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El Paso, TX · Classic suburb

Long lap pool behind an El Paso adobe

A narrow swim pool in gravel and agave, with steps at one end and a shaded ramada patio beside it.

One photo of your yard is all it needs.

Suits: Spanish and Mediterranean houses on a classic suburb in Texas.

Drawn for a flat-roofed adobe-style stucco house in warm tan with exposed vigas and a tile-trimmed entry, with a yard of crushed gravel, agave, ocotillo and prickly pear, with the Franklin Mountains rising behind.

  • Spanish and Mediterranean
  • Starter tier
Planning cost, TX
$55,000 to $145,000
A range from published prices, not a quote
Build time
3 to 6 months
Contract to first swim
Size
40 × 10 ft
4 to 5 ft deep
Water
about 13,500 gal
Water surface
400 sq ft

Quick answers about this design

Worked out from this design's own model, so they differ from page to page.

How much water does this pool hold?
About 13,500 gallons. It is 40 by 10 ft with about 400 sq ft of water, 4 ft deep at the steps and 5 ft at the deep end. The gallons come from adding up the depth over the real floor, steps and shelf included.
How big a yard does it need?
Plan on a clear area of about 58 by 28 ft for the pool, 4 ft of deck around the water and 5 ft to the fence line. The deck as drawn here is about 60 by 30 ft.
What does this design cost?
A planning range for TX is $55,000 to $145,000 all in: the pool, deck, coping, fence and features listed on this page. Permits and engineering are not in it. It is a range built from published prices, not a quote, and real jobs usually land inside it rather than on its edges.
How long does it take to build?
Plan on about 3 to 6 months from a signed contract to the first swim. Permits take from a few days to several months, depending on the town, before work starts.

Chapter 1 of 4

The design

What is in this pool, and how it turns in 3D.

The design, spelled out

Every choice in this pool, what it is, and why it suits this house and this part of the country.

Depth profile

The floor is 4 ft deep at the steps and stays level for about 11 ft, slopes over about 14 ft, then runs level at 5 ft for the last 15 ft.

4 ft5 ftwater line40 ft long

Design notes

Written with AI tools from this design's own measurements and sources, not by a pool builder. How we write

Why it works here

Tan stucco, gravel and agave all read as quiet, so a narrow 40 by 10 lap pool fits without crowding the yard. Corner steps keep the full length open for swimming, and the pergola gives the loungers shade through long, hot El Paso summers. Black aluminum fence stays clear against the gravel.

What to watch

Stamped concrete and flagstone coping get very hot in full sun, and white plaster adds glare on top. Plan on shade or a cooler deck finish near the steps, since bare feet find the hot spots first.

How it reads

White plaster with blue glass at the waterline turns the water a bright, clear aqua against warm tan stucco. The flagstone coping gives the edge an uneven, hand-laid look, and the stamped concrete deck is a flat, patterned surface under the loungers. At midday the white finish throws light back up and the water glows. By evening the gravel, agave and tan walls soften, and the black fence nearly disappears into the dusk.

Through the year

Swimming here starts early in the warm season and runs late into fall, with the long dry days doing most of the work. Wind and dust come through in spring, and a cool winter slows things down. Use the pergola as your timer: shade the loungers first, then swim when the deck has cooled.

Every choice, row by row (13)
ShapeRectangle

A rectangle with square corners. It is the simplest to build, covers neatly and fits a modern or formal house.

Size40 × 10 ft

A long, narrow pool about 10 ft wide and 40 ft long, built for swimming lengths. It gives a straight lane and an even depth for exercise, and it fits a long, thin yard better than a wide pool does. That is about 400 sq ft of water and about 13,500 gallons.

StepsCorner steps

Steps tucked into a corner. Keeps the water free for swimming and saves space in a small pool. The steps lead into water 4 ft deep.

Pool finishPlaster

A smooth cement-based finish. A clean, classic surface that typically needs resurfacing sooner than pebble. In strong sun, a lighter finish fades less and hides scale from hard water.

Finish colorWhite finish, bright light blue water

A white interior. Gives the brightest, lightest blue water.

Waterline tileBlue glass

Blue glass mosaic at the waterline. Adds sparkle and a clear blue edge to the water. It runs about 100 linear ft around this pool.

CopingFlagstone

Natural flagstone with irregular edges. Gives a natural, informal look that blends with planting and rock. It runs about 100 linear ft around this pool. A light coping stays cooler on bare feet in summer.

DeckStamped concrete

Tan stamped concrete with a stone pattern. An affordable deck poured in one piece. It needs a sealer and a grit additive so it is not slippery when wet. The deck is about 1,320 sq ft here. Here the deck is the hottest thing in the yard, so surface color matters as much as material.

