# 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. 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.

A design idea for San Antonio, TX. Texas, townhouse courtyard, Spanish and Mediterranean. 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: 980 sq ft

## 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.

### 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: Blue finish, classic deep blue water

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

### Waterline tile: Blue 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.

### Coping: Flagstone

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.

### Deck: Light 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.

### Planting: Desert

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 features: Scuppers

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.

### Furniture: Umbrella, 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.

### 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 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.

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.

## Will it fit your yard?

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.

## 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 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.

## 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.

## What this will cost: a planning range

$30,000 to $105,000 for TX, a range from published prices and not a quote.

- 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: $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/); [Simplified Pools, water features guide](https://simplifiedpools.com/blog/pool-water-features-fountains-guide/); [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.

## What it is made of

- Interior: Plaster, blue (about 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 tile: Blue glass (about 68 linear ft, 10 in. band). Glass mosaic reads bright in sun and is easy to wipe clean of the waterline scum ring.
- Coping: Flagstone (about 68 linear ft). Natural, irregular stone. It looks like it was always there and needs its joints watched for movement.
- Deck: Light concrete (about 980 sq ft). A light, textured concrete topping made to stay cooler underfoot. It wears over the years and can be recoated.
- Planting: Desert. Gravel, agave and succulents: very little water and no lawn, with sharp leaves to keep away from the steps and the barefoot path.
- Water feature: Scuppers. 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.

## 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 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).

## Questions to ask a builder

- What does the soil report say for this lot, and how is the shell designed for clay that moves?
- Can the scupper pump be kept quiet and put on a timer, and where does it sit so it does not crowd the courtyard?
- How are the scuppers plumbed, and can I turn them off to save the pump?
- How do you keep the gravel and the planting out of the pool and the filter?
- 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=king-william-courtyard-pool-san-antonio