DIY Party Pool: How to Design a Shallow Pool for Entertaining

Last updated: September 2026

What better way to spend a summer’s day than with friends and family in your very own party pool? A pool in the garden or backyard is a luxury, and it can come with a hefty price tag. But with a bit of creativity, time and effort, you can build one that’s affordable and a lot of fun.

So what makes it a party pool? It’s built for people standing around, chatting, playing and lounging, not for swimming lengths or diving. That changes the design: shallower water, sun shelves, benches and somewhere to put your drink. In this post I’ll go through the design, the construction options, the plumbing, the heating and the safety side.

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What is a party pool?

A party pool is a swimming pool designed for entertaining and socialising. Unlike a traditional pool with a deep end for diving or a long lane for swimming, it’s usually shallow throughout, so everyone can stand, chat and play. It’s typically bigger than a plunge or cocktail pool, and it’s often packed with features such as built-in seating, a sun shelf, waterfalls, fountains and lighting.

The names overlap, so here’s how I’d separate the social options:

	Party pool	Cocktail pool / spool	Party spa
What it is	A larger, shallow pool for groups	A small pool with benches, sometimes jets	A large multi-seat hot tub
Typical size	Bigger than a plunge pool: often 16–30ft (5–9m) long	10–16ft (3–5m) long	10–15ft (3–4.5m), seating 8 or more
Depth	Standing depth, 3½–4ft (1.05–1.2m), plus a shallow sun shelf	3½–4½ft (1.1–1.4m)	About 3ft 3in (1m), with seats
Temperature	Pool temperature	Pool to hot tub temperature	37–40°C (98–104°F)

If your garden is smaller, see my guides to building a cocktail pool or spool and building a DIY plunge pool. If you want the hot water and jets, read Party spas: are they a thing?

Design considerations

Size and shape

This depends on your space and how many people you’ll host. Kidney and freeform shapes look fun and dynamic, but be honest about your skills. Curves are much harder to build in block and much harder to tile. A big rectangle with a sun shelf across one end and benches along the sides is simple to build and works brilliantly for groups.

Don’t forget the space around the pool. Party guests spend as much time on the deck as in the water, so leave room for loungers, shade, a table and a safe walkway.

Depth: keep it shallow

• Main area: around 1.05–1.2m (3½–4ft), so adults can stand comfortably with a drink and the water is at chest height. A consistent depth is easiest, or use a gentle slope rather than a sudden drop.
• Sun shelf (also called a tanning ledge or Baja shelf): River Pools recommends a ledge depth of 9–12in. That’s shallow enough for most in-water loungers to sit without floating, and good for small children under supervision.
• No deep end, and no diving. A shallow pool is exactly where diving injuries happen. The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons campaign puts it bluntly: “One shallow dive can wreck a neck”. Put up no-diving signs and don’t build a diving board or jumping rock.

Features that make it a party pool

• Built-in benches around the edge, at a depth where you sit with your shoulders under. See how to build a concrete lounger.
• Wide steps that double as seating. See the ultimate guide to steps.
• A swim-up bar or a raised ledge for drinks. Use plastic glasses anywhere near the water, because broken glass in a pool means draining it.
• Lighting for evenings. Underwater lights must be extra-low voltage (12V). See the ultimate guide to pool and hot tub lights.
• Waterfalls, fountains or a water blade for sound and interest, each on its own pump. See adding a water feature.
• Somewhere warm. A hot tub alongside is the ultimate party upgrade. See my hot tub pool combo guide.
• Shade, planting and screening. See privacy ideas.

How are party pools built?

Gunite and shotcrete: leave these to the pros

Most professionally built concrete pools use one of two sprayed concrete methods:

• Gunite is dry cement and sand, mixed with water at the nozzle and sprayed onto a steel reinforcing framework.
• Shotcrete is similar, but the concrete is pre-mixed and pumped wet through the hose.

Both create a strong, durable shell that can take any shape and any finish. But they need specialist equipment, materials and expertise, so they’re not DIY methods. You can, however, hire a crew to shoot the shell and do the rest yourself.

DIY-friendly methods

Method	How it works	Watch out for
ICF	Interlocking foam blocks, filled with concrete around rebar	Higher block cost, but light, quick and insulated. My first choice.
Concrete block	Hollow blocks stacked, reinforced with steel and core-filled with concrete	Affordable, but heavy work, and it takes skill to keep it square and structurally sound
Poured concrete	Timber or steel formwork built to shape, then filled with concrete	Time-consuming, and the formwork must hold the weight of the pour
Block and liner	Block walls with a vinyl liner as the waterproof layer	Cheaper upfront, but the liner is custom made, tricky to fit and needs replacing

More in alternatives to gunite and shotcrete and block, ICF or poured concrete?

Whichever you choose, the structure matters. A 20ft x 12ft (6m x 3.7m) party pool with an average depth of 3½ft holds roughly 24,000 litres (6,300 US gallons), which is about 24 tonnes of water. You need a compacted sub-base, a reinforced ready-mix slab, rebar tied into the walls, a hydrostatic relief valve, a pool-rated membrane and a flood test before you tile. On a pool this size, I’d have an engineer check the design. My plunge pool guide walks through the structure step by step, and it’s the same method, just bigger.

