Do you have any pictures of your house and yard? It sounds like you have an exciting proect!..

Thank you Arlene! I'll take a few and post this afternoon

When I was a kid in Los Angeles we had a pool whose edge was curved at the deep end, narrowed as it approached the shallow end, and whose shallow edge was squared off. It had a curved set of steps that protruded into the shallow end and incorporated a bench. It looked nice but was bad for actually swimming; those steps really got in the way. I'd go with a rectangular pool with the fewest protrusions possible; for example, only with steps that are built into the side of the pool.

Our pool also had a spa attached to the pool at the deep end and the same level as the pool. That was fun because one could climb over the spa wall to get into it and dive right from the spa into the pool.

Be sure to position the skimmer such that the prevailing wind blows leaves into the skimmer rather than away from it.

Finally, remember that taking care of a pool is no fun and you'll have to do it year-round regardless of the length of the swimming season. Maybe read a pool maintenance book to see what you'll have to do...before you buy the pool.

I had a pool in home I just sold. We had a beautiful curved custom shaped pool. I wished I'd gone with a rectangle that could accommodate an automatic cover.

Sorry about the turned photo - not sure why!

anyway this is part of our backyard- we have over an acre but due to safety(we must have a fence blocking patio from pool (small kids), privacy and septic lines this is where we are.

pool will be oriented along the double gate area(will have new fence). Pool size 16x32

neyond that gate there is about 1/4 acre between us and our neighbor.

the large deciduous trees and a couple of the pines will have to be removed

thank you for all comments so far!

really appreciate

Just realized these are terrible photos when posted!! So sorry!

This looks really pool-unfriendly. The sun appears blocked by the house and trees, and all those leaves are going to end up in the pool. If there's a public pool nearby, I'd go there.

@wdccruise- I’m fact the trees are coming down and the spot gets sun perfectly well.

we've had a pool before so we do know what we’re getting into.

have a good day

We have a 16x32 pool. It’s great for swimming laps. We have shade but a pool heater keeps it warm and a solar cover keeps the heat in over night (We are in the Northeast.). We also have an automatic chlorine feeder which makes it very easy to keep the water balanced. I know salt pools are popular but I found that I could taste the salt while doing laps and my skin got very dry after swimming in a salt pool. I absolutely love everything about having a pool. Enjoy!

If you raise the spa, then you gain a sitting area. Here's a pool that with a raised spa. The two are connected by a short channel through which water can flow (as a waterfall) from the spa into the pool.

@patrick- beautiful pool and good tip about extra seating! The pool contractor said it is also easier to get in/out when it is raised about 18” I just wondered about esthetic

of raising it

Friends of ours recently put in a rectangular pool with a retractable cover that has child locks on it. I thought that was ingenious!

I visited that home 15 or so years ago and this pool stood out. Here's another close-up of the spa taken from a book published by the architect. Hope this sparks some ideas for your project.

Tenafly · More Info

Tenafly · More Info

Tenafly · More Info

Tenafly · More Info

A project of ours from 2009.

!8x36 pool with a raised spa 18" off the patio. This is a preferred height as most chairs, benches are at this height. It provides additional seating and also sight/sound of the spillway.

When the auto cover is activated to cover the pool, a special relay is in place to stop the water flow from the spa back to the pool, via the spillway. Otherwise the cover would be flooded.

The spillway is a custom bronze product.

@yvondag These are rim-flow hot tubs, or infinity edge or zero edge...however you call them. They give a nice modern accent to the pool especially if it is a smaller pool with not many features it can stand out as a feature on its own. If the hot tub has a cap or coping you could raise it 18" for seating height. If we raise a hot tub 18" we usually add a 6" step to get in instead of having to step over and down into the hot tub, otherwise we keep it at 12" raised max.

Best of luck with your project!

@Tipton Spires Design|Build - Thank you for the time you spent and the helpful tips - I hadn't thought about having to leap over the spa cap - I assumed we would just sit on it and swing around? I need to rethink that issue. The spa/pool you built is gorgeous!