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AI concept image of Oceanfront contemporary pool in Virginia Beach: a rectangular pool with a hot tub and a sun shelf.Save

Virginia Beach, VA · Coastal

Oceanfront contemporary pool in Virginia Beach

A rectangular pool with a wood deck and a shelf for loungers, a short walk across the dunes to the surf.

One photo of your yard is all it needs.

Suits: contemporary houses on a coastal in Mid-Atlantic.

Drawn for a gray contemporary beach house with cedar siding, big windows and a flat roof with a rooftop deck, with a sandy lot with dune grass, sea oats, a boardwalk, a few wind-bent trees and the ocean behind.

Planning cost, VA
$95,000 to $225,000
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 6,100 gal
Water surface
290 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 6,100 gallons. It is 24 by 12 ft with about 290 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 51 by 30 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 52 by 31 ft.
What does this design cost?
A planning range for VA is $95,000 to $225,000 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. A sun shelf sits at the other end.

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

Sand and salt shape this one: porcelain coping, a wood-look deck and white quartz handle wet feet and wind better than real wood would. The small 24 x 12 pool of about 6,100 gallons holds a sun shelf with loungers and a square tub spilling in at the left end, and the glass fence keeps the view.

What to watch

When a tub spills into a small pool, the two share water, so the tub's heat runs into the pool and the pool's chemistry becomes the tub's. Wind off the ocean also blows heat out and sand in.

How it reads

White quartz and grey stone tile make bright water with a cool edge, set against the cedar siding and the gray house. Porcelain coping and the wood-look deck give a clean, light surface. The glass fence keeps the dunes visible. In midday sun the pool glows, and at dusk the ocean sky gives the water a soft blue cast. Underfoot, porcelain stays cooler than darker stone, and the wood-look deck is easy on bare feet.

Through the year

Beach pools are busiest in summer, with salt wind and sand at both ends of the season. Storms can push sand and spray over the dunes into the pool and onto the glass. Rinse the glass fence and the wood-look deck with fresh water after any big blow, and keep the loungers anchored.

Every choice, row by row (14)
ShapeRectangle

A rectangle with square corners. It is the simplest to build, covers neatly and fits a modern or formal house.

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 290 sq ft of water and about 6,100 gallons.

StepsWide steps

Wide steps across one end. Easy for kids and older swimmers, and a place to sit in the shallow water. The steps lead into water 3.5 ft deep.

Sun shelfWith loungers

A sun shelf sized for chairs in the water. Lets you sit in the cool water in the sun with a drink, which is why it works well in a hot climate.

Hot tubSpills into the pool, 7 ft square

A hot tub built into the pool and level with the deck, spilling into it. It shares the pool's water and equipment, so one heater and one set of chemistry cover both. The tub holds about 1,100 gallons.

Pool finishQuartz

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.

Finish colorWhite finish, bright light blue water

A white interior. Gives the brightest, lightest blue water.

Waterline tileGrey stone

Grey stone-look porcelain at the waterline. A quiet, natural band that goes with concrete and wood. It runs about 72 linear ft around this pool.

CopingPorcelain

Large-format grey porcelain with a square edge. Crisp and low maintenance, ideal beside a modern house. Check it is rated for exterior use where it freezes. It runs about 72 linear ft around this pool.

DeckWood-look deck

Warm brown composite wood-look boards. Soft on bare feet and warm to look at. Darker boards can run hot in full sun, so check the color. The deck is about 1,150 sq ft here.

PlantingModern

Ornamental grasses, gravel strips and square planters. A tidy, low-maintenance frame that suits clean architecture.

Pool fenceGlass

A frameless glass pool fence. It keeps the view open. Your town's barrier code sets the height, the gate and the latch, so ask before you design around it.

