Many clients arrive thinking “as big as will fit”. After a few summers, most say they would have liked more garden around it. The right size starts with how you will use the pool.
Think about who will get in, how many at once and for what: cooling off, play or swimming. For most families, a depth of around 1.20–1.50 m and a surface up to 50 m² is the sweet spot, and keeps the paperwork to the simple approval.
By use
Cooling off and relaxing: a small pool or plunge pool with a bench
Playing with children: wide, with a shallow zone and big steps
Rentals: enough surface for many bathers, with a surround for loungers
Depth
For standing adults, around 1.40 m. For small children, a shallow zone at the start. Deeper pools do not add fun, they add water volume that has to be filtered and heated. We do not recommend head-first dives in private pools of this depth.
How much water is that?
Volume is length × width × average depth. An 8 × 4 m pool with an average depth of 1.40 m holds about 45 cubic metres. That figure sets the size of the filter, the pump and the heating.
The space around the pool
Allow at least a comfortable path all round and a larger area on one side for loungers and a table. The surround is where you spend most of your hours, not in the water. See also choosing the location.
Sun loungers on a timber deck next to the pool
Photos from our projects
Three-tread stainless ladder inside a prefab poolFull-width pool steps with grey membraneCharcoal membrane, steps and decking along the whole length
