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AI concept image of Starter pool in a new Loudoun County subdivision: a Roman-end pool.Save

Ashburn, VA · New-build subdivision

Starter pool in a new Loudoun County subdivision

A small Roman-end pool with a mesh fence on a neat lot, plaster inside and a wide set of steps for the little ones.

One photo of your yard is all it needs.

Suits: Colonial houses on a new-build subdivision in Mid-Atlantic.

Drawn for a new three-story brick-front colonial with white trim, black shutters and a two-car garage, with a small flat lot with new sod, a few young trees, a wood fence and rows of similar houses behind.

Planning cost, VA
$30,000 to $85,000
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 8,400 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 8,400 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 VA is $30,000 to $85,000 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

Small lots need a pool that does not take the whole yard, and a 24 x 12 Roman of about 8,400 gallons leaves room for new sod and a few young trees. Wide steps give little ones a shallow place to start, and plaster with blue glass tile is a simple finish for a brick-front colonial.

What to watch

Roman ends leave a bit less usable floor than a plain rectangle, which matters for laps. A removable mesh fence only works if it goes back every time, and the town decides whether it is accepted.

How it reads

Blue plaster and blue glass tile make bright, simple water against the brick-front house. Concrete coping and pavers stay plain and light, and the Roman ends soften the lines of a small lot. The removable mesh fence nearly disappears. In midday sun the water sparkles, and by evening the wood fence and the neighbors' houses frame the yard. Underfoot, light pavers stay cooler than dark ones, and wide steps give small feet a safe start.

Through the year

Ashburn gets hot summers with heavy afternoon storms, so a small pool earns its keep from late spring through early fall. New sod and young trees mean grass clippings and dust reach the water, and mild fall weather extends the season. Put the mesh fence back up every time, even for a short errand inside.

Every choice, row by row (12)
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 8,400 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.

Pool finishPlaster

A smooth cement-based finish. A clean, classic surface that typically needs resurfacing sooner than pebble.

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 68 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 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.

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.

FurnitureLoungers

Loungers: A pair of chaise loungers. The first thing people want on a pool deck.

LightMidday sun

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

Coping
68 linear ft
Deck
980 sq ft

Why it fits the new-build subdivision

The yard: a small flat lot with new sod, a few young trees, a wood fence and rows of similar houses behind. A new-build lot starts as bare ground, so grading, drainage and the house's own plan shape the pool. Subdivision lots are often tight and graded for drainage. Check the homeowner association rules, the utility easements and the setbacks before the layout is final.

Why it fits the Colonial house

The house is a new three-story brick-front colonial with white trim, black shutters and a two-car garage. A colonial house wants symmetry, brick or flagstone and a formal edge. A tidy rectangle, stone coping and a calm palette respect the house's proportions. Clipped hedges and simple furniture keep the formality.

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 Starter pool in a new Loudoun County subdivision: 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.

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.

  • Plaster in this climate

    Plaster works in a mixed climate if the water is kept balanced, and it is the easiest finish to repair.

  • 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 550 sq ft of interior.

  • Concrete pavers deck

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

  • Removable mesh fence

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

  • 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

$30,000 to $85,000

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
$25,000 to $70,000
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
$500 to $1,000
68 linear ft at $6 to $12 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.
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.

  • 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 (6 lines)
InteriorPlaster, blueabout 550 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 68 linear ft, 10 in. band
Glass mosaic reads bright in sun and is easy to wipe clean of the waterline scum ring.
CopingConcreteabout 68 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.
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.
Pool fenceRemovable meshabout 145 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.

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. 02Because the lot is a new build with fresh fill, how will the builder test and compact the ground before the Roman shape is dug?
  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:Mid-AtlanticSetting:New-build subdivisionHouse style:ColonialFeature: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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