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AI concept image of Spanish courtyard pool on a narrow lot in St. Augustine: a Roman-end pool.Save

St. Augustine, FL · Small infill lot

Spanish courtyard pool on a narrow lot in St. Augustine

A small Roman-end pool with brick coping and a coquina wall, set where the old town squeezes every inch.

One photo of your yard is all it needs.

Suits: Spanish and Mediterranean houses on a small infill lot in Florida.

Drawn for a two-story Spanish colonial revival house with a tile roof, arched windows and a stucco wall, with a narrow lot behind a coquina wall with a fig tree, potted citrus, ferns and a cast iron gate.

Planning cost, FL
$25,000 to $100,000
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 FL is $25,000 to $100,000 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

Behind a coquina wall on a narrow lot, a small Roman pool with curved steps wastes very little floor. Brick coping and concrete pavers sit well with the stucco and tile of the house, and a dining table still fits beside the fig tree and the potted citrus. Light grey plaster keeps the water calm.

What to watch

A tight yard leaves little room for equipment, a work path or a machine, so the dig may be done by hand and take longer. Brick coping also gets hot in summer sun.

How it reads

Light grey plaster with sea glass tile gives the water a soft, pale green that suits the coquina wall and the tile roof. Brick coping and concrete pavers keep the whole edge in warm earth tones, and the fig tree and potted citrus add green close to the water. At golden hour the stucco and brick glow, and the water goes quiet and glassy. The curved steps echo the arched windows.

Through the year

St. Augustine has a long warm season, with muggy summers and a short cool spell when the pool sits idle. Humidity encourages algae, and the fig tree drops leaves and fruit into a small pool quickly. Skim often, brush the curved steps, and keep the table and chairs on the dry deck so the brick coping stays clear of clutter.

Every choice, row by row (11)
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. 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 68 linear ft around this pool.

CopingBrick

Red brick with a rolled edge. A traditional edge that suits brick houses and colonial or Tudor styles. It runs about 68 linear ft around this pool.

DeckConcrete pavers

Grey interlocking concrete pavers. Pavers move with the ground and can be lifted and reset, which helps where the soil freezes or shifts. The deck is about 980 sq ft here. Choose a texture that stays safe when wet, because this deck will be damp often.

PlantingKeep what's there

The planting already in the yard. Keeps mature trees and shade in place and saves disruption. Choose planting that tolerates storms and keep it a few feet from the water to limit debris.

FurnitureDining table

Dining table: An outdoor dining table and chairs. Turns the pool into the place where meals happen.

LightGolden hour

Shown in golden-hour light. Low sun is when the finish, the tile and the planting look their best.

Coping
68 linear ft
Deck
980 sq ft

Why it fits the small infill lot

The yard: a narrow lot behind a coquina wall with a fig tree, potted citrus, ferns and a cast iron gate. A small infill lot asks for a compact pool and a deck that does double duty. Neighbors are close, setbacks bite into the usable area and the house often fills the lot. A narrow rectangle with a corner step and a shared deck for dining and lounging uses the space best.

Why it fits the Spanish and Mediterranean house

The house is a two-story Spanish colonial revival house with a tile roof, arched windows and a stucco wall. 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 on a narrow lot in St. Augustine: 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.

Florida: what the climate asks of this pool

A Florida pool is used most of the year, so heat, storms and screens shape the design.

  • Many Florida pools sit under a screen enclosure, which keeps out bugs and leaves but changes how much sun and breeze the deck gets. Plan planting and furniture around the cage lines.
  • Afternoon storms and hurricane season mean equipment pads, pergolas and loose furniture need to be anchored or easy to stow.
  • A high water table is common near the coast. Builders usually fit a hydrostatic relief valve so the shell does not float when the ground is saturated.
  • Near salt water, salt air is hard on metal fences, light fittings and some stone. Ask which materials are rated for it.

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 560 sq ft of interior.

  • Concrete pavers deck

    Sweep sand into the paver joints each year and pull weeds early, before they lift the pavers.

  • 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

$25,000 to $100,000

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 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
$25,000 to $71,000
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
$1,500 to $2,000
68 linear ft at $25 to $30 a foot.
Deck
$3,000 to $7,000
978 sq ft at $3 to $7 a square foot installed. HomeAdvisor's installed figure. Fixr's $6 to $8 is materials only.
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.

  • HomeAdvisor's installed figure. Fixr's $6 to $8 is materials only.

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 (4 lines)
InteriorPlaster, light greyabout 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 tileSea glassabout 68 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.
CopingBrickabout 68 linear ft
Rolled-edge brick gives a traditional line. The mortar joints need attention over the years and the surface can be uneven underfoot.
DeckConcrete paversabout 980 sq ft
Interlocking concrete pavers. Easy to repair one piece at a time, and the joints need topping up with sand now and then to keep weeds out.

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. 01Which parts of this design need a hurricane tie-down, and does the screen enclosure change the pool layout?
  2. 02Can an excavator get through the cast iron gate, or will the dig be by hand, and how does that change the schedule?
  3. 03What base sits under the pavers, and how are they locked in against movement?
  4. 04What is in the quote and what is left out, such as the deck, fence, electrical, permits and landscaping?
  5. 05Who pulls the permit, and how long does approval usually take in this town?

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:FloridaSetting:Small infill lotHouse style:Spanish and MediterraneanFeature:Small backyard poolAll 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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