Splash Pools: Sizes, Depths and Whether One Fits Your Garden

A splash pool is the small pool that people with small gardens actually end up building. It’s big enough to cool off in on a 40 degree day in January, small enough to fit in a courtyard or a strip of lawn, and a lot cheaper to run than a full-size pool.

The question we get most is simple: will one fit? This guide covers common splash pool sizes and depths, how much room you need around the pool (not just for it), what changes the cost, and the things that rule a site in or out before anyone starts digging.

What Counts as a Splash Pool?

There’s no official definition, but in South Africa a splash pool usually means a small, fairly shallow pool built for cooling off, sitting and playing rather than swimming lengths. Most are rectangular or round, many have a built-in bench, and the whole pool is often the same depth with no deep end.

It’s easy to mix up with a plunge pool. The difference is mostly depth. A plunge pool is built deeper, often up to about 1.8m, so you can drop in and stand with water to your shoulders. A splash pool is shallower and friendlier for kids, which also makes it a bit cheaper to dig and fill.

Common Splash Pool Sizes and Shapes

Most of the splash pools we build or renovate fall into a few shapes. Which one works depends far more on your garden than on what looks good in a brochure.

• Rectangle, about 2m x 3m. The most common choice. Fits along a wall or the side of a house and leaves room for a deck.
• Square, about 2.5m x 2.5m. Good for courtyards. Add a bench on one or two sides and it seats a small family.
• Long and narrow, about 1.8m x 4m. Suits side passages and strips between the house and a boundary wall.
• Round, about 2.5m to 3.5m across. Softer look in a garden setting. Easy to edge with brick or paver coping.

Factory-made fibreglass shells come in set sizes, so you choose from a range. A splash pool built in concrete or gunite can be any size or shape, which helps when a site is awkward. Fibreglass pools go in faster, while a concrete or gunite pool gives you more freedom with the layout.

How Deep Should a Splash Pool Be?

For most families, a splash pool works best at 1m to 1.2m. That’s deep enough for adults to sit with water at chest height and cool off properly, and shallow enough that older kids can stand.

Whatever the depth, plan the way in. Built-in pool steps with a non-slip finish, or a bench that doubles as a step, make a small pool far easier and safer to use than a ladder.

Will One Fit Your Garden? What Our Team Checks

This is where most plans succeed or stall. The pool itself is small, but it needs space around it and a clear path in for the build. Our team checks these points on every site visit:

1. The footprint plus edging. Allow about 1m all round for coping and paving or decking. A 2m x 3m pool really takes up about 4m x 5m.
2. Room for the equipment. The pump and filter need a level spot of roughly 1m x 1.5m, ideally within about 10m of the pool and with a power point nearby.
3. Access for the dig. A small digger needs a gap of about 1.5m to get in. Without that, the hole is dug by hand and the soil carried out, which adds time and cost.
4. Distance from walls and foundations. A pool dug too close to a boundary wall or the house can undermine it. Tight sites may need an engineer’s input.
5. What’s underground. Sewer and stormwater lines, water pipes and cables all need to be found before digging, and big tree roots are a problem later.
6. Sun and wind. A splash pool in full shade stays cold. One in the path of the summer south-easter loses water fast and fills with leaves.

What a Splash Pool Costs to Build

Splash pool cost depends mostly on how it’s built and how easy your site is, not just the size. The shell is often the smaller part of the bill. Digging, plumbing, the pump and filter, coping and the finish around the pool add up quickly.

Things that push the price up are hand-digging because of poor access, rock or a high water table, removing soil from a site with no driveway access, and long pipe runs to the equipment. If you’re weighing it up against a full-size pool, see our guide to new pool prices in South Africa.

Running Costs of a Small Splash Pool

This is where a splash pool really earns its place. With a fraction of the water, it needs far less chlorine, less top-up water in summer and a smaller pump. Many splash pools run happily on a 0.45kW to 0.55kW pump, where a family pool usually needs 0.75kW. If you’re pricing equipment, see our guide to the right small pool pump and what pumps cost.

Small volume cuts both ways, though. A few hot days, a storm or a pool party can swing the water chemistry quickly, so test it at least once a week in summer.

Splash Pool Tips for Western Cape Gardens

• Winter groundwater. In low-lying areas the water table rises after heavy rain. Never drain a small in-ground pool in winter without advice: an empty shell can lift.
• Summer wind. A low wall, hedge or the house on the south-east side makes a big difference to leaves, sand and evaporation.
• Coastal salt air. Near the sea, choose coping and fittings that handle salt, and keep the pump in a ventilated housing.
• Water restrictions. A smaller pool is easier to fill and keep topped up when restrictions are tight.

Finish the edge to suit the space: brick or paver coping on a round pool, or timber decking flush with the coping in a courtyard. We also do pool paving and decking, so the pool and its surround are planned together.

Already Have a Small Pool That Needs Work?

Older small pools in established suburbs often have cracked marbelite, leaking fittings or a pump that’s too big for the pool. A small pool is quick to renovate, and relining or resurfacing one costs far less than a full-size pool. Once it’s running well, our pool cleaning services can keep it that way.

If you’re starting from scratch and want to build a swimming pool in a small garden, a site visit is the quickest way to know what fits.

Splash Pool Questions We Get Asked