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Pittsburgh, PA · Hillside or slope

Pool on a steep Pittsburgh lot with a city view

A rectangle on a terrace cut into the hill, a raised wall on the downhill side and the rivers in the distance.

One photo of your yard is all it needs.

Suits: ranch houses on a hillside or slope in Mid-Atlantic.

Drawn for a brick and stone mid-century ranch house with a low roof, a daylight basement and a big deck, with a steep wooded lot with maples, oaks, a stone retaining wall and a distant view of the city and rivers.

  • Ranch
  • Starter tier
Planning cost, PA
$65,000 to $180,000
A range from published prices, not a quote
Build time
3 to 6 months
Contract to first swim
Size
30 × 15 ft
3.5 to 5.5 ft deep
Water
about 14,900 gal
Water surface
450 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 14,900 gallons. It is 30 by 15 ft with about 450 sq ft of water, 3.5 ft deep at the steps and 5.5 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 48 by 33 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 50 by 35 ft.
What does this design cost?
A planning range for PA is $65,000 to $180,000 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 8 ft, slopes over about 10 ft, then runs level at 5.5 ft for the last 11 ft.

3.5 ft5.5 ftwater line30 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

Steep ground needs a flat cut, so a terrace into the hill and a raised wall on the downhill side make sense for a 30 x 15 pool of about 14,900 gallons. Flagstone coping and stamped concrete tie in with the stone retaining wall and the brick ranch, and the black fence guards the drop.

What to watch

This model sits on a flat site, so the retaining walls, the cut and the drainage are not drawn. Hillsides hold and move water, and wooded lots drop leaves into the pool.

How it reads

Blue plaster and grey stone tile give clear water that suits the brick and stone ranch. Flagstone coping and stamped concrete add a stone texture, and the raised wall makes a clean line against the wooded slope. In midday sun the pool is bright against the green hill. In the evening the trees shade the downhill side first. Underfoot, stamped concrete grips when wet, and flagstone stays cool at the edge.

Through the year

Pittsburgh summers bring heavy afternoon rain and leaves from the maples and oaks, and a long, cold winter follows. Fall leaves come in volume, so a cover goes on soon. After big storms, walk the retaining wall and the deck edges to see that runoff is draining away, not pooling against the wall.

Every choice, row by row (13)
ShapeRectangle

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

Size30 × 15 ft

A pool about 15 ft wide and 30 ft long. A common family size with room for play and a short swim. That is about 450 sq ft of water and about 14,900 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 edgeRaised wall

A seat-height wall along one side of the pool. It adds a place to sit, a spot for a water feature and a visual break, with extra structure to build.

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 tileGrey stone

Grey stone-look porcelain at the waterline. A quiet, natural band that goes with concrete and wood. It runs about 90 linear ft around this pool.

CopingFlagstone

Natural flagstone with irregular edges. Gives a natural, informal look that blends with planting and rock. It runs about 90 linear ft around this pool.

DeckStamped concrete

Tan stamped concrete with a stone pattern. An affordable deck poured in one piece. It needs a sealer and a grit additive so it is not slippery when wet. The deck is about 1,230 sq ft here.

PlantingKeep what's there

The planting already in the yard. Keeps mature trees and shade in place and saves disruption.

Pool fenceBlack aluminum

A black aluminum picket fence. A standard, durable barrier that disappears in the planting and meets most barrier codes.

FurnitureLoungers, Dining table
  • Loungers: A pair of chaise loungers. The first thing people want on a pool deck.
  • Dining table: An outdoor dining table and chairs. Turns the pool into the place where meals happen.
LightMidday sun

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

Coping
90 linear ft
Deck
1,230 sq ft

Why it fits the hillside or slope

The yard: a steep wooded lot with maples, oaks, a stone retaining wall and a distant view of the city and rivers. A hillside pool is built into the slope, so retaining walls and drainage are part of the design. A slope can give a dramatic view and a vanishing edge, and it brings walls, drainage, soil reports and extra engineering. Plan on a longer approval and a more detailed build.

Why it fits the ranch house

The house is a brick and stone mid-century ranch house with a low roof, a daylight basement and a big deck. 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 Pool on a steep Pittsburgh lot with a city view: a rectangular 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

48 × 33 ft

About 1,584 sq ft. The pool alone is 30 × 15 ft.

Plan on a clear area of about 48 by 33 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 50 by 35 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 850 sq ft of interior.

  • Stamped concrete deck

    Reseal the stamped concrete every few years with a non-slip additive, or it fades and gets slippery when wet.

  • Black aluminum fence

    A black aluminum fence needs a wash and a check of its gate latch. Near salt air, rinse it and touch up any chipped finish.

  • 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, PA

$65,000 to $180,000

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 PA by a damped regional factor of 0.99 (the state's cost of living is 97.6 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
$40,000 to $111,000
450 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
$3,500 to $5,000
90 linear ft at $40 to $55 a foot.
Deck
$15,000 to $24,000
1,225 sq ft at $12 to $20 a square foot installed. HomeAdvisor's installed figure, labor included. Fixr's $15 to $30 is materials only.
Raised wall
$2,000 to $8,000
A raised bond-beam wall.
Pool fence
$2,500 to $6,000
170 linear ft around the deck as drawn, at $15 to $35 a foot installed.
Slope work
$5,500 to $23,000
A retaining wall ($5,000 to $20,000) and a structural engineer ($500 to $3,000).
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, labor included. Fixr's $15 to $30 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.

  • Slope work comes first: walls, drainage and an engineer's sign-off. One builder describes a complex sloped project as a few months of work on its own.

What it is made of

The materials list for this design, with its own quantities from the model.

The materials list (5 lines)
InteriorPlaster, blueabout 850 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 tileGrey stoneabout 90 linear ft, 10 in. band
A stone-look porcelain: matte, calm and forgiving of fingerprints and water spots.
CopingFlagstoneabout 90 linear ft
Natural, irregular stone. It looks like it was always there and needs its joints watched for movement.
DeckStamped concreteabout 1,230 sq ft
Poured concrete pressed with a stone pattern. It should be sealed with a non-slip additive and resealed on a schedule, or it fades and gets slick.
Pool fenceBlack aluminumabout 170 linear ft around the deck as drawn
Black aluminum pickets are light, strong and the usual choice for a barrier. Near salt air, ask for a marine-rated finish.

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. 02Who engineers the retaining wall on the downhill side, and is the pool's water load designed together with it?
  3. 03How is the raised wall engineered, and who signs off on it?
  4. 04Will the fence meet the barrier code, and is the gate self-closing and self-latching?
  5. 05How is the stamped concrete sealed so it is not slippery when wet?

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:Hillside or slopeHouse style:RanchAll 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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