Would you be able to post a picture of your backyard. It will help alot with replies if we could see the size of your yard.

I don't really like posting identifiable pictures of my house on the public internet. But really I don't think it's very easy to tell the scale from the pictures anyways. The way the space is currently used make it look even smaller than it is. I was hoping the measurements I provided would be enough for people who have similar size yards to know what I'm dealing with.

How about a sketch then?
Do you have any easements which restrict the 25-31ft width?
There are plenty of pools here in Houston that take up the whole back yard. I don't think I'd want it any narrower than at least 12-15ft which would only leave you 5ft on either side to the house/back fence which isn't a lot but depending on location of pool and the precise orientation of your house/yard may be possible.

Have you spoken to any pool builders? They will be able to draw up a plan for you to show you what's possible in your yard.

Good luck!

We have a Spool aka Social Pool. It is 10 x 20 and is perfect for lounging. It is only 4ft 8 inches deep and we have had over 30 people in it at once. Also great for volley ball. Look at our pool build thread

Here is a link that might be useful: Our new pool build in jacksonville

Thanks brentr!

I'm working on a sketch, I'll post it when I have a decent one. We haven't talked to any pool builders yet because we're quite a ways off from being ready to start. But we're trying to get a sense of what's possible. In the past when I've had contractors and such come out long before a project starts, they seem to think it's a waste of their time.

We have a very small pool by most standards, and it works great for our needs. It is approximately 9' x 24' with 6' of the 24' being a spa, so the pool itself is just 18'. I use the pool for exercise -- I swim with a tether product called the Riptide (which I really like), and also tread water in the deep (6+') end. My child can have a few friends over for water play, and husband enjoys the spa. One thing I noticed is that a smaller pool wasn't necessarily lots less expensive to build than a larger pool (although running it and heating it is less expensive); we built small because we were dealing with limited space, a protected tree (and that tree's drip zone), and power line set backs in a smaller city lot.