Tiny Pool?

[Purple]

Has anyone built a tiny pool? I'm talking like 10x12 or something. I don't have much space, but I want a place to splash around and cool off with my kids in the courtyard area in front of my house. I already have a hot tub, so I don't want a "swim spa" and I don't want anything particularly elaborate--just something pretty and relaxing.

I live in a mountain area with pretty cold winters--from what I've read, it sounds like concrete or vinyl would be better suited than fiberglass?

If you have built a very small pool, what did you decide on? How much did it cost? (Yes, I know this varies tremendously, but I'm curious)

 

[Helen203]

Why not a swim spa? I'm just curious, because it seems like a good solution in such a northern climate. They are popular here in the mid-Atlantic region.

 

[Purple]

The swim spas I've seen all have more of the hot tub feel, if that makes sense. I want more of a plunge pool feel.

 

[yankeelawyer]

There are great photos on Pinterest under Tiny Pool. My friend recently built a slightly larger 12x20 gunite pool that is beautiful. In their case, the price was not much less than a bigger pool because many of the costs are the same.

 

[Purple]

Thanks Yankee--it's nice to hear positive feedback about a small pool. Agreed, there are lovely examples of small pools on Pinterest, dwell, apartment therapy, etc. but I never seem to meet any of these small pool owners in real life and the online examples never offer details about specs or price. I see some posters here who spend 35k on a pool (totally do-able) and some who spend 150k (ain't gonna happen). Does your friend enjoy his/her pool, or do they ever wonder if it was really worth it for the size?

I live at the base of a canyon in Utah--there aren't tons of pools here, so it's difficult to get a sense of things from friends or neighbors. My husband grew up in Texas, where pools are large and abundant, and it's challenging to convince him of the value of a small pool in an area that's deeply snow-covered much of the year. That said, when it's hot, it's hot...and I want to cool off! I love the water. I can't get enough of water. If I had a large private yard I'd probably just buy one of those blue blobby deals and call it a day (my mother bought one last year, and I've never seen my kids get more happiness from a $250 spend), but my lot is odd and whatever I buy needs to be visually attractive appealing and mesh with the house, if that makes sense.

I'm so worried I'll make a bad decision and tear down mature landscaping and install a pool that will destroy my resale value and won't be any fun because it's too tiny. But then I remember breaking down last summer and buying a tiny little kiddie pool just for some sensation of being in cool water. Argggh! Does anyone else really, really overthink things?

 

[Brentr]

We have a small pool aka Spool (Social pool) @ 10 x 20 , 6,000 gals and we would not want anything bigger. Here in Florida pools seem cheaper than other parts of the country. Cost was @20k. Look at the pool build in the signature.

 

[Purple]

Brent I love your pool! And the mermaid statue is adorable.

 

[Kouri]

I'm in FL and have a small pool 12' x 24'; I didn't build so I can't give you cost. The pool is about 20 yrs old and we've had for ~6. It's great for bobbing around with a noodle or kids and manageable for one person to maintain and not expensive to have a pool company maintain. Seems more than adequate.

 

[ComputerGuyInNOLA]

My wife and I visit Florida a few times a year and some of the places we have stayed have what is known locally as cocktail pools. We have a friend here in New Orleans who owns a home in Destin and they have a small pool in their courtyard. It is about 8' x 12' x 3.5 deep. It has a large wall on the backside with a waterfall that flows into the pool. We actually thought about one of these when we built our pool. We have lots of room but we liked the idea of a small pool close the back of our house. We ended up building a 14x28 sport pool and we are so glad we did. We have our nieces and nephews over nearly every weekend during the summer. Anything smaller would have been useless for us. Given that, If I did not have kids coming over or had limited space, I would jump at a cocktail pool. Very easy to maintain and low chemical usage.