You have a small backyard and you want a pool. Now, the question is a spool worth it in Arizona? And is it really cheaper than a regular size pool? A lot of the new build yards we see in the Phoenix Valley are only 18 to 35 feet deep. Many are closer to 18. Shasta Pool Designer Doug Martin highlights, "I mean, a lot of these backyards nowadays are just small." Although, a smaller pool doesn't always mean a smaller price. Shasta has built pools in Arizona since 1966. I'd hate for you to wish two summers from now that you went one size bigger. This article provides the real costs and what it takes to heat and care for a spool. Afterwards, each homeowner can decide if a spool or the next size up fits best.
Table of Contents
- What Is a Spool, and How Is It Different From a Cocktail or Plunge Pool?
- How Much Does a Spool Cost in Arizona?
- Is a Spool Cheaper to Heat and Take Care Of?
- When Is a Spool Worth It for a Small Backyard?
- Getting a Small Pool Right the First Time
What Is a Spool, and How Is It Different From a Cocktail or Plunge Pool?
A spool is a cocktail pool with a heater added. At Shasta, a cocktail pool measures 10 feet by 20 feet, which is 200 square feet of surface area and a 60 foot perimeter. Anything smaller than 10 by 20 is considered a plunge pool.
- 10 x 10 ft - A really big hot tub
- 10 x 20 ft - Cocktail pool, 200 square feet of water with no heater
- 10 x 20 ft heated - This is the spool, and with the heater you can use it most of the year
- Under 10 x 20 ft - Plunge pool
For setbacks, the Shasta team handles the requirements for each city.
Spool vs. Cocktail Pool
As Shasta Pool Designer Jordan Isaac explains, "A spool is a heated cocktail pool." When I asked him how much room it takes, he said, "a 10 by 20, do a three foot setback plus a 10 foot by 20, which is now 13ft. And then you hold two or three feet to the patio. So all 15, 16ft."
How Much Does a Spool Cost in Arizona?
A spool in Arizona usually does not cost half the price of a full size pool. National cost guides like Angi list an inground spool at $20,000 to $50,000. However, those national numbers are not based on Arizona labor or caliche soil. The labor, materials and scheduling are pretty much the same for a smaller pool as they are for a bigger one.
Adding a Few More Feet
Making a pool bigger usually costs less than people expect. As Shasta Pool Designer Jordan Isaac explains, "So then it becomes, okay, how big is your pool? Because there's not a lot of markup in, like, oh, I want to go from 30ft to 33ft. And it's maybe like $1,500. You would think it'd be a lot more expensive. But the way Shasta specifically does their pricing, it's all à la carte. So we don't have tiers of packages of pricing."
If you are going to dig up your backyard and pay a crew to set steel and run gas and electrical out to an equipment pad, you should make sure the pool is a size you will really use. The excavator doesn't care if the hole is 10 by 20 or 14 by 28. Believe us, we don't want you wishing two summers from now you would have added those extra three feet.
The items that move the price of a small pool the most are:
- Heater: A standard heater is about $4,500, and a heat and chill setup is about a $5,500 swing once electrical and installation are included
- Permits and electrical: $450 to $2,500 for permits and $1,000 to $3,500 for electrical, no matter the size of the pool
Learn what typically drives the cost of a pool in our guide to the most expensive part of building a pool.
If you're starting to plan a new pool, Shasta's design team can help you understand what is possible in your backyard and what factors may affect your investment.
Is a Spool Cheaper to Heat and Take Care Of?
A spool usually costs less to heat than a larger pool because there is less water to warm up. The City of Mesa estimates a 400 square foot pool in the Valley loses about 79 inches of water a year to evaporation, which is 19,664 gallons. A 200 square foot spool has half that surface area, so it would lose roughly 9,800 gallons a year. However, warm water evaporates faster than cool water, so a spool kept at spa temperature can lose more than that. The Department of Energy says a pool cover can lower heating costs by 50 to 70 percent.
Keeping the Heat In
As Shasta Pool Designer Jordan Isaac explains, "Best case scenario is you have a fiberglass pool with the automatic pool cover and you have both heaters. That's the number one setup for efficiency and keeping your pool hot and keeping the hot water in at night. Steam is dollars."
You can estimate the monthly cost to run a pool with our pool ownership calculator.
Do Small Pools Turn Green Faster?
Small pools can turn green faster than large pools, since there is less room for error when the chlorine runs low or the pump gets turned off in the summer.
Smaller Water Turns Faster
As Shasta Pool Designer Jordan Isaac explains, "Smaller the water, the faster it can turn." He added that if it's hot, you're not running chlorine and the pump is off on a 120 degree weekend, a small pool can go green really quick.
Depth is also harder to get in a small pool, because Shasta's 7 to 1 slope code and the entry steps use up most of a 20 foot length.
When Is a Spool Worth It for a Small Backyard?
A spool is worth it when your backyard does not have room for anything bigger and you plan to soak more than swim. However, if your yard can fit a 14 by 23 and you are only going smaller to save money, you might not save much. A few examples we see:
- A couple in a Gilbert patio home with a 16 foot deep yard who want a warm soak in January and a cool dip after work in the summer. A spool makes a lot of sense here.
- A family with three kids who want room for cannonballs and pool volleyball will probably outgrow a spool quickly
- A yard that is only 12 feet deep, where the setbacks take up most of the space
When the Yard Is Too Small
As Shasta Pool Designer Jordan Isaac explains, "I've done one where it's 12ft. You know, it's just not easy. The value isn't there."
Many families also worry the pool will take over the whole backyard. In smaller yards, Shasta Pool Designer Doug Martin recommends less decking and more turf, which he says actually saves money too.
Shasta Pool Designer Evan Boyd raised three kids with a pool that is about 14 by 23.
Small Can Still Be Plenty
As Shasta Pool Designer Evan Boyd explains, "we always had fun and never felt crowded."
When it comes time to sell, buyers around here are used to seeing a pool in the backyard. Realtor.com found 58.4% of Phoenix area listings had one in 2025. A spool is still a pool, and in our opinion it shouldn't be valued any differently just because it's on the smaller side.
Getting a Small Pool Right the First Time
For a lot of smaller Arizona backyards a spool can be worth it, especially if you want a heated pool you can get in most of the year. Just don't expect it to cost half of what a full size pool costs. You're still paying the same permits, labor and scheduling for less pool, and if you have kids who want room to play, they may outgrow a spool pretty quick. If you're not sure which way to go, our design team is happy to help you look at what is possible in your backyard. What we'd suggest is having a designer price a 10 by 20 next to the next size up, so you can see both and choose the pool your family will actually use.
Key Takeaways
- A spool is a 10 by 20 cocktail pool with a heater, and anything smaller is a plunge pool
- Most 10 by 20 pools need about 15 to 16 feet of yard depth
- A smaller pool does not lower the fixed costs of building a pool
- Spools cost less to heat but can turn green quickly if the pump is off in the summer
References
- City of Mesa, "Is Your Pool Leaking?" (evaporation chart) - https://www.mesaaz.gov/Environment-Sustainability/Water-Conservation/Pool-Leaks
- U.S. Department of Energy, "Pool Efficiency Fact Sheet" - https://betterbuildingssolutioncenter.energy.gov/sites/default/files/attachments/Pool%20efficiency__0.pdf
- Realtor.com, "Swimming Pools in the Housing Market" - https://www.realtor.com/research/swimming-pool-trends-2025/
- Angi, "How Much Does a Spool Pool Cost? [2026 Guide]" - https://www.angi.com/articles/spool-pool-cost.htm
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