# 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. 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.

A design idea for St. Augustine, FL. Florida, small infill lot, 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. Warm, humid water grows algae faster, so a smooth, dense finish is easier to keep clean.

### Finish color: Light grey finish, soft turquoise water

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

### Waterline tile: Sea 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.

### Coping: Brick

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.

### Deck: Concrete 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.

### Planting: Keep 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.

### Furniture: Dining table

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

### Light: Golden hour

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

## Why it suits this house

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.

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.

## 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.

## 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.

## 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 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.

## 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.

## What this will cost: a planning range

$25,000 to $100,000 for FL, a range from published prices and not a quote.

- 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.
- 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/); [HomeAdvisor, pool deck cost](https://www.homeadvisor.com/cost/swimming-pools-hot-tubs-and-saunas/pool-deck); [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.



## What it is made of

- Interior: Plaster, light grey (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: Sea glass (about 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.
- Coping: Brick (about 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.
- Deck: Concrete pavers (about 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.

## Keeping it up

- 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).

## Questions to ask a builder

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

Start with this design in the free visualizer: https://rendersplash.com/pool-visualizer?idea=spanish-roman-pool-st-augustine