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AI concept image of Foothills ranch pool with a separate hot tub in Tucson: a kidney-shaped pool.Save

Tucson, AZ · Ranch or acreage

Foothills ranch pool with a separate hot tub in Tucson

A kidney on a desert acre, a fire pit for the cold January nights and the Catalinas behind everything.

One photo of your yard is all it needs.

Suits: ranch houses on a ranch or acreage in Arizona, Nevada and the desert Southwest.

Drawn for a long adobe-colored ranch house with a flat roof, exposed beams and a deep ramada, with an acre of native desert with saguaro, palo verde, prickly pear and ocotillo, the Santa Catalina Mountains behind.

Planning cost, AZ
$75,000 to $190,000
A range from published prices, not a quote
Build time
3 to 6 months
Contract to first swim
Size
36 × 18 ft
3.5 to 6 ft deep
Water
about 16,200 gal
Water surface
460 sq ft
Hot tub
7 ft square
about 1,100 gal

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 16,200 gallons. It is 36 by 18 ft with about 460 sq ft of water, 3.5 ft deep at the steps and 6 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 66 by 36 ft for the pool, the tub, 4 ft of deck around the water and 5 ft to the fence line. The deck as drawn here is about 68 by 38 ft.
What does this design cost?
A planning range for AZ is $75,000 to $190,000 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 3.5 ft deep at the steps and stays level for about 10 ft, slopes over about 12 ft, then runs level at 6 ft for the last 14 ft.

3.5 ft6 ftwater line36 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

Open desert on a full acre leaves room for a kidney shape with no straight lines to fight. The fire pit answers cold January nights, the separate square tub at the left end keeps warm water close, and flagstone coping with stamped concrete borrows its color from the adobe house.

What to watch

On open ground, wind and dust settle in the water, and a long stretch of stamped concrete gets hot in summer. A separate tub also needs its own heater, so winter use adds to the running load.

How it reads

Tan plaster with sea glass tile makes the water a warm, soft green that suits the adobe-colored house. Flagstone coping and stamped concrete give the deck a stone-like look in the same earth tones as the desert. The kidney curve has no hard corners, so the eye follows it toward the mountains. At golden hour the flagstone glows and the saguaros throw long shadows across the deck.

Through the year

Tucson is hot for a long summer, with a stretch of storms that bring wind and dust. Fall and spring are the easy swimming months, and winter evenings turn to the fire pit and the tub. After a storm, check the skimmer basket and the tub cover first, then sweep the deck before anyone walks it barefoot.

Every choice, row by row (14)
ShapeKidney

A curved pool with a wide and a narrow end. A classic shape that separates a swimming zone from a play zone in a regular yard.

Size36 × 18 ft

A pool about 18 ft wide and 36 ft long. Room for lengths and a group, and a yard that can hold the larger deck it needs. That is about 460 sq ft of water and about 16,200 gallons.

StepsSteps and a bench

Steps with a bench along one wall. Gives adults a place to sit and talk in the water while the kids play. The steps lead into water 3.5 ft deep.

Hot tubSeparate tub, 7 ft square

A hot tub on the deck, apart from the pool. It has its own water and heater, so you can run it alone on a cold night without heating the pool. The tub holds about 1,100 gallons.

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 colorTan finish, sandy turquoise water

A tan interior. Gives a green-blue lagoon look.

Waterline tileSea glass

Sea-green glass mosaic at the waterline. A soft, coastal line that warms the water. It runs about 94 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 94 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 1,970 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 yardFire pit

Fire pit: A round fire pit with seating. Extends the evening. Local burn rules and clearance from the house and plants apply.

FurnitureLoungers, Dining table
  • Loungers: A pair of chaise loungers. The first thing people want on a pool deck.
  • Dining table: An outdoor dining table and chairs. Turns the pool into the place where meals happen.
LightGolden hour

Shown in golden-hour light. Low sun is when the finish, the tile and the planting look their best.