PlantingDesert

Gravel, agave, succulents and boulders. Uses little water and keeps leaves out of the pool. A low-water planting plan keeps leaves out of the water and the bill down.

Pool fenceBlack aluminum

A black aluminum picket fence. A standard, durable barrier that disappears in the planting and meets most barrier codes.

Add to the yardPergola

Pergola: A pergola over part of the deck. Gives shade and a room feeling. It may need a permit and engineering where it is windy or snowy.

FurnitureLoungers, Umbrella
  • Loungers: A pair of chaise loungers. The first thing people want on a pool deck.
  • Umbrella: A market umbrella. Cheap shade that you can move with the sun.
LightMidday sun

Shown in midday sun. Shows the true color of the water and the finish.

Coping
100 linear ft
Deck
1,320 sq ft

Why it fits the classic suburb

The yard: a yard of crushed gravel, agave, ocotillo and prickly pear, with the Franklin Mountains rising behind. A classic suburb yard has room for a real pool, so the design is about how the family uses it. A regular lot and a rear yard give room for a pool, a deck and a lawn. Think about sight lines from the kitchen, where the shade falls and where the kids will play.

Why it fits the Spanish and Mediterranean house

The house is a flat-roofed adobe-style stucco house in warm tan with exposed vigas and a tile-trimmed entry. A Spanish or Mediterranean house wants curves, warm stone and plenty of shade. Roman ends, travertine and terracotta tones echo the stucco and tile roof. A pergola and potted planting finish the courtyard feel.

Turn this design around in 3D

This is the model behind the numbers above, with this design's own shape, steps, finish and deck. It loads when you scroll to it.

The same choices as the picture, as a model you can turn.

AI concept image of Long lap pool behind an El Paso adobe: a rectangular pool.

Turn it, zoom in, switch the dimension lines on.

In your yard

How would this swimming pool look on your home?

See this exact design as a photorealistic video, filmed in your own yard, from one photo.

You pick the film, add one photo, and see the picture before you decide anything.

A sample yard photo

A frame from an example film

A sample yard photo on the left, and on the right a frame from an example AI film of a pool in a backyard.

Chapter 2 of 4

Will it work for you

Your yard, your climate, and what the pool asks of you after the build.

Will this fit your yard?

A planning estimate, built from the model's own dimensions. Your town's setbacks decide the real answer.

Clear area to plan on

58 × 28 ft

About 1,624 sq ft. The pool alone is 40 × 10 ft.

Plan on a clear area of about 58 by 28 ft for the pool, 4 ft of deck around the water and 5 ft to the fence line. The deck as drawn here is about 60 by 30 ft.

The 4 ft walkway and 5 ft setback are our planning allowances, not code. Towns set their own distances from the water to the lot line and the house, so ask yours before you commit to a layout.

Will it fit your yard?

Enter the clear area, from the house to the back fence and side to side.

Texas: what the climate asks of this pool

A Texas pool earns its keep through long, hot summers, so shade, deck temperature and water loss decide how it feels.

  • Deck material matters in July. Light concrete, travertine and some porcelains stay far cooler on bare feet than dark pavers.
  • Heat and wind raise evaporation, so a pool in Texas loses water faster than the same pool in a mild region. A cover or a shade structure helps.
  • Many parts of the state have expansive clay soil. It moves with wet and dry spells, so the shell, the steel and the deck joints are built for movement.
  • A pergola or shade sail over part of the deck often decides whether people sit outside at 4 p.m.

Keeping it up

What this pool asks of its owner, by finish, climate, deck and feature.

  • Plaster in this climate

    Plaster is the finish most likely to etch or scale in hot, hard-water country, so keep the calcium and pH in range and plan for an earlier resurfacing.

  • When it is resurfaced

    Plaster is usually redone every 5 to 15 years, depending on the water and the builder (HomeAdvisor, pool resurfacing and Shasta Pools, plaster versus pebble). On this pool that is about 850 sq ft of interior.

  • Stamped concrete deck

    Reseal the stamped concrete every few years with a non-slip additive, or it fades and gets slippery when wet.

  • Black aluminum fence

    A black aluminum fence needs a wash and a check of its gate latch. Near salt air, rinse it and touch up any chipped finish.

  • Sun and water loss

    Heat and dry air take water out of the pool quickly. A cover, a pool shade and a smaller surface all cut the top-ups.

  • Yearly running cost

    Owners commonly budget $3,000 to $5,000 a year for chemicals, power, service and repairs (HomeAdvisor, in-ground pool cost, 2026).

Chapter 3 of 4

Cost and timeline

A sourced range to plan with, and how long it takes.

What this design costs: a planning range

Built line by line from this design's own measurements and published prices. It is a range to plan with, not a quote.

