25 acre lot, which means I had room. I'm on a big lot now, so room is irrelevant, but garage entry and overall lot size make a big difference.

 

[mgmoore7]

The environment definitely is a factor. We used hoses, string, etc to lay ours out several times. and it always looked small (29x13.5). Now that it is built it looks bigger. Once all of our kids are in it (7 in all), it feels smaller .

We only had a certain # of feet to work with though from the back of our house. We could have gone a little longer but in the end, deck is somewhat important too for our lifestyle. We are very happy in the end. Ours is 12k in volume (we did a sports pool 3.5/5/4) and for a neighborhood pool in the tampa bay area is probably about average or maybe even a little larger since most lots just can't support a larger pool.