A well-designed pool complements any outdoor living area. While the pool is usually the visual center of focus – the purpose of the pool design should be to ensure the outdoor space can be used seamlessly all year round. This simply means that you need to position and allocate space according to how you’re going to use the remaining outdoor space. So, how much space is needed for a pool?
How Much Space is Needed for a Pool?
In this post, we’ll discuss how much space you need for a swimming pool. We’ll also highlight the factors to bear in mind when choosing the size and design of your pool.
When thinking about pool size, you want to consider how you’re going to utilize the remaining space. For instance:
- Paved areas form ideal spots for outdoor furniture and paths for foot traffic
- Garden beds and plants offer privacy and soften finishes
- Grassed areas create play areas and free-roaming ground especially if you have kids and animals
- Outdoor entertaining and rooms will help to protect you from the summer’s heat and keep you warm when it gets chilly
- Pools improve your home’s aesthetic appeal all year round and serve a practical purpose for the summer.
Nonetheless, there’s more to your yard than just the pool. And that’s why you want a pool that’s not too large to take up the entire space, leaving plenty of room for other activities. Many homeowners also opt for the minimum swimming pool size for their homes to ensure that they have enough room for other activities.
Pool Design
It goes without saying that you also need to consider the design of the pool and the pool surroundings as it will have an impact on the practical use of the space. As a general rule of thumb, you want your pool and pool surround to occupy about 25% of the total available area. So, if your yard is either small or medium size (approx. 150 square meters), consider building a small pool of about 20-28 square meters with a suitable small pool surround area. This gives you plenty of room to use your outdoor area for many other functions such as:
- Backyard cricket
- Parking a trailer and building a shed
- Thrusting up a clothesline
- Building a veggie patch or garden
- Playing some soccer
Your yard is an outdoor entertaining area so the size and design of your pool should be based on how you will use the space.
Key Points
- Pools always look good so make it stand out by going for a great design
- Ensure the pool surround occupy about 50% of the pool surface area
- Build your pool and pool surround to occupy about 25% of the total area available (especially if you have kids)
Bottom Line
So how much space is needed for a pool? The general rule of thumb is to build a pool that’s approx. 25% of the total available space. Bear in mind that you want a pool to complement rather than to occupy your entire yard. Ultimately, the size of your pool should be dictated by how you plan to use your yard space. If you have additional questions about building a pool, the pros at Venture Custom Pools have the knowledge and expertise to help.