How do I know if a pool will fit in my yard?

Above ground pools are easy.  If you can measure a space the size of the pool, it will fit.  If the ground isn’t flat, it can be fixed.

First, read the Where’s the best place to put my pool? section of this Buyer’s Guide and think about the different factors that may affect your placement of the pool.  Then, mark out the pool’s outline.  The diagram and chart below will show you how the installers mark out a pool for ground work.  Using these numbers will give you an outline of the pool.  Scratch the outline in the ground, or fill a plastic bag with flour, cut off a corner, and use it to mark your outline.

Ask to borrow a yard measuring kit from your pool store.  It will probably include stakes, string, a long measuring tape, and an outline marking bag.  If you are still unsure, or if a couple of inches matter, see if they will send out an installer or a salesperson to help.

Practice walking around the pool.  How does it feel?  Can you get the lawn mower around it?  Is there room for patio furniture in one area?  Visualize where the ladder, deck, and filter will go.  Is this convenient?  Try a few sizes, or shapes.  As pools get larger, their cost rises more slowly than the size – so a larger pool is quite often not much more expensive than the next size down. 

Round Pools

Just divide the pool’s diameter by two to get the radius, then add six inches for the frame.  Put a stake in the center, and measure your string to that length.  Tie the string to the stake, and walk it in a circle.

Oval Pools

Using the diagram below, stakes string, and some flour, mark out the pool area for your size pool.

Using the chart below for your size pool, insert pegs marked A the correct distance apart as shown in the A to A box.  In the appropriate A to B box see what measurement is needed to insert the B peg.  Insert B peg as shown.  Tie the string to B, just long enough to touch A.  Walk it in a semicircle from C to A to the other C.  The two C points should line up with B.  That forms the curved end of your pool.  C to D is the length (above ground) of your struts.  They will be a little longer, below the ground.  To prepare your ground, you will need an extra foot all around to work.  For more details see the pool measurements on the next page., Oval Pool Dimensions.