Inground pools in Bainbridge, Ohio

Bainbridge is a township, not a city, and its zoning was written to keep it low density. The two main residential districts in the township's 1987 Zoning Resolution are R-5A, Rural Open Residential, with a 5 acre minimum lot and 250 feet of width, and R-3A, Rural Residential, with a 3 acre minimum and 200 feet of width. Houses in R-5A sit at least 100 feet back from the road, 50 feet off each side line and 90 feet off the rear line. Cluster subdivisions exist too, where homes are grouped on smaller lots around shared open space, and those carry their own setbacks set when the development was approved.

On a big lot the question is rarely whether a pool fits. It is where the pool can go without running into the well, the leach field, a wet corner or the woods. Much of the township is served by private wells and household sewage systems, and Geauga Public Health requires every septic site plan to show the system and a replacement area. That replacement area is ground you want to keep clear of a pool, a deck or heavy equipment, so we find it on your plan before we draw anything.

We checked the USDA soil survey at points around the township center, and the ground changes quickly. Wadsworth and Mahoning silt loams cover the flatter till ground. Both are somewhat poorly drained. Wadsworth has a dense fragipan layer, and the USDA puts its perched water table 7 to 11 inches down from October to June in normal years. East of the center we hit Chili loam, a well drained soil formed in sand and gravel outwash. West of the center, toward the stream valleys, the map shows steep Rittman and Loudonville slopes and Orrville soils on a flood plain that the USDA rates as frequently flooded.

So one Bainbridge yard can dig dry and gravelly while the next one fills with water by lunch. For the till soils we plan on pumping during the dig and give the shell a way to relieve water pressure from below. On the steep valley ground we look at retaining walls and grading before we look at pool shapes. Pools on a hillside can work well here, but the wall and drainage design has to come first.

The county sets frost depth at 40 inches for footings in its design criteria, deeper than the 38 inches Summit County uses. Decks, walls and equipment pads around the pool are built to that line. Geauga County's building department also designs for a 30 pound ground snow load, and that is worth remembering for any pergola or pavilion we add next to the water.

Fiberglass is our first suggestion for most Bainbridge yards. A Liberty shell arrives in one piece, so the time your yard is open is short, and its smooth gelcoat finish does not care much about wet clay or a long winter. On a five acre lot, a large model like the Virtuous 16x40 or the Devotion 16x40 still looks in proportion. Where owners want a shape no mold makes, or want to swim into late September, our ICF concrete pools make sense because the insulated walls hold heat. Vinyl liner pools from Latham remain an option for a custom size at a lower starting cost.

Because the pool can sit far from the house under the setback rules, many owners here add a spillover spa, a pavilion or an outdoor kitchen so the pool area works as its own place. We design those with the pool so the drainage, electrical runs and walkways are planned once.

A pool in Bainbridge needs two approvals. The first is a zoning certificate from the township's zoning office at Town Hall, 17826 Chillicothe Road. The application asks for a scaled site plan with setback dimensions and any riparian setback areas on the lot. The township's own form says the zoning certificate is not a building permit. The building and electrical side goes through the Geauga County Building Department in Chardon, which lists a township zoning permit as one of the approvals it expects for accessory structures.

The pool rules sit in Chapter 135 of the zoning resolution, the R-5A chapter, and R-3A lots follow the same text:

• Outdoor pools must be fenced or walled. The fence or wall has to be at least 4 feet high and fully enclose the pool or the yard it sits in.
• Gates must be self-closing, self-latching and lockable.
• The fence must reach within 3 inches of the ground, and within 3 inches of any building that forms part of the enclosure.
• Private recreational facilities must be at least 50 feet from all lot lines and located behind the house. A 2020 Board of Zoning Appeals case treated a pool's 45 foot rear setback as short of this 50 foot requirement.
• On lots of 3 acres or more, total lot coverage is capped at 10 percent, and smaller lots follow a sliding scale.

Bainbridge is also one of the eight Geauga townships where the Geauga Soil and Water Conservation District requires a water management and sediment control plan for construction over 300 square feet. A pool with its deck clears that easily, so we submit the plan along with the zoning and building paperwork. If a stream crosses your lot, the township's riparian setback chapter may push the pool farther back still.

The zoning resolution has been amended many times and the township is working through a rewrite. We check the current text with the zoning office before we file.

Our fiberglass packages start at $68,400 installed for the Dignity 10x20 or the Enrichment 9x17. That price includes the shell, the Pentair pump, filter, heater and LED lights, a 4 foot concrete deck, installation and electrical hook-up at the equipment. On a Bainbridge lot, the extras usually come from distance and ground. A pool set 50 feet or more off the lines can mean a long electrical run from the panel to the equipment pad, and the fence has to go all the way around. Spoils from a till dig need to be hauled off, and dewatering adds cost in a wet spring. We price those items openly in the 3D design stage, and we work with lenders if you want to finance the project.

Paperwork runs in parallel: township zoning, the soil and water plan and the county building review. A complete site plan the first time is the biggest time saver, because zoning, the health department and soil and water all want to see the same septic, well and setback lines. Once permits are in hand, a fiberglass install moves quickly. Weather sets the rest. We would rather wait out a wet week than set a shell in saturated Wadsworth soil.

From Ravenna we reach Bainbridge by way of Aurora, so the drive is easy for site visits and inspections. We also build in Aurora, Solon, Chagrin Falls, Twinsburg and Mantua, and the planning on a Bainbridge job carries over well to any of the larger lots across that side of the valley.