Coping
94 linear ft
Deck
1,970 sq ft

Why it fits the ranch or acreage

The yard: an acre of native desert with saguaro, palo verde, prickly pear and ocotillo, the Santa Catalina Mountains behind. On acreage there is room to spread out, so the pool can be sized for the whole family and for entertaining. Space lets you place the pool for the best light and keep it away from trees. A well, a septic field and an easement can still limit where it goes, so locate them first.

Why it fits the ranch house

The house is a long adobe-colored ranch house with a flat roof, exposed beams and a deep ramada. A ranch house is low and wide, so the pool should be relaxed and easy to walk out to. A freeform or kidney shape, a broad deck and shade trees suit a single-story house and a lawn that runs right up to the water.

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 Foothills ranch pool with a separate hot tub in Tucson: a kidney-shaped 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

66 × 36 ft

About 2,376 sq ft. The pool and tub alone is 48 × 18 ft.

Plan on a clear area of about 66 by 36 ft for the pool, the tub, 4 ft of deck around the water and 5 ft to the fence line. The deck as drawn here is about 68 by 38 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.

Arizona, Nevada and the desert Southwest: what the climate asks of this pool

In the desert Southwest, a pool is a cooling tool, so shade, water loss and finish fade shape the design.

  • Sun and dry air evaporate water quickly. Expect to top up often, and ask about a cover or a smaller surface if water cost matters to you.
  • Strong sun fades dark finishes and tile faster, and hard water leaves scale on tile at the waterline. Lighter finishes hide it better.
  • Decks can get hot enough to burn bare feet. Choose light, cool-to-touch surfaces and add shade near the steps.
  • Desert planting uses little water and keeps leaves out of the pool. Gravel yards still need a clear drainage plan for monsoon storms.

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 900 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.

  • The hot tub

    A hot tub is a second body of water with its own chemistry. Keep it covered between uses and drain and clean it on the maker's schedule.

  • 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, AZ

$75,000 to $190,000

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 AZ by a damped regional factor of 1.00 (the state's cost of living is 100.7 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
$41,000 to $115,000
459 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 $5,000
94 linear ft at $40 to $55 a foot.
Deck
$24,000 to $40,000
1,974 sq ft at $12 to $20 a square foot installed. HomeAdvisor's installed figure, labor included. Fixr's $15 to $30 is materials only.
Hot tub
$6,000 to $18,000
A spa added to a new pool. A separate tub still needs its own plumbing and equipment.
Fire pit
$500 to $3,000
A fire pit, wood or gas.
Pool fence
$3,000 to $7,500
212 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 hot tub is built with the pool, so it adds days of plumbing and tile rather than weeks.

What it is made of

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

The materials list (8 lines)
InteriorPlaster, tanabout 900 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 tileSea glassabout 94 linear ft, 10 in. band
Sea-green glass adds color without matching the water, and it needs the same regular wipe as any glass tile.
CopingFlagstoneabout 94 linear ft
Natural, irregular stone. It looks like it was always there and needs its joints watched for movement.
DeckStamped concreteabout 1,970 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 210 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 additionFire pit
A round fire pit with seating. It needs clear space from the house, the plants and the pool, and a town that allows it.
Hot tubSeparate tub, squareabout 1,100 gal
Built with the pool, with its own jets, heater share and cover. Tile and coping match the pool.

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. 01How will you keep the deck and the water line cool and scale-free in full summer sun?
  2. 02Where will the fire pit sit compared with the square tub and the dining table, and how much clear deck stays between them and the water?
  3. 03Do the pool and the tub share a heater, and can the tub run alone in cold weather?
  4. 04Will the fence meet the barrier code, and is the gate self-closing and self-latching?
  5. 05What clearance does the fire pit need from the house and the plants, and does the town allow 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:Arizona, Nevada and the desert SouthwestSetting:Ranch or acreageHouse style:RanchFeature:Pool with a hot tubAll 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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