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AI concept image of Spanish courtyard pool in San Antonio's King William: a Roman-end pool.Save

San Antonio, TX · Townhouse courtyard

Spanish courtyard pool in San Antonio's King William

A small Roman pool fenced by limestone walls, with a cool-deck patio and a happy fountain scupper.

One photo of your yard is all it needs.

Suits: Spanish and Mediterranean houses on a townhouse courtyard in Texas.

Drawn for a two-story Spanish colonial house with a red barrel tile roof, a stucco chimney and wooden balconies, with a walled courtyard with a pecan tree, agave, potted citrus, clay pots and talavera tile accents.

Planning cost, TX
$30,000 to $105,000
A range from published prices, not a quote
Build time
3 to 6 months
Contract to first swim
Size
24 × 12 ft
3.5 to 5 ft deep
Water
about 8,800 gal
Water surface
280 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 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 30 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 43 by 31 ft.
What does this design cost?
A planning range for TX is $30,000 to $105,000 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 7 ft, slopes over about 8 ft, then runs level at 5 ft for the last 9 ft.

3.5 ft5 ftwater line24 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

Inside a walled courtyard with a pecan tree and talavera accents, a small Roman pool with curved steps fits without crowding. The scupper fills the space with sound. Light concrete deck and flagstone coping stay cooler than dark pavers in Texas sun, and the umbrella and dining table make the shade part of the plan.

What to watch

A pecan tree sheds leaves, husks and nuts into the water, and its roots search for moisture near a pool. Walls and light deck also hold heat in a small courtyard.

How it reads

Blue plaster with blue glass tile gives the small Roman pool a bright, Mediterranean blue that matches the talavera accents and the clay pots. Flagstone coping and light concrete deck keep the edge warm and rough. Under the pecan the water shifts between dark and bright. After dusk the stucco and balconies glow, and the scupper adds a soft sound while the agave stand sharp against the walls.

Through the year

San Antonio has long, hot summers and a short, mild winter, so the courtyard pool is a spring and fall favorite and an evening pool in summer. The walls hold heat into the night. Skim pecan leaves and husks often in fall, keep the scupper on a timer, and use the umbrella over the dining table in the afternoon.

Every choice, row by row (12)
ShapeRoman

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.

Size24 × 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.

StepsCurved steps

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

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

Waterline tileBlue glass

Blue glass mosaic at the waterline. Adds sparkle and a clear blue edge to the water. It runs about 68 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 68 linear ft around this pool. A light coping stays cooler on bare feet in summer.

DeckLight concrete

Light, textured concrete finished to stay cool. A practical choice where the summer sun is strong and kids run barefoot. The deck is about 980 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.

Water featuresScuppers
  • Scuppers: Spouts on a wall that pour water into the pool. A classic, tactile feature that suits stone and masonry walls.
  • Moving water raises evaporation, so keep features modest and run them on a timer.
FurnitureUmbrella, Dining table
  • Umbrella: A market umbrella. Cheap shade that you can move with the sun.
  • Dining table: An outdoor dining table and chairs. Turns the pool into the place where meals happen.
LightMidday sun

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

Coping
68 linear ft
Deck
980 sq ft

Why it fits the townhouse courtyard

The yard: a walled courtyard with a pecan tree, agave, potted citrus, clay pots and talavera tile accents. 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.

Why it fits the Spanish and Mediterranean house

The house is a two-story Spanish colonial house with a red barrel tile roof, a stucco chimney and wooden balconies. 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 Spanish courtyard pool in San Antonio's King William: a Roman-end 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

42 × 30 ft

About 1,260 sq ft. The pool alone is 24 × 12 ft.

Plan on a clear area of about 42 by 30 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 43 by 31 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 560 sq ft of interior.

  • Light concrete deck

    A cool-deck topping wears with use. Wash it, patch chips early and plan to recoat it.

  • Scuppers

    Copper scuppers develop a patina. It is harmless, and a clear sealer slows it if you want the shine kept.

  • 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

$30,000 to $105,000

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.

The deck is not in this range. No guide we use prices cool-deck separately; Fixr prices the coating at about $200. Ask your builder.

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
$25,000 to $68,000
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
$2,500 to $3,500
68 linear ft at $40 to $55 a foot.
Scuppers
$1,000 to $2,000
Each set. No source prices a scupper alone, so the sheer descent price stands in.
Wall for the water
$2,000 to $8,000
The wall that sheer descents and scuppers pour from, where none exists.
Tight access
Up 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.
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.

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.

  • Tight access slows excavation and delivery. Ask how the crew gets machines and materials in.

What it is made of

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

The materials list (6 lines)
InteriorPlaster, blueabout 560 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 68 linear ft, 10 in. band
Glass mosaic reads bright in sun and is easy to wipe clean of the waterline scum ring.
CopingFlagstoneabout 68 linear ft
Natural, irregular stone. It looks like it was always there and needs its joints watched for movement.
DeckLight concreteabout 980 sq ft
A light, textured concrete topping made to stay cooler underfoot. It wears over the years and can be recoated.
PlantingDesert
Gravel, agave and succulents: very little water and no lawn, with sharp leaves to keep away from the steps and the barefoot path.
Water featureScuppers
Copper or steel spouts that pour into the pool from a wall. They give the sound of water and need the wall they stand on built for them.

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. 02Can the scupper pump be kept quiet and put on a timer, and where does it sit so it does not crowd the courtyard?
  3. 03How are the scuppers plumbed, and can I turn them off to save the pump?
  4. 04How do you keep the gravel and the planting out of the pool and the filter?
  5. 05What is in the quote and what is left out, such as the deck, fence, electrical, permits and landscaping?

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.

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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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