# Modern infill pool on a small East Austin lot

A tight, dark-water rectangle against a cedar fence, with just enough deck for two loungers and a cold drink. Drawn for a two-story contemporary house with black metal siding, a corrugated roof and big windows, with a small yard with a cedar fence, Mexican feather grass, agave and a single crape myrtle.

A design idea for Austin, TX. Texas, small infill lot, Contemporary. Updated 2026-10-06.

## The numbers

- Size: 16 × 8 ft (3.5 to 5 ft deep)
- Water surface: 130 sq ft
- Water: about 4,000 gal
- Coping: 48 linear ft
- Deck: 630 sq ft

## The design, spelled out

The floor is 3.5 ft deep at the steps and stays level for about 4 ft, slopes over about 5 ft, then runs level at 5 ft for the last 6 ft.

### Shape: Rectangle

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

### Size: 16 × 8 ft

A small pool about 8 ft wide and 16 ft long. A plunge pool is for cooling off, soaking and a small yard, not for swimming laps. That is about 130 sq ft of water and about 4,000 gallons.

### Steps: Corner steps

Steps tucked into a corner. Keeps the water free for swimming and saves space in a small pool. The steps lead into water 3.5 ft deep.

### Pool finish: Plaster

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 color: Midnight finish, dark, mirror-like water

A midnight interior. Gives dark, mirror-like water that reflects the sky and the house.

### Waterline tile: Charcoal

Charcoal glass at the waterline. A bold, modern line that deepens the water color. It runs about 48 linear ft around this pool.

### Coping: Concrete

Smooth, cantilevered poured concrete. A clean, modern edge that sits flush with a concrete or paver deck. It runs about 48 linear ft around this pool. A light coping stays cooler on bare feet in summer.

### Deck: Concrete pavers

Grey interlocking concrete pavers. Pavers move with the ground and can be lifted and reset, which helps where the soil freezes or shifts. The deck is about 630 sq ft here. Here the deck is the hottest thing in the yard, so surface color matters as much as material.

### Planting: Modern

Ornamental grasses, gravel strips and square planters. A tidy, low-maintenance frame that suits clean architecture. A low-water planting plan keeps leaves out of the water and the bill down.

### Furniture: Loungers

Loungers: A pair of chaise loungers. The first thing people want on a pool deck.

## Why it suits this house

The yard: a small yard with a cedar fence, Mexican feather grass, agave and a single crape myrtle. A small infill lot asks for a compact pool and a deck that does double duty. Neighbors are close, setbacks bite into the usable area and the house often fills the lot. A narrow rectangle with a corner step and a shared deck for dining and lounging uses the space best.

The house is a two-story contemporary house with black metal siding, a corrugated roof and big windows. A contemporary house asks for hard edges, quiet colors and one confident feature. Rectangles, large-format porcelain or concrete, and a single water feature keep the yard calm and let the architecture lead.

## Will it fit your yard?

Plan on a clear area of about 34 by 26 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 33 by 25 ft.

## 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.

## Quick answers

**How much water does this plunge pool hold?** About 4,000 gallons. It is 16 by 8 ft with about 130 sq ft of water, 3.5 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 34 by 26 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 33 by 25 ft.

**What does this design cost?** A planning range for TX is $20,000 to $65,000 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 2 to 4.5 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.

## Why it works here

With little yard to spare, a tight 16 by 8 rectangle against the cedar fence leaves just enough deck for two loungers. Midnight plaster and charcoal tile pick up the black metal siding of the house, and the agave and feather grass stay low so nothing shades or crowds the water.

What to watch: Dark water soaks up sun and can run warm in an Austin summer, and dark plaster shows chalky scale from hard water. A pool this small is for cooling off, not for swimming laps.

## What this will cost: a planning range

$20,000 to $65,000 for TX, a range from published prices and not a quote.

- The pool: $20,000 to $39,000. 128 sq ft of water at $90 to $250 a square foot (shell, excavation, plumbing, equipment, plaster), held to the small concrete pool price. Steps and the sun shelf are part of the shell.
- Coping: $500 to $500. 48 linear ft at $6 to $12 a foot.
- Deck: $2,000 to $4,500. 626 sq ft at $3 to $7 a square foot installed.
- Tight access: $0 to $20,000. Up to $20,000 more when the site is hard to access. Bob Vila puts the average excavation at $3,400, which the base pool price already includes, and says it can reach $20,000 when access is hard. Nothing extra if the machines get in.

Sources: [US Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities by state](https://www.bea.gov/data/prices-inflation/regional-price-parities-state-and-metro-area); [HomeAdvisor, in-ground pool cost](https://www.homeadvisor.com/cost/swimming-pools-hot-tubs-and-saunas/inground-pool); [Fixr, gunite and concrete pool](https://www.fixr.com/costs/inground-gunite-concrete-swimming-pool); [Pool Research, plunge pool cost](https://poolresearch.com/plunge-pool-cost/); [Pool Research, pool coping cost](https://poolresearch.com/coping-cost/); [HomeAdvisor, pool deck cost](https://www.homeadvisor.com/cost/swimming-pools-hot-tubs-and-saunas/pool-deck); [Bob Vila, in-ground pool cost](https://www.bobvila.com/articles/inground-pool-cost/)

## How long it takes

2 to 4.5 months from contract to first swim. Permits take from a few days to several months, depending on the town, before work starts.



## What it is made of

- Interior: Plaster, midnight (about 330 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 tile: Charcoal (about 48 linear ft, 10 in. band). Charcoal glass makes the water read dark and mirror-like, and it shows mineral spots until they are wiped off.
- Coping: Concrete (about 48 linear ft). Cast or poured concrete with a clean, square line. Plain, tough and the easiest to repair, though it can heat up in direct sun.
- Deck: Concrete pavers (about 630 sq ft). Interlocking concrete pavers. Easy to repair one piece at a time, and the joints need topping up with sand now and then to keep weeds out.
- Planting: Modern. Ornamental grasses, gravel strips and square planters. Tidy and low water, with the beds kept away from the skimmer.

## Keeping it up

- 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 330 sq ft of interior.
- Concrete pavers deck: Sweep sand into the paver joints each year and pull weeds early, before they lift the pavers.
- 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).

## Questions to ask a builder

- What does the soil report say for this lot, and how is the shell designed for clay that moves?
- With the pool tight against the cedar fence, how will the builder reach the equipment later and protect the fence footings during the dig?
- Will a pool this small have room for the equipment, and can I swim in it or only soak?
- What base sits under the pavers, and how are they locked in against movement?
- What is in the quote and what is left out, such as the deck, fence, electrical, permits and landscaping?

Start with this design in the free visualizer: https://rendersplash.com/pool-visualizer?idea=east-austin-infill-pool