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Tampa, FL · Inner-ring suburb

Mid-century kidney pool in a Tampa bungalow neighborhood

The original 1950s kidney, kept plain: plaster, a concrete deck that stays cool and a fence around it.

One photo of your yard is all it needs.

Suits: mid-century modern houses on a inner-ring suburb in Gulf Coast.

Drawn for a low mid-century block house painted soft white with a butterfly roofline and jalousie windows, with a flat lot with a pair of oaks, croton, a hibiscus hedge and a low coral rock wall.

  • Mid-century modern
  • Starter tier
Planning cost, FL
$30,000 to $90,000
A range from published prices, not a quote
Build time
3 to 6 months
Contract to first swim
Size
30 × 15 ft
3.5 to 5.5 ft deep
Water
about 10,900 gal
Water surface
320 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 10,900 gallons. It is 30 by 15 ft with about 320 sq ft of water, 3.5 ft deep at the steps and 5.5 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 48 by 33 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 50 by 35 ft.
What does this design cost?
A planning range for FL is $30,000 to $90,000 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 8 ft, slopes over about 10 ft, then runs level at 5.5 ft for the last 11 ft.

3.5 ft5.5 ftwater line30 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

Low block houses on a flat lot suit a plain kidney that keeps the original shape and leaves the butterfly roofline alone. Light concrete deck and light grey plaster stay cooler in Gulf sun, and the black aluminum fence guards the pool while the coral rock wall and hibiscus stay in view.

What to watch

Plain plaster is the least forgiving finish. It can stain, etch and roughen over the years, and oak leaves in a hot climate speed that up. Plan on steady brushing and balanced water.

How it reads

Light grey plaster with sea glass tile gives the water a soft, pale green that sits quietly against the white block house. The kidney outline and the light concrete coping keep everything low and calm. The tropical planting and the hibiscus hedge add color at the edges, and the coral rock wall gives a rough contrast. In midday sun the water looks clear and light, and the black fence sits crisp against the white.

Through the year

Tampa has hot, humid summers with strong afternoon storms, so the pool is a morning and evening spot in midsummer and a daily pool in spring and fall. Lightning is a real part of the season. Skim after storms, brush the plaster weekly, and keep the umbrella down when the wind picks up.

Every choice, row by row (12)
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.

Size30 × 15 ft

A pool about 15 ft wide and 30 ft long. A common family size with room for play and a short swim. That is about 320 sq ft of water and about 10,900 gallons.

StepsCorner 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 finishPlaster

A smooth cement-based finish. A clean, classic surface that typically needs resurfacing sooner than pebble. Warm, humid water grows algae faster, so a smooth, dense finish is easier to keep clean.

Finish colorLight grey finish, soft turquoise water

A light grey interior. Gives soft turquoise water that suits most houses.

Waterline tileSea glass

Sea-green glass mosaic at the waterline. A soft, coastal line that warms the water. It runs about 78 linear ft around this pool.

CopingConcrete

Smooth, cantilevered poured concrete. A clean, modern edge that sits flush with a concrete or paver deck. It runs about 78 linear ft around this pool.

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 1,370 sq ft here. Choose a texture that stays safe when wet, because this deck will be damp often.

PlantingTropical

Palms, bird of paradise and big-leaf plants. Creates a resort feel and screens the neighbors in a warm, humid climate. Choose planting that tolerates storms and keep it a few feet from the water to limit debris.

Pool fenceBlack aluminum

A black aluminum picket fence. A standard, durable barrier that disappears in the planting and meets most barrier codes.

FurnitureLoungers, Umbrella
  • Loungers: A pair of chaise loungers. The first thing people want on a pool deck.
  • Umbrella: A market umbrella. Cheap shade that you can move with the sun.
LightMidday sun

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

Coping
78 linear ft
Deck
1,370 sq ft

Why it fits the inner-ring suburb

The yard: a flat lot with a pair of oaks, croton, a hibiscus hedge and a low coral rock wall. An inner-ring suburb lot is mid sized, so the design balances the pool, the deck and the lawn. Established neighborhoods have mature trees, older houses and neighbors close by. A pool that matches the house and keeps privacy with planting or a clean fence tends to feel at home.

Why it fits the mid-century modern house

The house is a low mid-century block house painted soft white with a butterfly roofline and jalousie windows. A mid-century modern house pairs a low, horizontal pool with natural materials. A long rectangle, a wood-look deck and a glass fence keep sight lines open and honor the house's flat roof and big windows.

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 Mid-century kidney pool in a Tampa bungalow neighborhood.

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

48 × 33 ft

About 1,584 sq ft. The pool alone is 30 × 15 ft.

Plan on a clear area of about 48 by 33 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 50 by 35 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.

Gulf Coast: what the climate asks of this pool

On the Gulf Coast, a pool has to handle humidity, salt air and storm surge risk as well as the heat.

  • Humid air keeps decks damp, so a textured, light-colored surface that dries quickly is safer underfoot.
  • Low, flat lots can hold standing water after heavy rain. Deck drainage and where the pool overflow goes matter more here than in a dry region.
  • Salt air is hard on metals. Stainless and aluminum parts should be marine rated, and fire features need their gas lines sized and protected for wind.
  • In a flood zone, the pool, the equipment and the fence may all have extra rules. Check the flood map for the lot before you fall for a layout.

Keeping it up

What this pool asks of its owner, by finish, climate, deck and feature.

  • Plaster in this climate

    Plaster can stain and grow algae in warm, wet weather. Brush it and keep the chemistry steady.

  • 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 680 sq ft of interior.

  • Light concrete deck

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

  • 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.

  • Algae and storms

    Warm, damp weather grows algae fast, so keep the sanitizer steady and circulation running. Secure loose furniture before a storm.

  • 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, FL

$30,000 to $90,000

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 FL by a damped regional factor of 1.02 (the state's cost of living is 103.4 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
$29,000 to $81,000
319 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
$500 to $1,000
78 linear ft at $6 to $12 a foot.
Pool fence
$2,500 to $6,000
170 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.

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.

Nothing in this design adds a stage beyond the usual order: excavate, steel and plumbing, shell, tile and coping, deck, finish, fill.

What it is made of

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

The materials list (6 lines)
InteriorPlaster, light greyabout 680 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 78 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.
CopingConcreteabout 78 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.
DeckLight concreteabout 1,370 sq ft
A light, textured concrete topping made to stay cooler underfoot. It wears over the years and can be recoated.
Pool fenceBlack aluminumabout 170 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.
PlantingTropical
Palms, big leaves and lush planting. It needs water, wind and cold protection, and it drops leaves in 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. 01Is the lot in a flood zone, and where does the pool equipment have to sit to meet that rule?
  2. 02Can the aluminum fence sit close to the coping and still leave deck for loungers and an umbrella, and does its gate need to close itself?
  3. 03Will the fence meet the barrier code, and is the gate self-closing and self-latching?
  4. 04Which palms and plants stay out of the pool's way and tolerate storms?
  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.

See this pool in your yard, freeUpload your yard

More like this

Region:Gulf CoastSetting:Inner-ring suburbHouse style:Mid-century modernAll 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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