If you are considering a swimming pool, it’s easy to get ahead of yourself. The amount of information out there on the web can get you into the details quickly. You may start by looking at pool photos and deck details. This will lead over to outdoor kitchens and pergolas, and before you know it you’ve planned your whole backyard. However, before you get too far along, you must find out what is possible, and what your limitations are. You need to answer the question: can I build a pool in my backyard?
In this article we will go through the steps to follow to determine whether you can, and what restrictions you should expect to find.
Can I Build A Pool In My Backyard?
Before we get too far along on determining can I build a pool in my backyard, you should remember that each state, county, municipality, city, town, village, historic district, homeowner’s association, and special zoning district may have conflicting and confounding rules that might make your head spin. However, to help make sense of these rules, one of the best resources out there are the pool builders themselves. However, if you’re not ready for a sales pitch, the best place to start is going to be your local city or town hall.
How To Determine If You Can Build A Pool In Your Backyard
To begin, start by finding your survey or plot plan. These documents will usually be located with your closing documents from when you purchased the house. If you can’t find anything, or the documents seem extremely rough, you can try you property tax assessor, the registry of deeds, or the building department. This will likely take some legwork. Once you receive it, the survey will look something like this example.
Around the country there is unfortunately not a standard practice for how these documents are recorded and stored. If you are uncertain about where to find these in the public record, a good place to begin is the zoning department and the building department. They will be able to point you in the right direction.
How To Speed Up Getting Your Survey And Plot Plan
Much of the time, local government is extremely difficult to get on the telephone. It’s not a bad idea if you have the time to physically go down to city hall during office hours and walk from department to department as you’re directed. Remember, you are dealing with a small time bureaucracy. Don’t be surprised when you get conflicting answers or some attitude.
I’ve found the best thing to do in all cases is to be kind, patient, and let them tell you the answers. Let them be kings and queens of their respective kingdoms. We’ve found that orking in local government can give a sense of power to some. If you respect their power, they will like dealing with you.
What Are Zoning Resolutions?
Within local government there either is a zoning resolution or not. In nearly all of the United States, there is a zoning resolution. Zoning will determine your property line setbacks, setbacks from the house, and so on.
When determining setbacks for a pool specifically, some zoning bylaws will be clear and state ‘setback to swimming pool water’ or ‘setback to swimming pool structure’. Look for ‘dimensional regulations’ which may be in the form of a table. In other cases, the zoning department may classify pools along with ‘accessory structures‘.
In other cases, they will simply consider a pool as another structure like the main house, and require the same setbacks as the home. With some rare instances, the pool is classified as a pond. In all situations however, it’s important to understand the local governments interpretation of what is on the books code wise. Sometimes there will be nothing specifically written down related to pools, but there will be an interpretation.
This is where a good old fashioned conversation comes in handy. Simply ask the question ‘what are the requirements for a pool?’ to the building department, and they will direct you. If they send you to zoning, ask the same question there. Believe it or not, people want to help you!
How Much Space Do I Need For A Pool?
Once you’ve clarified the restrictions in place for your city or town, you should have a good idea of the space available to you for installing your swimming pool. We’ve gone in-depth to explain answers to specific space questions such as how much room do I need for an inground pool. However, there are a lot of follow up questions.
Maybe you’ve discovered there’s a restriction on where the pool can go. These could be ‘no front yard swimming pools’, or ‘3 foot setback from rear property line’. In any case, having these basic dimensions will give you a good start. The emergence of plunge pools has given homeowners with small backyards hope.
If you don’t know where your property lines are, or if you don’t have a good survey to work from, hire a surveyor to survey your property. They will be able to locate your property lines and provide a plan showing your house relative to the property lines, along with setback requirements. You will likely need this for permit submission anyhow.
Backyard Pool Readiness Checklist
Next, you need to consider the location you can legally construct the pool. Then, you’ll determine whether you want to tackle the project. Sometimes if your grade is too steep, or you have large boulders or bedrock visible, a pool just doesn’t make sense.
Terrain Challenges
In other cases, building the retaining walls, blasting the rock, or splitting the boulders does make sense. Once you know you can legally build the pool however, this should give you some idea of what the next set of challenges are.
The terrain is one of the more difficult challenges to overcome in swimming pool construction. Although a good landscape designer or pool builder can help you solve any challenges.
Can I Build A Pool In My Backyard With An Old Electrical System?
Next, you need to consider utilities. Do you have enough electricity to build a swimming pool? If you have a relatively new home, that’s great. You probably have modern electrical wiring, and this will make the job of an electrician much simpler.
Even so, you need to take a look at how much electrical service you have. Also, check whether you have space in your electrical panel to run a sub panel to your pool area. If you are looking to put in an above ground pool, the electrical demands are much simpler. However, they still need to be considered.
If you have an old electrical system, it’s a good idea to consider upgrading it for safety reasons. Paying a licensed electrician to give your electrical system a review prior to pulling the trigger on a new pool is not a bad idea. They can help you plan out how to get the electrical to your pool equipment location, as well as upgrade your panel, bring in higher amp service, and so on. This usually will cost $200 or so, and is well worth the cost up front.
Barrier Code Challenges
The next step in determining can I build a pool in my backyard is to figure out how you are going to comply with barrier codes. When you went down and did the dance at city hall you should have received the barrier code (fencing code) requirements from the building inspector or zoning department.
These will tell you how high the fence needs to be, how the gates should operate, whether you need door alarms from your house. In many cases these requirements contain specific construction detailing to prevent you from building a climbable fence, and to protect wandering children from stumbling into your pool.
Can I Build A Pool In My Backyard Without A Fence?
Fencing can be an expensive part of your swimming pool project. Despite being pricey, you should always consider it when planning your pool. This applies even if you live somewhere without any rules governing swimming pool construction. This is similar to where I grew up, in rural Vermont.
Extra Safety Ideas
It’s a good idea to build a fence. Alternatively, you can have an automatic safety cover which complies with the accepted barrier codes elsewhere in the country. This is not just for peace of mind. It also will be provided for your insurance company. Many insurance companies will require compliance with barrier codes even when they aren’t on the books in order to keep your insurance costs reasonable or property insurable.
Can I Build A Pool In My Backyard Summary
In summary, the answer to the question ‘can I build a pool in my backyard?’ Is nuanced. There are many factors which can determine the answer to this question. Furthermore, there are more which will impact ‘do I want to build a pool in my backyard?.
The costs and the headache can sometimes be too much to deal with if you’re a busy professional trying to do this at night or on weekends. If you are planning an inground pool project, you may want to contact a landscape architect or landscape designer to help walk you through the process. They can do the code compliance research. Additionally, they can assist in creating a set of plans which can be used by contractors to price the construction project.
