Summertime always gets you thinking about those carefree days, sitting by the pool if you’re like us. Enjoying the sun without a care in the world. And that probably makes you start thinking about getting a pool. So, like any good future pool owner, you start thinking about what kind of pool to get.
Pretty soon, you’ll realize there’s a dizzying array of options to choose from. But some may suit your needs much better than others. In this post, we’re going to acquaint you with the five most popular pool shapes and help you choose the perfect pool for your yard.
How To Pick The Right Pool
Picture this.
You spend weeks driving around town, looking at pools, trying to picture them in your backyard. Finally, you find it–the perfect pool. You look for the best specialists in pool installation Miami has to offer and get your dream pool installed.
And then, days later, you start to notice little things that bother you. It’s too narrow on one side. There’s not enough room for your plants and other backyard features. Pretty soon, you’re calling the pool installers to tear up your perfect pool.
To avoid that scenario, here are three questions to ask yourself to help you decide on the perfect pool shape:
- How Much Space Do You Have?
The most critical factor in determining what pool you should get is how big of a pool your backyard allows. But you have to keep some things in mind in addition to the pool. After all, you don’t want your backyard to be one big pool and nothing else.
So, you’ll want to leave space for other features and activities. For instance:
- Any landscaping features you want to keep or future landscaping features you might want to add, such as an outdoor kitchen.
- How much swimming pool deck space will you want? Decking can take up a lot of space and could be a key feature of your ideal pool design.
- How Many People Will Use to Pool and For What?
You’ll also need to consider how many people the pool needs to accommodate. But not only that. You should also take into account who will be using the pool. A group of children using the pool several times a week don’t have the same needs as a group of adults using it occasionally.
Additionally, what are your goals for the pool? If you want to swim laps, you’ll obviously need a long pool. If you just want to entertain small groups, it’s a completely different story.
The bottom line is you’ll want to consider your pool activities when deciding what kind of pool to install.
- What Pool Features Do You Want?
A pool is not just a basin with water in it. It will fundamentally change how your backyard looks and feels. For that reason, you’ll want to choose features that match the style you’re going for in your backyard. Those may include:
- A tanning ledge
- Deck jets
- An attached spa
- LED lights
- A waterfall
Top Swimming Pool Shapes
Before diving into the shapes on this list, there’s one more thing you need to keep in mind. Although the shape doesn’t dictate the actual size of your pool, some shapes look awkward if they’re too large or too small. And shell materials, such as fiberglass, are premade, and you won’t really have much control of the size. Speak with a pool installation specialist for help deciding on a material and shape for your particular needs.
With that out of the way, let’s start with the classic pool shape:
- Rectangular
You’re not going to win any originality awards with a rectangular pool, but it has stood the test of time as one of the most economical and space-efficient shapes. But just because the shape is so common doesn’t mean it has to be boring.
Rectangular pools offer a lot in terms of customization, and you’ll be surprised at how much you can achieve with the right accessories and surrounding features. Something like a perimeter overflow can add a ton of character to a rectangular pool.
Moreover, it’s one of the surest ways to add reliable value to your home. Because it’s a classic, it’s the least likely shape to raise objections with buyers if you ever choose to sell your home.
- Kidney Pools
As its name implies, the kidney pool shape is similar to a kidney bean. It’s typically oval-shaped and has a narrow band around the middle of the oval. It’s a very popular shape for fiberglass pools, and you’ll find a huge variety of fiberglass shells in that shape.
Kidney pools have several benefits over rectangle pools. For starters, they offer a much more organic shape that won’t clash with your backyard’s natural features. It’s also one of the most common shapes to include artificial waterfalls. And it facilitates water flow a little better than rectangle pools, making them a little easier to maintain.
- Grecian Pools
A popular alternative to rectangle pools, Grecian pools have a rectangular shape but include more sides depending on your preference. Typically, a Grecian pool has eight sides and looks like an elongated stop sign.
But Grecian pools aren’t restricted to that design. Some include half circles, stylized corners, and any of a number of other features.
- Lazy-L Pool
A relative of the Full-L, the Lazy-L pool shape resembles the capital letter “L” with the short tail trailing off at a gradual angle rather than 90 degrees. It’s one of the best shapes to accommodate many different use cases for the pool.
It provides both the length necessary for swimming laps and has room for a shallow section dedicated to entertaining. The vertical part of the “L” is usually narrower for swimming while the short one is designed for casual entertaining. It’s also an excellent shape to choose inf certain awkwardly-shaped yards or when owners want to leave room in certain areas of the backyard.
- Custom Pool Shape
Ultimately, the ideal pool is going to be the one designed specifically for your backyard. Besides the obvious benefit of fitting perfectly in your backyard, a custom pool has several other advantages.
For instance, you’ll be able to design the pool around the style you want to convey. If your home has some outstanding features you want to highlight, you can do so with ease and without compromising. Lastly, custom pools are almost always made with a concrete shell, one of the longest-lasting materials. If you have a definite vision in mind for your pool and are ready to execute it, a custom shape is the one for you.
Your Pool Your Way
Hopefully, that gives you some food for thought to choose your pool shape wisely. But remember that those are just the most popular pool shapes. There are many more shapes out there waiting to be discovered. If you want to learn more about pool shapes and which one is right for your property, don’t hesitate to call us. Our pool installation professionals will be happy to help you choose a shape and give you a free estimate!
What are your biggest concerns when it comes to pool shapes? Leave us a comment below, and we’ll do our best to help you work through your doubts.
