Swimming is such a great activity for the entire family. Whether spending time sunning on a warm Saturday afternoon, having a pool party with friends on Friday night, or spending time each morning taking a few laps for fitness, having a swimming pool in the backyard is a wonderful luxury. Depending where you live, swimming pools may be commonplace or not. For example, in Phoenix, just about everyone has a built-in pool whereas those living in Kansas City find it a rare occurrence. Regardless, if you want a swimming pool, you need to consider a number of things.
Start by making sure you are permitted to build a swimming pool where you live. Some cities or home associations have codes or regulations whereby a pool cannot be built. Therefore, before any digging starts, make sure you can add a pool to your backyard. If you can, the size and shape of the pool needs to be decided. Typically, a residential pool use for recreational use would have a deep and shallow end with steps for easy entry and exit.
If you plan to put the pool in your yard, a five-foot would suffice. Now, keep in mind that if your purpose for a pool is to exercise then a longer, narrower lap pool is an option but for family fun, you would generally go with the deep/short end design. Another consideration would be for a dive area of the pool. If you want to have a diving board or water slide, you need a slightly deeper pool for safety reasons. The exact depth is something you and your pool contractor can determine together.
Next, the shape of the pool would need to be determined, which would depend on the shape of your yard. The most common shapes are oval, round, square, and rectangle. One thing to remember associated with shape is that a rectangular shaped pool often costs more money than one with curves. The reason is that many pool contractors will base their price on the pool’s perimeter.
We strongly recommend pool decking be built around the pool so access is easy and safe but more importantly, a fence or some type of protection should be created around the pool to keep small children and animals out. Even if you do not have a small child yourself, you might have neighbors or visitors who do. With a locking fence, a child cannot get inside to the water, accidentally falling in to drown. Finally, work with a reputable contractor so all the plans can be laid out correctly. Unfortunately, going back to make changes based on errors is very expensive and time-consuming.