Pool Deck Size Calculator

So you’ve got the best filter in town, and the cleanest water. But when it comes to sitting down with a cold one, do you get wet? Will you need a life jacket to cross from your lounger to the food station? The size of the deck are far more important than the style (i.e., choosing the “right” colored paver). Why? Because a properly sized deck is comfortabley, whereas an undersized deck, even with a fancy stone color, feel more like an obstacle course then a luxury retreat.

The calculator on this page will do all the math for you; but knowing what numbers mean will help you steer clear of common errors that sneaks through blueprints.

Why Deck Size Matters More Than Style

The first piece of that equation is the apron, or the area right outside the pool’s edge, the ring where you’ll be doing all your walking. That’s the part most folks underthink: They imagine a single person strolling the rim. But remember, there will inevitably be two (or more) of you out there at any given time; you’ll want space for a waiter to pivot with a full tray while keeping everyone upright; etc. Technically speaking, three feet suffices as “walkable,” but it isn’t exactly “livable.” You won’t sit back and relax … instead, you’ll be watching your step constantly. To accommodate a larger apron, enter varying apron width into the calculator and note how rapidly total square footage increases. Because every extra foot of apron require a major addition of hardscape material to your project, this is a high price to pay.

The lounging clearance: This is where the math gets tricky. Lounge chairs don’t extend straight from the side of the pool; instead, they angle out from the water’s edge. Because of this, they take up more space than you would expect based off their length alone. That means if you’re planning for the width of each chair alone, there’ll be insufficient distance. To account for this, the tool allows you to determine how much of the perimeter you’re allocating toward walking vs. Active sitting. Why does this matter? A deck with six-foot-wide clearances everywhere may look like a spacious six-footer even on paper. However, when you actualy use it, it will feel too tight next to chairs and too empty around them. Marking these areas in your plans ensures that you avoid the weird half-done feeling.

Finally there is equipment path. When the budget gets tight, this is usually the first thing to be cut. The homeowner always want the patio extended out to the fence so he can have as much space as possible. You need to leave room for an equipment path. You absolutely must have an unobstructed route to the pump, filter, and storage shed. That means no sun loungers blocking your access to your filter. Very soon you’ll hate that sun lounger. Leave yourself enough width for a dedicated path. Then maintaining it is a chore not a puzzle.

Lastly, there are irregular shapes and irregular amounts of waste. Not all yards are flat grids, nor are all pools perfectly rectangular in shape. Stone or paver cutting creates waste… It’s the nature of the beast! The calculator accounts for a margin of waste, but if your pool has a lot of corners and curves (free form/kidney shaped pools create a LOT more waste as compared to regular rectangles) then those waste percentages will be built into the final area to ensure you don’t run out of material mid-job. Better to order a bit too much than have to wait for a new shipment of coordinating stone, that might or might not ever come.

In the end, a pool deck is more than just an afterthought (it’s a piece of architecture). It is the way you will use it, sit in it, and move around it. When you get the proportions correct you don’t think about it anymore…you relax into it. Then when the math adds up, you kick back and enjoy the water.