# Greystone courtyard pool in Lincoln Park, Chicago

A tidy little Roman pool in a brick-walled yard, with a raised hot tub and a pergola for the shoulder seasons. Drawn for a three-story limestone and brick Chicago greystone with bay windows and a carved stone entry, with a walled brick yard with hydrangeas, boxwood, a small ornamental pear tree and neighboring roofs in the background.

A design idea for Chicago, IL. Midwest, townhouse courtyard, Colonial. Updated 2026-10-06.

## The numbers

- Size: 24 × 12 ft (3.5 to 5 ft deep)
- Water surface: 280 sq ft
- Water: about 8,800 gal
- Coping: 68 linear ft
- Deck: 1,290 sq ft
- Hot tub: 7 ft round (about 850 gal)

## The design, spelled out

The floor is 3.5 ft deep at the steps and stays level for about 7 ft, slopes over about 8 ft, then runs level at 5 ft for the last 9 ft.

### Shape: Roman

A rectangle with a half-round bump-out at one short end. The curved end gives a natural place for steps and a softer, classic look.

### Size: 24 × 12 ft

A pool about 12 ft wide and 24 ft long. Big enough for a few people to cool off and play, small enough for a tight lot. That is about 280 sq ft of water and about 8,800 gallons.

### Steps: Curved steps

Curved, wedding-cake steps. A formal, graceful way into a Roman or larger pool. The steps lead into water 3.5 ft deep.

### Hot tub: Raised, spills over, 7 ft round

A hot tub raised on a wall and spilling over into the pool. The raised wall gives a seat-height edge and a small waterfall, at the price of extra masonry. The tub holds about 850 gallons.

### Pool finish: Quartz

Plaster with quartz aggregate, smooth with a bit of sparkle. Usually holds color and resists staining better than plain plaster, and stays gentle on feet. A freeze season stresses plaster, so ask how the pool is winterized to protect the finish.

### Finish color: Blue finish, classic deep blue water

A blue interior. Gives a classic, deeper blue water.

### Waterline tile: White

White porcelain at the waterline. A clean, bright line that looks crisp against dark water. It runs about 68 linear ft around this pool.

### Coping: Brick

Red brick with a rolled edge. A traditional edge that suits brick houses and colonial or Tudor styles. It runs about 68 linear ft around this pool. Coping takes the worst of freeze and thaw, so it should be rated for it and set in a flexible joint.

### 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 1,290 sq ft here. Where it freezes, the base and the joints matter more than the surface.

### Planting: Keep what's there

The planting already in the yard. Keeps mature trees and shade in place and saves disruption.

### Add to the yard: Pergola

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.

### Furniture: Dining table

Dining table: An outdoor dining table and chairs. Turns the pool into the place where meals happen.

### Light: Midday sun

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

## Why it suits this house

The yard: a walled brick yard with hydrangeas, boxwood, a small ornamental pear tree and neighboring roofs in the background. A courtyard or rooftop pool is a small, walled room, so every inch has to do a job. Walls give privacy and shade, and also limit access and sun. A compact plunge pool with a clean edge and a single feature water element fits better than a bigger pool crowding the seating. On a roof the same rule holds, and a structural engineer signs off on the weight of the water.

The house is a three-story limestone and brick Chicago greystone with bay windows and a carved stone entry. A colonial house wants symmetry, brick or flagstone and a formal edge. A tidy rectangle, stone coping and a calm palette respect the house's proportions. Clipped hedges and simple furniture keep the formality.

## Will it fit your yard?

Plan on a clear area of about 42 by 39 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 43 by 40 ft.

## Midwest: what the climate asks of this pool

A Midwest pool lives with a hard winter, so the swim season, the cover and the winterizing plan are part of the design.

- The pool is usually closed for the winter. A safety cover, drained lines and a plan for the first warm weekend are normal costs of ownership.
- Freeze and thaw cycles move decks. Pavers, a good base and joints that can flex last longer than a rigid, thin surface.
- A pool heater or a heat pump stretches the season at both ends. Think about it while the equipment pad is being planned.
- Back yards are often generous but fenced, so there is room for a deck, a lawn and a pergola without crowding the water.

