Measure the real space
Not the lot line. What matters is what's left after the house, the setbacks and the easements.
Washington and Benton Counties, Arkansas
Springdale is named for its springs, and that tells you something
The rock that makes the springs is the same rock under your backyard.
Springs in the dale, and the reason why
Springdale got its name honestly. It was Shiloh first, and the story goes that it was renamed for the springs in the dale. Those springs come out of the ground here for a reason, which is that this whole area sits on karst limestone, the kind of rock that water dissolves channels through over a very long time.
For a pool that's mostly good news. The ground is gently rolling rather than steep, and there's no mountain in or next to town, so retaining walls aren't the default the way they are in parts of Fayetteville or east Rogers. The thing to plan for here isn't slope. It's what the rock does and what the soil won't do.
Two numbers that shape a Springdale build
Both are published, and both matter more than people expect.
0.05 inches per hour
The infiltration rate the city cites for the subsoil around here. Water essentially doesn't drain on its own, so where it goes after a hard rain is something we plan rather than hope about.
14 to 38 inches
How far down the fragipan sits in the soils common on this plateau. A fragipan is a dense layer that water sits on top of, which is why yards here can stay wet long after the rain stops.
Karst underneath
The limestone under Springdale is the kind that dissolves, which is what made the springs. Occasionally that means soft spots or voids turn up in a dig. It's manageable, and it's a reason to look before we quote.
New lots are getting smaller
Springdale is growing fast, and a lot of the new subdivisions are platting tighter than people assume. One recently approved development is going in at about seven homes to the acre, which works out to roughly 6,100 square feet a lot. Once you take out the house and the setbacks, what's left has to hold the pool, four feet of concrete all the way around it, and a code compliant barrier.
That's not a reason to give up on a pool. It's a reason to measure before you buy furniture. On a tighter lot the shape and the placement do more work, and a fiberglass shell sized right can be the difference between fitting and not.
The concrete counts
Four feet of concrete goes all the way around the pool. On a small lot that's a real part of the footprint, not a detail.
Shape does the work
On a tight yard the right shape and the right placement matter more than the size. That's a conversation worth having in the yard.
Two good options, not a right answer
Gunite
- Any shape and any depth, drawn around your yard rather than picked off a page
- Built in place, so it can follow a slope, a corner or an odd property line
- A deep end and a diving board are both on the table
- Tile, plaster and aggregate finishes that you choose
Fiberglass
- A finished shell by Imagine Pools, smooth from the day it goes in
- Thirteen models to choose between, with a size that suits most yards
- The shell arrives complete, so the job moves faster once it's on site
- It can be set over the house by crane when a gate won't do it
We build both, so we have no reason to talk you into either one.
What comes with every pool
Every pool we build comes with a variable speed pump, color changing LED lights you can run from your phone, and 4 feet of concrete around the pool, which can typically be broom finished or textured. This season we're also including a salt system, a wireless robotic cleaner, the textured concrete upgrade and chemical start up. Electrical hookup isn't included, because state law requires a licensed electrician for that part.
What a pool costs here
Gunite starts at $75,000, and that's the whole job. Fiberglass starts at $69,000. Where it lands depends on the model and the size, and a bigger fiberglass build can run close to a gunite pool the same size.
How long it takes
Active construction runs three to six weeks. From the day we break ground to the day you swim is usually ten to sixteen weeks, because permitting, inspections, curing and weather all sit between the working days.
Three to six weeks of building
Ten to sixteen weeks start to finish
Questions people in Springdale ask us
Permitting in Springdale
Building Department handles it, and pulling the permit is our job rather than yours. If you'd rather read the city's own words on it, here's the page.
Springdale keeps a page specifically for pool permits, which not every city bothers with.
Springdale permits and building department
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Where else we build
Fort SmithSebastian CountyVan BurenCrawford CountyGreenwoodSebastian CountyAlmaCrawford CountyBarlingSebastian CountyBentonvilleBenton CountyRogersBenton CountyFayettevilleWashington County
We also build across Northwest Arkansas, Central Arkansas and Eastern Oklahoma.
Let's talk about your Springdale yard
Tell us what you're thinking, and we'll come look at the yard.