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AI concept image of Prairie ranch pool on acreage near Kansas City: a kidney-shaped pool with a hot tub.Save

Kansas City, MO · Ranch or acreage

Prairie ranch pool on acreage near Kansas City

A big kidney with a separate hot tub, a fire pit and nothing but sky and corn behind the fence.

One photo of your yard is all it needs.

Suits: ranch houses on a ranch or acreage in Midwest.

Drawn for a long brick ranch house with a low roof, a big covered patio and a detached two-car garage, with an open yard of Bermuda grass with a few oak trees and a split rail fence, farmland stretching behind.

Planning cost, MO
$45,000 to $135,000
A range from published prices, not a quote
Build time
3 to 6 months
Contract to first swim
Size
36 × 18 ft
3.5 to 6 ft deep
Water
about 16,700 gal
Water surface
460 sq ft
Hot tub
7 ft round
about 850 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 16,700 gallons. It is 36 by 18 ft with about 460 sq ft of water, 3.5 ft deep at the steps and 6 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 66 by 36 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 68 by 38 ft.
What does this design cost?
A planning range for MO is $45,000 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.

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 10 ft, slopes over about 12 ft, then runs level at 6 ft for the last 14 ft.

3.5 ft6 ftwater line36 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

Open acreage and a long brick ranch leave room for a large 36 x 18 kidney with a separate round hot tub at the left end. A light concrete deck and blue glass waterline tile keep the look simple, and the removable mesh fence sits inside the split rail fence and the fire pit corner.

What to watch

Open land means wind blowing dust and field debris into about 16,700 gallons of water. Light concrete in full sun can also glare, so ask about a broom finish or a shade plan.

How it reads

Blue plaster with blue glass waterline tile gives the big kidney a clean, bright color. Light concrete and concrete coping stay pale and simple against the brick, and the Bermuda lawn provides a green frame. At midday the sun bounces hard off the deck and water, while evening light warms the brick and the oaks. The fire pit corner is the one place with real warmth after dark.

Through the year

Hot, sunny summers are the main season, with storms and wind blowing across the open land. Spring and fall bring rain, oak leaves and field dust, and winters are cold enough to close the pool. Tie down the umbrellas and loungers before a storm front arrives. Check the filter often in dusty weeks, since field dust clogs it fast.

Every choice, row by row (14)
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.

Size36 × 18 ft

A pool about 18 ft wide and 36 ft long. Room for lengths and a group, and a yard that can hold the larger deck it needs. That is about 460 sq ft of water and about 16,700 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.

Hot tubSeparate tub, 7 ft round

A hot tub on the deck, apart from the pool. It has its own water and heater, so you can run it alone on a cold night without heating the pool. The tub holds about 850 gallons.

Pool finishPlaster

A smooth cement-based finish. A clean, classic surface that typically needs resurfacing sooner than pebble. A freeze season stresses plaster, so ask how the pool is winterized to protect the finish.

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 94 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 94 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.

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 1,990 sq ft here. Where it freezes, the base and the joints matter more than the surface.

PlantingLawn and hedges

A green lawn with clipped hedges. Gives kids a soft place to play and a formal frame to the deck.

Pool fenceRemovable mesh

A removable black mesh safety fence. It is a child-safety barrier you can take down for a party, and it sits in sockets in the deck.

Add to the yardFire pit

Fire pit: A round fire pit with seating. Extends the evening. Local burn rules and clearance from the house and plants apply.

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
94 linear ft
Deck
1,990 sq ft

Why it fits the ranch or acreage

The yard: an open yard of Bermuda grass with a few oak trees and a split rail fence, farmland stretching behind. On acreage there is room to spread out, so the pool can be sized for the whole family and for entertaining. Space lets you place the pool for the best light and keep it away from trees. A well, a septic field and an easement can still limit where it goes, so locate them first.

Why it fits the ranch house

The house is a long brick ranch house with a low roof, a big covered patio and a detached two-car garage. A ranch house is low and wide, so the pool should be relaxed and easy to walk out to. A freeform or kidney shape, a broad deck and shade trees suit a single-story house and a lawn that runs right up to the water.

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 Prairie ranch pool on acreage near Kansas City: a kidney-shaped pool with a hot tub.

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

66 × 36 ft

About 2,376 sq ft. The pool and tub alone is 48 × 18 ft.

Plan on a clear area of about 66 by 36 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 68 by 38 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.

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.

Keeping it up

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

  • Plaster in this climate

    Plaster is the finish a freeze season stresses most, so close the pool carefully and do not drain it.

  • 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 910 sq ft of interior.

  • Light concrete deck

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

  • 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.

  • Removable mesh fence

    A mesh fence has to be put back and latched every time. Check the anchors and the mesh each spring.

  • 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).

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, MO

$45,000 to $135,000

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 MO by a damped regional factor of 0.95 (the state's cost of living is 90.8 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
$39,000 to $110,000
459 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
94 linear ft at $6 to $12 a foot.
Hot tub
$5,500 to $17,000
A spa added to a new pool. A separate tub still needs its own plumbing and equipment.
Fire pit
$500 to $3,000
A fire pit, wood or gas.
Pool fence
$1,500 to $2,500
A removable mesh fence, priced by the job.
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.

  • 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 (8 lines)
InteriorPlaster, blueabout 910 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 94 linear ft, 10 in. band
Glass mosaic reads bright in sun and is easy to wipe clean of the waterline scum ring.
CopingConcreteabout 94 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 1,990 sq ft
A light, textured concrete topping made to stay cooler underfoot. It wears over the years and can be recoated.
Pool fenceRemovable meshabout 210 linear ft around the deck as drawn
A removable mesh fence goes up for children and comes down for a party. It has to be installed tight to meet code, and it has to be put back every time.
PlantingLawn and hedges
A lawn and clipped hedges. It softens the yard and brings grass clippings and fertilizer, so it should be kept away from the water.
Yard additionFire pit
A round fire pit with seating. It needs clear space from the house, the plants and the pool, and a town that allows it.
Hot tubSeparate tub, roundabout 850 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. 01What does closing and opening this pool involve each year, and which parts of the deck are rated for freeze and thaw?
  2. 02With open land and wind, do you suggest a cover for this pool, and where would it be stored when it is off?
  3. 03Do the pool and the tub share a heater, and can the tub run alone in cold weather?
  4. 04What clearance does the fire pit need from the house and the plants, and does the town allow it?
  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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More like this

Region:MidwestSetting:Ranch or acreageHouse style:RanchFeature:Pool with a hot tubAll 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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