Why are pools of yesteryear bigger?

[Adwizard]

It seems to me that pools built in the 70s or 80s are bigger than pools of the 2000s and up. Why is this? Cost? My brother-in-laws pool was built in the 70s and his pool is deeper and bigger than mine. Was bigger size standard back then? My pool is barely six feet deep at the deep end. His is more like 7' deep. And the square footage is deeper, too. Any explanation for this? Like, are standard size pools today smaller than those of 30 years ago? Just curious.

 

[cowboycasey]

Cost, the number 1 option.. a 20k pool is now a 80k pool.. In 50 years the pools will be 2 times smaller than now and cost 200k to build... Just in the last 3 years the prices have gone from the 60k range to the 100k range..

 

[Newdude]

I have no idea what you're talking about. I'm building a 20X40 with a 8 ft deep end soon. It's bigger than all the 18X36's my friends had growing up.

But for many people, tiny backyards don't help on top of the exorbitant pricing. Back in the day you bought an acre or five. Now many subdivisions have postage stamp lots.

 

[Homebrewale]

For many subdivisions around here, there isn't enough space to put in a pool.

 

[HeyEng]

I would guess it has to do with yard sizes. The sprawling yards in suburbia have given way to smaller and smaller lots. In my former home of NW Atlanta, most of the lots were zoned for .5 acres back in the 70s and 80s but almost all those lots have been taken down to .25 on the large size or more commonly .15 acres. Density changes in the are is one of the big reasons I left ATL and moved to "flyover" country.

The house we live in now is on a lot that is shy of 7 acres but we have a pretty small pool. I think that was by design by the previous owner/builder in how the land has been developed (landscape wise). Personally, since it's just the wife and me, I am very happy with the smaller pool.

 

[Toxophilite]

And, homes have gotten bigger, squeezing out every inch of lot size in most subdivisions. Just since the 80's, the average home size has grown 1,000sf larger. As kid of the 60's, we had a large middle class home, of, roughly that 1,000sf.

 

[ajw22]

Smaller pools cost less to build, require less water which is environmentally friendly especially in dry regions, use less chemicals, cost less to heat, can be more easily covered to retain heat and prevent evaporation.

A large pool often has a deep area that few people go into. Diving pools have become outlawed by many insurance companies. There is often little reason to have a deep end now. And the space you have where people hang out in a large pool is about the same as the smaller pool being built now. Cut off the deep end, which no one misses, and pools are about the same size.

 

[Homebrewale]

Smaller pools cost less to build, require less water which is environmentally friendly especially in dry regions, use less chemicals, cost less to heat, can be more easily covered to retain heat and prevent evaporation.

A large pool often has a deep area that few people go into. Diving pools have become outlawed by many insurance companies. There is often little reason to have a deep end now. And the space you have where people hang out in a large pool is about the same as the smaller pool being built now. Cut off the deep end, which no one misses, and pools are about the same size.

Somehow I find this amusing after looking at your signature.

 

[ajw22]

Somehow I find this amusing after looking at your signature.

The pool came with the house. I would build a different pool if I was doing it. Truly no need to have the end as deep as I have.

Do as I say, not as I do.

 

[Oly]

Back in the day you bought an acre or five. Now many subdivisions have postage stamp lots.

More units per acre = >$.
Developers are farmers now, they plant the last crop.

 

[gkw4815]

I love the 1996-built 25k gallon pool at our house, but if I were building a new pool I'd undoubtedly go with a much smaller one, maybe 10k gallons, even if I had a huge lot. Would be nice to spend less time brushing and vacuuming and save on chemicals.

I guess switching to a SWG and a fancy robot would address both of these big-pool headaches somewhat, but another plus of small pools is the ability to heat them in 3-6 hours vs the 18+ hours it would take to heat up mine on a cold day.

I do enjoy being able to use the massive inflatable-island raft that we set up in our pool a few times a year - couldn't use this in a cocktail pool.

 

[darkrider]

Yep, as other's have mentioned... smaller yard sizes coupled with higher pricing. The overall trend likely will continue toward smaller pools. My subdivision is older (late 80's to mid-90's builds) and I bought on the end of a cul-de-sac, so I ended up with a bigger lot (right at an acre). I'm mid-build right now and ours is on the bigger side, but I knew I wanted the biggest pool I could afford. I've certainly never heard anyone say they wish they went smaller with their pool!