Tips on Sizing Your Swimming Pool

A swimming pool in your yard offers the opportunity to easily swim laps without needing to head to the gym or public pool. For people with a busy lifestyle, avoiding the trip back and forward to the gym can be just the trick to find the extra 30 minutes to get some much needed exercise time.

Here are some of the factors to consider when deciding on the size of your swimming pool.

Depth

If you will be diving into your pool it needs a depth of 2m to ensure that you don't impact with the bottom of the pool. If you are happy to slide in, but would like to do tumble turns between your laps the pool should be at least 1.2m in depth at both ends. Shallower pools are easy and cheaper to heat due to the lower volume of water in the pool, and a heated pool is often a much inviting prospect if you swim year round or early in the morning.

Length

If you plan to use your swimming pool for lap swimming, standard lengths are 12.5m, 25m or 50m. Most urban blocks suit 20-25m swimming pool lengths at most, although this obviously depends on the dimensions of your block and position of the house on the block. Leisure pools can be any length, but if you are planning the pool for a combination of recreation and lap swimming painting guidelines on the bottom can help you to maintain focus and not end up cutting laps inadvertently.

Width

Consider if you will be swimming by yourself, or if other family members might like to jump in and do some laps as well. While lap swimming by yourself is calming, some people find it motivating to swim with their family member and keep each other's pace up. If you are swimming by yourself a width of 1.2m should be adequate, while if you are swimming side by side you'll need a width of around 2.5m.

If you would also like the pool to have the potential of being used for recreational uses, you might like to add a shallower offset section. Staired sections can provide a great place for small children to toddle with their parents and also get to enjoy your pool.

Planning your pool dimensions maximises the chances of your pool being used successfully for years to come. Why not ring a swimming pool company to start getting some quotes?