Pool ideas for Southern California backyards.
Design renders and illustrative scenes to help you picture the finished yard. Every design here opens in the 3D designer at its real size.
This gallery is here to help you picture the finished yard: the shape of the pool, how the spa sits, what the deck and planting look like around it. To be clear about what you are looking at, these are design renders from our 3D designer and illustrative images, not photos of completed Coastline Pools jobs. When local projects are finished and the homeowners agree, we plan to add real photos labelled by city.
Every design shown opens in the 3D designer at its real size, so you can drop it on your own lot, resize it and see a planning estimate. If you are comparing styles on budget, our pool cost page explains what drives price, and the guide to reading a pool quote line by line shows where the money goes once a builder prices your yard.
Freeform pools
Freeform pools use soft, organic curves instead of straight lines. They suit Mediterranean, Spanish and Tuscan-style stucco homes, which are common across Southern California, and they work well when you want the pool to feel like part of the landscape rather than a box set into it. A kidney shape is the classic version; larger freeform layouts often add a raised spa with a spillover, a sun shelf for lounging, boulders or a small waterfall. Curves can also help on lots with an odd shape, since the pool can bend around trees, slopes or a patio. The tradeoff is that freeform pools are harder to fit with an automatic safety cover, and swimming laps is awkward. Coping and deck choices matter a lot here: flagstone and travertine soften the edge, while poured concrete keeps cost down. Try a few in the designer to see how the curve sits in your yard.
Geometric & modern
Geometric pools are rectangles and their variations: Roman ends, Grecian cut corners, L-shapes and long lap lanes. Clean lines suit contemporary, desert-modern and farmhouse homes, and they tend to make the most of a rectangular yard. A rectangle is also the easiest shape for an automatic safety cover, which is one of the drowning-prevention options California allows for new pools. Popular details include a shallow sun shelf at one end, a raised spa wall with sheer descents, dark plaster for a deeper water color, porcelain or large-format pavers and a crisp square coping. An L-shape splits the pool into a lounging leg and a swimming leg, which works well for families who want both. If exercise is the goal, a long narrow lap layout gives you real distance without taking the whole yard. Each of these opens in the designer at its real size so you can test the fit.
Small yards & plunge pools
Small yards are normal in a lot of Southern California neighborhoods, and they don't rule out a pool. A plunge pool is a compact pool, usually with built-in bench seating, sized for cooling off, sitting and socializing rather than swimming laps. Because there is less water, a plunge pool heats faster, uses fewer chemicals and costs less to build and to run than a full-size pool, and many owners add a heater and jets so it works like a spa in winter. A compact oval or short rectangle with a sun shelf is another option when you want a little more room to move. Even small pools need a building permit, the required safety features and room for equipment, and setbacks still apply. The designer checks a conservative 5 ft from property lines, which is a quick way to see whether a compact pool fits before anyone visits.
Spas
A spa changes how often a pool gets used, especially in the cooler months. The most common setup here is a raised spa attached to the pool, with a spillover edge so the spa water falls into the pool. That shares equipment, looks good from the house and is usually less expensive than a separate spa. A spa can also sit at deck level, attached to the pool but flush with the patio, which keeps sight lines open on smaller lots. A detached spa sits away from the pool, sometimes closer to the house or a fire feature, and often needs its own equipment. Spas add cost for plumbing, a heater and jets, and they add a little to weekly service. For an existing pool, a spa can sometimes be added during a remodel if the structure and plumbing allow it, which a licensed contractor checks on site.
The yard around the pool.
The pool is only part of the yard. Shade matters a lot in Southern California sun, so many plans include a pergola, a solid patio cover, shade sails or a few well-placed trees set back from the water. Fire bowls, a fire pit or a linear fire feature extend evenings into cooler months. An outdoor kitchen can be as simple as a built-in grill with counter space or as full as a sink, fridge and bar seating, and it usually needs gas, electrical and sometimes plumbing. Deck material affects comfort as well as looks: lighter pavers and travertine stay cooler underfoot than dark stone. Low-water planting such as agave, ornamental grasses, succulents and gravel beds keeps leaves out of the pool and suits local water rules. These items are priced separately from the pool, so ask for them as their own lines on the quote. Our quote guide explains how.
Small yard? Start with plunge pools. Planning the budget? See pool cost and financing, or read what's in a pool quote.
See your pool before anyone digs.
Type your address. We model your yard in 3D, you pick a design, and you see an estimate before you give us your number.