Planning range, TX

$55,000 to $145,000

Everything on this page, built: the pool, the deck, the coping, the fence and the features. It is a range, not a quote. Every line is at its lowest published price for the low end and its highest for the high end, so a real job lands inside it rather than on an edge.

Prices are scaled for TX by a damped regional factor of 0.99 (the state's cost of living is 97.1 against 100 for the US, and we use half the gap). Land clearing, landscaping beyond what is listed, a pool house's interior and financing are not in it.

Where the range comes from

The pool
$35,000 to $99,000
400 sq ft of water at $90 to $250 a square foot (shell, excavation, plumbing, equipment, plaster). Steps and the sun shelf are part of the shell.
Coping
$4,000 to $5,500
100 linear ft at $40 to $55 a foot.
Deck
$16,000 to $26,000
1,317 sq ft at $12 to $20 a square foot installed. HomeAdvisor's installed figure, labor included. Fixr's $15 to $30 is materials only.
Pergola
$2,000 to $6,500
A 10 by 12 ft pergola. The one source is dated 2022.
Pool fence
$2,500 to $6,000
180 linear ft around the deck as drawn, at $15 to $35 a foot installed.
How we built this range, and the sources

We measure this design in the 3D model (water area, shell area, coping, deck, tub, what stands on the deck), multiply each quantity by a published price range per unit, add the lines and scale them for the state. The prices are from the pages below, collected in October 2026. Where two sources disagree the range spans both, and the line says so.

The method is written out, with every rate, at docs/POOL-IDEAS-COST-MODEL.md in our repository, and one file holds the rates, so a change of price changes every page at once.

  • HomeAdvisor's installed figure, labor included. Fixr's $15 to $30 is materials only.

How to get a number you can trust

Ask two or three local builders to quote the same scope in writing: the pool, the deck, the fence, the electrical, the permits and the landscaping, each on its own line. Then compare the lines, not the totals. Share this page with them: the size, the choices and the 3D model give a builder a starting point. To see how the published prices are built up and where they disagree, read inground pool cost, line by line.

How long it takes to build

From a signed contract to the first swim, before the yard additions.

Contract to first swim

3 to 6 months

Permits take from a few days to several months, depending on the town, before work starts. Weather, inspections and the builder's schedule move every date.

  • The yard additions are usually built after the pool is finished, so they add weeks that are not in this range.

What it is made of

The materials list for this design, with its own quantities from the model.

The materials list (7 lines)
InteriorPlaster, whiteabout 850 sq ft of shell
A smooth cement-based surface. It is the least expensive interior and the one most likely to stain, etch or scale if the water chemistry drifts.
Waterline tileBlue glassabout 100 linear ft, 10 in. band
Glass mosaic reads bright in sun and is easy to wipe clean of the waterline scum ring.
CopingFlagstoneabout 100 linear ft
Natural, irregular stone. It looks like it was always there and needs its joints watched for movement.
DeckStamped concreteabout 1,320 sq ft
Poured concrete pressed with a stone pattern. It should be sealed with a non-slip additive and resealed on a schedule, or it fades and gets slick.
Pool fenceBlack aluminumabout 180 linear ft around the deck as drawn
Black aluminum pickets are light, strong and the usual choice for a barrier. Near salt air, ask for a marine-rated finish.
PlantingDesert
Gravel, agave and succulents: very little water and no lawn, with sharp leaves to keep away from the steps and the barefoot path.
Yard additionPergola
A shade structure over part of the deck. It has to be anchored for local wind and snow loads.

Chapter 4 of 4

Talk to a builder

What to ask before you sign, and how to bring this design to them.

Questions to ask a builder about this design

Specific to what is in this pool. Ask them before you sign.

  1. 01What does the soil report say for this lot, and how is the shell designed for clay that moves?
  2. 02With the pergola beside a 40 foot lap, can its footings and shade line stay clear of the swim lane and the flagstone coping edge?
  3. 03Is this long enough and even enough in depth for real laps, and how do the ends handle the turn?
  4. 04Will the fence meet the barrier code, and is the gate self-closing and self-latching?
  5. 05Does the pergola need a permit or engineering for wind or snow, and who builds it?

Make it yours

Start with this design and add a photo of your own yard. The free visualizer places the pool on it, with your choices ready to change.

See this pool in your yard, freeUpload your yard

More like this

Region:TexasSetting:Classic suburbHouse style:Spanish and MediterraneanAll pool ideas

This is a design idea for a sample yard, and every picture is an AI concept image, not a built pool. Sizes, gallons and areas are estimates from the same maths as the 3D model, and the price and time ranges are planning figures from published sources, to help you talk to a builder.

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