Plumbing considerations

• Pump and filter sized for the volume. Fluidra quotes the UK guidance of a 4–8 hour turnover for domestic pools. On a party pool, aim for the quicker end. A variable-speed pump runs slowly most of the time and faster when you need it, and a sand filter suits a pool this size. See sand filters explained and tips for choosing a pool pump.
• Skimmers and main drains. Skimmers take debris off the surface, so place them downwind if you can. Use at least two main drains, at least 3ft (1m) apart, with anti-entrapment covers. In the USA, the VGB Act requires ANSI/APSP/ICC-16 drain covers. See installing a main drain.
• Returns (inlets) spread around the pool, so there are no dead spots, especially on the sun shelf.
• Water features on their own pump, not teed off the filtration.
• Pipe sized for the flow. Undersized pipe makes a pump work harder and louder. See pipe sizes and types.
• Sanitiser and bather load. Lots of people means sweat, suncream and more sanitiser demand. The US CDC recommends at least 1ppm free chlorine in pools (2ppm with stabiliser), pH 7.0–7.8, tested at least twice a day, and more often when the pool is used by a number of people. An automatic feeder or salt chlorinator makes life easier, and ask guests to shower first.

Heating

Party pools hold a lot of water. Raising 24,000 litres by 10°C (18°F) takes roughly 280kWh of heat, so this isn’t a job for a hot tub heater. For most people, an air source heat pump is the answer. The US DOE puts pool heat pumps at a COP of 3 to 7, although they lose output below about 10°C (50°F). Gas heats faster for a one-off party, but costs more to run. And cover it: the DOE says a pool cover can cut heating costs by 50–70%. See how to choose the right air source heat pump and heater size for your pool.

Safety, barriers and permits

A party means lots of people, distractions and usually a few drinks. That’s exactly when accidents happen.

• Barrier (USA): most jurisdictions require one. The CPSC’s barrier guidelines call for at least 48in, no gap a 4in sphere can pass through, and self-closing, self-latching gates that open away from the pool. Some areas require 60in.
• Barrier (UK): no law requires one for a private pool, but RLSS UK recommends secure fencing at least 4ft high and constant supervision of children by a capable adult.
• A designated water watcher. At a party, everyone assumes someone else is watching the kids. Agree who is, and take turns.
• No diving, no glass, non-slip surfaces and good lighting on steps and paths.
• Electrics by a qualified electrician: BS 7671 Section 702 and Part P in the UK, NEC Article 680 with GFCI and bonding in the USA. See A guide to hot tub electrics.
• Permits: in England, an outdoor pool often doesn’t need planning permission, with exceptions for listed buildings, conservation areas and other designated land. In the USA, expect a building permit and inspections. See Do I need a permit?

Common party pool mistakes

• A deep end nobody uses, which costs more to build and heat and invites diving.
• A sun shelf so deep that the loungers float away.
• Freeform curves beyond your skills.
• Undersized filtration for the number of people.
• Water features teed off the filter pump.
• No cover, so the heating bill is huge.
• Not enough deck space for the people who aren’t in the water.

For more design lessons, see What can we learn from a holiday villa pool?

Planning your own party pool?

A party pool is a custom project, so start by sketching it in the free Tub & Pool Designer Pro software. I can then turn your design into architectural CAD and a 3D plumbing design that you can build from or take to the permit office. If you’d like me to design it with you from scratch, there’s the custom hot tub (or pool) design consultancy, and for a party pool with a hot tub alongside, the hot tub and pool combo design consultancy.

If a smaller social pool will do, my plunge pool / cocktail pool plans go up to 16ft x 9ft and 20ft x 10ft, with benches, steps and a lounger area already drawn.

FAQs

How deep should a party pool be?

Around 1.05–1.2m (3½–4ft) through the main area, so adults can stand comfortably, with a sun shelf about 9–12in (23–30cm) deep. There’s no need for a deep end.

What’s the difference between a party pool and a party spa?

A party pool is a larger, shallow pool at pool temperature. A party spa is a large multi-seat hot tub with jets, running at 37–40°C (98–104°F). See party spas.

Can I build a party pool myself?

Yes, with ICF, core-filled block or poured concrete on a reinforced slab, and plenty of planning. Gunite and shotcrete need a specialist crew, and the electrics need a qualified electrician.

Can you dive into a party pool?

No. At standing depth, diving risks a serious neck injury. Put up no-diving signs.

Do I need a fence around a party pool?

In most of the USA, yes: typically at least 48in with self-closing, self-latching gates. In the UK it’s not a legal requirement for a private pool, but RLSS UK recommends secure fencing at least 4ft high.

Planning a party pool? Tell me about it in the comments below. I read them all.

Cheers,
Andi

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Hi, Andi here. I own Buildahottub.com and also write all of the articles and info pages on the site. Some years back now, I built my own hot tub but struggled to find the information I needed. So, once my tub was complete, I started this website to help others in their own pursuit of hot tub and plunge pools DIY building information.

Fast forward to 2025, I've helped over 1400+ DIY customers just like you all over the world build hot tubs and pools. Have a good look around the site, there are lots of resources here. Please do get in touch if I can help you. - Cheers, Andi