Ever wonder if pool sizes have increased or decreased over the years? As Hollandia Pools has been installing swimming pools since 1950, which is over 70 years, we are uniquely qualified to comment on this. Currently we typically see our clients choosing swimming pools that range in size from 12 by 24 feet to 16 by thirty 32 feet, with deep ends commonly around six or seven feet deep.

While we definitely offer and install much larger pools that those, overall those are the sizes customers most commonly end up going with.

But how do those pool sizes compare to pool sizes of the past?

With no hesitation we can confidently state that as a rule pools have been progressively been becoming smaller over time, and particularly so over the last twenty or so years.

If we flashback to the 1960’s and 1970’s we were more often than not installing pools that were 18 by 36 or even 20 by 40 feet.

Those pools compared with todays pools felt like small lakes! There is no doubt about it, back in the day bigger was better.

So what changed between then and now?

Several things changed.

First, back yards (and properties in general) are much smaller now, and they simply cannot fit pools of those sizes.

In addition to that, the bigger the pool the higher the maintenance costs. Decades ago, it was much cheaper to maintain larger pools. Gas, electricity, chemicals were all much less expensive, so people didn’t worry about maintaining a monstrous pool.

Another contributing factor in the drive for smaller pools is people aren’t having as many children as they used to. A house with four kids needs a bigger pool than a family with one or maybe two children.

And finally, today people envision pools differently. Decades ago most pool installations were just giant rectangular pools (or if they wanted to be fancy, a kidney shaped pool) with a concrete sidewalk around it, and that was about it.

Currently pool consumers are more interested in having a backyard oasis. They are adding gazebos, negative edges, waterfalls, decks, fire features and so on. So rather than spend the entire budget on a giant pool, they’re selecting a proportionately smaller pool, and allocating increasing parts of their budget for the rest towards the rest of the backyard.

So while there is no argument, pools have been getting smaller in size, as mentioned earlier in this article, we still install plenty of massive pools each year. It really just depends on whether there is the physical space for it, the desire for it, and the corresponding budget!