Inground pools in Garrettsville, Ohio

We sampled the USDA soil survey on a grid across the village and the pattern was clear. The most common soil was Chili loam, which the USDA describes as very deep and well drained, formed in glacial outwash with a lot of quartz gravel in the lower layers. Right behind it were Rittman and Ellsworth silt loams, which formed in till, and then wetter soils like Wadsworth, Holly and Trumbull in the low ground near the creeks.

Those two groups behave very differently when we dig. Chili drains well, so a dig in that ground usually stays dry and the sidewalls are workable, though loose gravel can slough if it is left open too long. Rittman has a dense fragipan, and the USDA notes a perched water table that can sit 10 to 27 inches down from November to April. Wadsworth is wetter still, with a perched water table as shallow as 7 to 11 inches from October to June. On those lots we plan for pumping during the dig and for a way to relieve water pressure under the shell once it is in.

This is headwaters country. The Portage Park District describes the Headwaters Trail, which runs 8.5 miles from Garrettsville to Mantua Township, as crossing a continental divide between the Mahoning and Cuyahoga watersheds, with springs and wetlands along the way. Eagle Creek and Silver Creek both run through the area. A backyard near either one deserves a closer look at drainage before we pick a spot for the pool.

Village lots are bigger than in many suburbs. In the R-2 residential district the minimum lot is half an acre with village sewer and water, and the R-1 district asks for an acre and a half per home. That usually leaves room for a full-size pool, a real patio and an equipment pad that is not tucked against the house.

We usually start with fiberglass. A Liberty shell arrives in one piece, and a nonporous gelcoat shrugs off freeze-thaw winters and wet ground better than anything else we install. On the gravelly Chili lots, a fiberglass install tends to go quickly. On the wetter till lots, we still like fiberglass, but we spend more time on the dewatering plan and the drain at the deep end. When a family wants a shape no mold makes, we build an ICF concrete pool, whose insulated walls hold heat and add weeks to a short Ohio season. Vinyl liner pools from Latham are the option for a custom size at a lower price up front.

Our fiberglass packages start at $68,400 installed. That price covers the shell, Pentair pump, filter and LED lights, a 4 ft concrete deck and the electrical hook-up at the equipment. Things like the required fence, more patio, hauling the spoils away and pumping a wet dig are priced on top, and we tell you which of those apply to your lot after the site visit. We also work with lenders if you want to finance.

Garrettsville treats any pool holding more than a foot and a half of water as an accessory structure under Section 1165.07 of its zoning code. In plain terms, that section says:

• The pool cannot go in a front or side yard, and it has to conform to the district's required yard setback lines.
• Every pool must be completely surrounded by a fence or wall at least 4 feet high.
• The fence can have no opening, hole or gap larger than 3 inches in any direction, except doors and gates.
• Doors and gates need locking devices that prevent unauthorized entry.
• A garage or shed wall can stand in for part of that fence.

That 3 inch limit is tighter than the 4 inch figure most nearby cities use, and it rules out some off-the-shelf picket and ornamental styles. We check the fence style against it before anyone orders material.

Setbacks depend on the district. In R-2, the rear yard has to be at least 30 feet deep, and side yards on lots under half an acre are at least 10 feet each. How those lines apply to a pool on your particular lot is something we confirm with the village zoning inspector before the design is final. The village fee schedule lists a $50 zoning fee for pools, fences and accessory structures, and the fence itself needs a zoning permit too.

The fence rules have a few more details. In rear yards, fences can go up to 84 inches high. A solid fence has to stay at least 5 feet off the property line, while an open fence, one that is at least 30 percent open, can come within 2 feet of it. The finished side faces out, with posts on the inside. Neighbors can agree in writing to put a fence right on the line, with that agreement filed with the zoning inspector.

The village handles zoning, not building permits. Its own permit paperwork says that once you have a Garrettsville zoning permit, you contact the Portage County Building Department in Ravenna for the county permits. The county department says it is certified by the State of Ohio and handles plan review, permits and inspections, including electrical work for swimming pools, which requires a licensed electrical contractor. We file both tracks for you. Being a Portage County builder with a shop a short drive from the county office makes that part easy.

A Garrettsville mailing address does not always mean the village. The village was formed from parts of Hiram, Nelson, Freedom and Windham townships, and homes just past its edge fall under township zoning instead of the rules above. Out there, lots are often larger and many homes run on wells and septic systems. The Portage County Health Department handles those, and a pool has to be planned around the leach field, not on top of it. We look up the right zoning office by parcel before we draw anything.

The permit side in Garrettsville is usually simple: one village permit, then the county. Weather is the bigger variable. On the till soils, a dig in April can fill with water overnight, while the same week on a gravel lot a few blocks away might be fine. We would rather book the wetter lots for late spring or summer than fight standing water. Fall builds work well here too, as long as the shell is set and backfilled before the ground freezes.

Garrettsville is about 14 miles from our Ravenna shop, so site visits and inspections are easy to fit in. James A. Garfield Local Schools families, Hiram and Nelson neighbors, and anyone on the Headwaters Trail side of town get the same crew we send to Mantua, Streetsboro, Aurora and Warren.