Inground pools in Broadview Heights, Ohio

Broadview Heights started as the western part of Brecksville Township. Landowners petitioned for their own village in November 1926, it incorporated that December, and it became a city in 1961. The new village had about 300 residents. The 2020 census counted 19,936, and Broadview Road and Royalton Road (Route 82) are still the main roads through town.

Lot shapes vary from street to street, so we measure before we suggest a size. The city's residential yard rules require at least 10 feet on each side of the house and a rear yard of at least 60 feet behind it, so most lots have room behind the house for a pool once the setbacks are worked out. Schools are split between two districts: Brecksville-Broadview Heights, shared with Brecksville, and North Royalton. It is a good question to ask when you are buying, but it does not change the pool permit, which the city issues.

We ran USDA soil survey data for sample points across the city, and Mahoning silt loam came up at most of them, on 0 to 6 percent slopes. A few points hit Ellsworth and Wadsworth silt loams, and the stream bottoms map as Tioga loam, which the survey calls frequently flooded. Mahoning formed in glacial till and is somewhat poorly drained. Its USDA series description puts a perched water table within about a foot of the surface from fall through early summer in most years.

On a flat lot with that soil, rain has nowhere quick to go. Three things follow for a pool. The excavation can hold water in spring, so we plan to pump it and we build pressure relief under the shell. The deck has to be graded away from the pool and the house, with somewhere for that water to go. And backwash, overflow and winter drain-down need a planned path that stays on your property, because the city's code requires it. On many Broadview Heights jobs that means a drain line to the storm system or a properly sized dry well. We check with the city on which is allowed for your lot.

Frost is the other constant. Neighboring Brecksville publishes a 38 inch frost line in its residential code table, we build to at least that here, and clay heaves when it freezes wet. Footings for walls, pergolas and fence posts go below that line, and concrete decks get a compacted stone base so they do not move with the ground.

Fiberglass fits most of these yards. A Liberty shell is one piece with a gelcoat finish, so there is no liner to puncture and no plaster to crack when the clay moves. The install is quick, which matters on a lot where the yard stays torn up until the deck goes in. The Hero 12x26 and Victory 11x22 sizes suit the mid-size subdivision lot and leave space for a patio after the 10 foot setbacks.

For a long lot off one of the older roads, we can go bigger: a 16x40 shell, a spillover spa, or an ICF concrete pool in a custom shape. ICF walls are insulated, which helps hold heat on a site that catches wind. Latham vinyl liner pools give a custom shape at a lower starting cost.

On cost, a complete pool is more than the shell. Our fiberglass packages start at $68,400 installed and include the Pentair pump, DE filter, a pool heater and LED lights, a 4 foot concrete deck, startup chemicals and hook-up at the equipment. The fence the city requires, extra patio, hauling off the clay spoils, dewatering the dig and the electrical run from your panel to the equipment pad are priced separately. On flat clay lots, drainage work is often the item people did not expect. We put it all in writing before you sign, and our lending partners can finance the project.

Pools are regulated by Chapter 1332 of the city code, with setbacks in the zoning code at Section 1268.03. The city defines a pool as anything holding more than 18 inches of water. The Building Department's pool handout sums up the rules:

• No private pool can be built, altered or remodeled without a permit. The application shows the pool's location, size and depth, the plans and specifications, and the site development.
• The pool can't be closer than 10 feet to any side or rear property line, and it can't go in a front yard.
• On a corner lot, neither the pool nor its deck can go in the side yard that faces the street.
• All overflow or drainage from the pool must be kept on the property.
• Each pool or spa must be completely surrounded by a fence or barrier at least 48 inches high, measured on the outside, with no more than 2 inches between grade and the bottom.
• Gates and doors into the enclosure must be able to lock, and must stay locked when the pool is not in use or is left unattended.
• A pool cover of any kind does not count as the barrier.
• Electrical and plumbing permits are required, and the work must be done by a licensed electrician and plumber.

One exception in Section 1332.05 is useful: if the whole parcel is fenced and gated to the city's fence chapter, the pool does not need its own separate enclosure. Some owners on smaller lots prefer a full perimeter fence to a fence around the pool deck. The handout also spells out the bonding the inspector will look for, including a copper bonding ring 4 to 6 inches deep and 18 to 24 inches out from the pool edge.

Pools use the city's General permit application, filed with the Building Department at City Hall on Broadview Road. We prepare the site plan and specifications and handle the permits, including the separate electrical and plumbing permits. If you live in a subdivision with an association, get its approval in writing first. Some associations have their own fence style rules, and it is easier to design the barrier once.

Once the permit is in hand, weather sets the pace. Mahoning clay stays wet into late spring, and a dig that fills with groundwater slows everything. We would rather start on a dry stretch than set a shell in mud, and once the digging starts, a fiberglass pool here usually goes quickly.

We build across the southern Cuyahoga suburbs and into Summit County, including Brecksville, Strongsville, Richfield, Bath and Macedonia. Each city has its own setbacks and fence rules, so we pull the code for your address before we draw anything.