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
72 linear ft
Deck
1,150 sq ft

Why it fits the coastal

The yard: a sandy lot with dune grass, sea oats, a boardwalk, a few wind-bent trees and the ocean behind. A coastal pool deals with wind, salt and a view, so materials and shelter shape the design. Wind chills the water and carries salt. A low wall, a glass fence and tough fittings let the pool take in the view without punishment from the weather.

Why it fits the contemporary house

The house is a gray contemporary beach house with cedar siding, big windows and a flat roof with a rooftop deck. A contemporary house asks for hard edges, quiet colors and one confident feature. Rectangles, large-format porcelain or concrete, and a single water feature keep the yard calm and let the architecture lead.

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 Oceanfront contemporary pool in Virginia Beach: a rectangular pool with a hot tub and a sun shelf.

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

51 × 30 ft

About 1,530 sq ft. The pool and tub alone is 32.5 × 12 ft.

Plan on a clear area of about 51 by 30 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 52 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.

Mid-Atlantic: what the climate asks of this pool

A Mid-Atlantic pool gets four seasons, so it needs to cope with hot, humid summers and a winter that freezes.

  • Summers are hot and sticky and winters freeze, so you plan for both a cover and a cooler deck surface.
  • Freeze and thaw moves paving. Choose a material rated for it and a base that drains.
  • Mature trees are common. They give shade and drop leaves, so skimmer placement and a cover matter.
  • Older neighborhoods can have setbacks, easements and tree rules that shape where the pool can go.

Keeping it up

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

  • Quartz in this climate

    Quartz is a middle path for a mixed climate: smoother than pebble and tougher than plaster.

  • Wood-look deck deck

    Wash the composite boards with soap and water, and keep furniture feet from scratching a dark color.

  • 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.

  • Glass fence

    Glass fence panels show water spots. Wipe them down and rinse the hardware.

  • 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, VA

$95,000 to $225,000

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 VA by a damped regional factor of 1.01 (the state's cost of living is 101.1 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
$26,000 to $72,000
288 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 $3,000
72 linear ft at $20 to $40 a foot.
Deck
$46,000 to $93,000
1,154 sq ft at $40 to $80 a square foot installed. HomeAdvisor's installed figure for composite, labor included. Fixr's $8 to $16 is for the boards alone.
Hot tub
$6,000 to $18,000
A spa added to a new pool.
Pool fence
$16,000 to $35,000
164 linear ft around the deck as drawn, at $95 to $210 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 for composite, labor included. Fixr's $8 to $16 is for the boards alone.

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 (7 lines)
InteriorQuartz, whiteabout 490 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 tileGrey stoneabout 72 linear ft, 10 in. band
A stone-look porcelain: matte, calm and forgiving of fingerprints and water spots.
CopingPorcelainabout 72 linear ft
Large, flat porcelain slabs with a square edge. Very modern, and the joints and the edge profile need a careful installer.
DeckWood-look deckabout 1,150 sq ft
Composite boards that look like timber. They stay splinter free but can get hot in direct sun, and a dark color shows scratches and fades first.
Pool fenceGlassabout 165 linear ft around the deck as drawn
Frameless glass keeps the view open and needs wiping to stay clear. Its height, gate and hardware have to meet your town's barrier rules.
PlantingModern
Ornamental grasses, gravel strips and square planters. Tidy and low water, with the beds kept away from the skimmer.
Hot tubSpills into the pool, 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 do you handle a mature tree near the pool, and what is the winterizing routine for this design?
  2. 02As the tub spills into a 24 foot pool, can it be heated and balanced on its own, and what keeps sand from fouling both?
  3. 03Do the pool and the tub share a heater, and can the tub run alone in cold weather?
  4. 04How deep is the sun shelf, and can a chair sit on it without tipping?
  5. 05What does the town's barrier code require for the glass height and the gate, and how do you clean 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:Mid-AtlanticSetting:CoastalHouse style:ContemporaryFeature:Pool with a hot tubFeature:Small backyard poolFeature:Pool with a sun shelfAll 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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