## Quick answers

**How much water does this pool hold?** About 8,800 gallons. It is 24 by 12 ft with about 280 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 42 by 39 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 43 by 40 ft.

**What does this design cost?** A planning range for IL is $40,000 to $135,000 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.

## Why it works here

Brick coping and concrete pavers match the brick walls of the greystone, and the small Roman shape keeps the 24 x 12 pool in scale with the courtyard. A raised round hot tub on the far side and a pergola over the dining table help the yard work in the shoulder seasons.

What to watch: Walled yards leave little room for equipment, and a courtyard may be reached only through the house or a narrow gate. The walls and house are not drawn in the model.

## What this will cost: a planning range

$40,000 to $135,000 for IL, a range from published prices and not a quote.

- The pool: $25,000 to $69,000. 278 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: $1,500 to $2,000. 68 linear ft at $25 to $30 a foot.
- Deck: $4,000 to $9,000. 1,288 sq ft at $3 to $7 a square foot installed.
- Hot tub: $6,000 to $18,000. A spa added to a new pool.
- Raised tub wall: $2,000 to $8,000. The raised wall, where there is none.
- Pergola: $2,000 to $6,500. A 10 by 12 ft pergola. The one source is dated 2022.
- 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); [HomeAdvisor, hot tub cost](https://www.homeadvisor.com/cost/swimming-pools-hot-tubs-and-saunas/install-a-hot-tub); [Shasta Pools, Arizona costs](https://shastapools.com/blog/breaking-down-the-cost-of-an-arizona-pool); [Simplified Pools, water features guide](https://simplifiedpools.com/blog/pool-water-features-fountains-guide/); [Fixr, pergola](https://www.fixr.com/costs/build-pergola); [Bob Vila, in-ground pool cost](https://www.bobvila.com/articles/inground-pool-cost/)

## How long it takes

3 to 6 months from contract to first swim. Permits take from a few days to several months, depending on the town, before work starts.

- Tight access slows excavation and delivery. Ask how the crew gets machines and materials in.
- The yard additions are usually built after the pool is finished, so they add weeks that are not in this range.
- The hot tub is built with the pool, so it adds days of plumbing and tile rather than weeks.

## What it is made of

- Interior: Quartz, blue (about 560 sq ft of shell). Plaster with quartz grains mixed in. Smoother than pebble and tougher than plaster, with a little sparkle under the water.
- Waterline tile: White (about 68 linear ft, 10 in. band). White porcelain shows a waterline ring more than a darker tile, so it wants a regular wipe.
- Coping: Brick (about 68 linear ft). Rolled-edge brick gives a traditional line. The mortar joints need attention over the years and the surface can be uneven underfoot.
- Deck: Concrete pavers (about 1,290 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.
- Yard addition: Pergola. A shade structure over part of the deck. It has to be anchored for local wind and snow loads.
- Hot tub: Raised, spills over, round (about 850 gal). Built with the pool, with its own jets, heater share and cover. Tile and coping match the pool.

## Keeping it up

- Quartz in this climate: A quartz finish needs the water balanced before the pool is closed, because a freeze season is hard on any cement-based surface.
- Concrete pavers deck: Sweep sand into the paver joints each year and pull weeds early, before they lift the pavers.
- 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.
- Winter: Close the pool before the first hard freeze: lower the water, blow out the lines, drain or turn off the features and fit a cover. A heater or heat pump is an option for the shoulder seasons.
- 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 closing and opening this pool involve each year, and which parts of the deck are rated for freeze and thaw?
- How will excavation equipment get into the walled courtyard, and what does that do to the schedule and the brick around the pool?
- Do the pool and the tub share a heater, and can the tub run alone in cold weather?
- Does the pergola need a permit or engineering for wind or snow, and who builds it?
- What base sits under the pavers, and how are they locked in against movement?

Start with this design in the free visualizer: https://rendersplash.com/pool-visualizer?idea=greystone-courtyard-pool-lincoln-park