help with pool deck widths

8 years ago

Hello! We are currently putting in our pool. It is a 20x40 rectangle pool with a small bump out on one of the 40 ft side (middle) where a 12 ft bench is with a view of the ocean. My plan is to do a patio bump out behind the bump out making it 12x22 feet to put loungers to sit and look at the view. On the right side of the pool (20 ft side with steps in shallow end) I was going to do 10x20 patio. Entrance into the pool has 6x40 feet of patio and deep end with 3feet of patio (sorry if this is confusing) will ten feet of patio be sufficient on the shallow end - is it too much??? We have a patio coming off the house as well that is 16x33 (taking out the pavers currently there and replacing with same material as pool patio) where we will have our table couches and grill. Any help is much appreciated! Thank you!

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Comments (4)

mindshift
8 years ago
Am I looking at the bump out bench in the above photo? If so, are you going to excavate more soil to keep the patio bump out level with the pool edge? You could end up with a fairly tall retaining wall. Anything over 4' usually requires an engineer's help, but even lower walls can fail if adequate drainage in not provided behind the wall. Building anything, even a driveway above a retaining wall can also cause it to fail. Do a search on retaining walls.

Any walkway needs a minimum of 36", though 42" is better and would give you 8.5' of lounger space which is quite adequate for loungers set perpendicular to the pool. Is there some reason you need 10' of patio depth on the the shallow end? Do you envision adults sitting in the area to watch children? Using the same walkway width of 3.5' you get 6.5' of sitting area from the 10' depth. Most chairs and sofas are 30 to 36" deep, so if seating is meant for this area your figure is only slightly generous; I wouldn't go less than 8'. If you do not intend seating in this area then 48" for the walkway is generous.
Jillian Spiegel
Original Author
8 years ago
Thank you @mindshift! Yes the bump out is what you are looking at the patio will be at the same level as the pool. We are doing some more grading hoping to flatten out a bit more but needed to wait to find out septic elevation it will either slope up further back if not too steep or will require a retaining wall - thank you for your advice have already looked into drainage behind the wall (it will not be over 4ft)

The shallow end patio I was thinking parents would sit and watch the kids swim i was thinking maybe putting a table And chairs there but not sure if we really need it since we have table and chairs on the patio when you first come out of the house close by.
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Revolutionary Gardens
8 years ago
Inside the house, all the guests clump together in the kitchen. Outside, they all clump in the patio around the water entry to the pool. That's just reality.

This is a big project. You may want to involve a local landscape designer who's really good at space planning.
Jillian Spiegel
Original Author
8 years ago
Thank you @revolutionarygardens I will!