A pool that works for the toddler now and the teenager later.
Beach entries, sun shelves, plunge pools and family pools designed as part of the yard, not instead of it. With the barriers, covers and sightlines planned before the first shovel.
Kids think about
The deep end. The slide. Whether there's a rock to jump off. Whether it's warm.
Parents think about
The gate latch. The cover. Whether you can see the shallow end from the kitchen. What it does to the rest of the yard.
Family-first pool design
Most pools are designed for adults and then child‑proofed. We do it the other way around.
The first question isn't shape or finish. It's who's going in and what they'll do there over the next ten years. That changes the depth profile, where the shallow water is, how you get in, and how much of the yard the pool should take.
Beach and zero‑depth entries
A gently sloped entry instead of steps. Toddlers wade in on their own terms, grandparents don't need a handrail, and floaties can be launched with dignity. It takes more footprint than steps, so on a smaller lot we'll often pair a shorter beach entry with a shelf.
Sun shelves and play shelves
A wide ledge under 6 to 12 inches of water. This is where the two-year-old spends the whole summer and where you spend it too, in a chair with your feet in the water. Later it's where the big kids sit between cannonballs. It's the single most-used square footage in a family pool.
Depth
We design a lot of pools with a 3.5-foot shallow half and a 5- to 6-foot deep end, which is deep enough for jumping and swimming laps of a sort, and shallow enough that most of the pool is standable for a nine-year-old. Diving depth is a different pool and a much bigger commitment; we'll talk you through it honestly.
Plunge pools
A small, deep-ish pool, often 8 by 14 feet or so, for cooling off and floating, sized for a city or townhome lot. Heated, it becomes a year-round soak. Paired with a splash pad for the little ones, it's a full water yard in a tight space.
Spas
Integrated with the pool or freestanding. We tend to place the spa where a parent can sit in it and see the whole play yard, which turns it from a luxury into the best supervision seat on the property.
Slides, jump rocks and features
Pool slides are wonderful and need real depth and clearance at the exit. Jump rocks need depth and a clear landing zone below. We'll design them in where they're appropriate and tell you plainly when a yard doesn't have room to do them right.
Swim possibilities
Water safety, layered
No single safeguard. Several.
Pools are the part of a KidScape where design carries the most responsibility. Our approach is layers: no one thing has to be perfect because it isn't the only thing.
- 1Barrier
Fencing or a wall separating the pool from the house and the play yard, with self-closing, self-latching gates, latch high enough that a small child can't reach it. Colorado municipalities set specific height and gap requirements; we design to the local code and get it inspected.
- 2Cover
An automatic safety cover that closes with a key switch. When the pool isn't in use, it's a floor. This is the layer we push hardest for on family pools.
- 3Alarms
Door alarms on house doors that open to the pool area, and gate alarms where appropriate. Inexpensive and loud.
- 4Sightlines
We locate the pool so the shallow end is visible from the kitchen, the patio and the parent seat by the play area. A pool you can't see from where you live is a pool you have to walk to check.
- 5Entrapment protection
Compliant drain covers and dual drains or a drainless circulation design, so suction entrapment isn't a possibility we're managing, it's one we've designed out.
- 6Slip-resistant surfaces
Textured coping and deck materials that stay grippy when wet and don't scorch feet in July sun. Light colors, and shade over at least part of the deck.
Layers reduce risk. They don't remove the need for an adult watching the water. Swim lessons early and a clear "no one swims alone" rule do more than any product. We'll say that out loud in every pool conversation.
Pools at altitude.
The season
Unheated, a Front Range pool is comfortable for maybe ten weeks. Heated, it's May to October. We design the heater, cover and plumbing as a system, because the cover is what makes heating affordable.
Freeze‑thaw
Shell design, tile selection and coping details matter more here than in warm states. We detail for expansion and drainage so tile isn't popping off in year three.
Expansive soil
Front Range clays move with moisture. Soils testing and an engineered shell aren't optional, and we design the deck to move independently of the pool.
Winterizing
Every pool we build gets a written winterization plan. Lines are blown out, equipment drained, cover closed. Done right, spring startup is uneventful.
Questions parents ask
Pool FAQ
Will a pool take over the whole yard?
Only if it's designed that way. A 12 by 24 foot pool with its deck fits on most suburban lots with room left for a play zone, turf and a place to eat. We design the pool and the play yard together so the pool sits where it's visible and the play area gets the shade and the soft surfaces. If the lot is tight, a plunge pool plus a splash pad delivers most of the joy in half the space.
Gunite, fiberglass or vinyl?
Gunite (shotcrete) offers complete freedom of shape, shelves and entries and handles Colorado soils well when engineered properly. Fiberglass shells install fast and are smooth underfoot but come in fixed shapes and sizes. Vinyl liners are lowest cost up front and need periodic replacement. For a family pool with a beach entry and shelf, we most often recommend gunite; we'll show you the trade-offs for your yard.
What about permits and inspections?
Pools require building permits and inspections everywhere along the Front Range, plus electrical and often fence inspections. Some jurisdictions require an engineer's stamp on the shell. We manage the process and build to the local code, and we'll tell you up front what your city or county requires.
How much work is a pool, really?
Weekly during the season: skim, check chemistry, empty baskets. Automation (chemical feeders, robotic cleaners, app-controlled pumps) takes a lot of it off your plate, and an automatic cover keeps most debris out to begin with. We set you up with the system and walk you through it. Expect a real fall and spring task each year.
Can we add a pool later?
Yes, and planning for it now is smart. We can rough in utilities, keep a clear footprint and design the play yard so the pool has a place to go. A lot of our grow-with-you plans have the pool in the "later" column.
Summer is short here. Make it count.
Tell us who'll be swimming and we'll design a pool around them.