What Is a Lap Pool, and How Long Should It Be? A Kenner Guide

Written by Big Easy Pool Designs

What Is a Lap Pool, and How Long Should It Be in Kenner?

Quick Answer: A lap pool is a long, narrow pool designed for swimming laps, with a straight lane, an even depth and few obstructions. How long it should be in Kenner comes down to your stroke and your lot: longer lanes mean fewer turns, and the yard sets the ceiling.

Kenner homeowners usually come to us with one of two goals. Some want a real workout at home without a drive to the gym. Others have a narrow lot and want any pool at all, and a lap pool is the shape that fits. Both goals point toward the same design questions, which we’ll walk through here.

What Makes a Lap Pool Different From a Regular Pool?

A recreational pool is built for play. It has a shallow end, a deep end, curves, benches and a wide open middle. A lap pool is built for one job: letting you swim from one wall to the other without dodging steps or changing depth.

That changes a few things in the design:

• The shape is a long rectangle, so the swim lane runs straight.
• The depth stays close to even through the lane, without a steep drop in the middle.
• Steps and benches sit at one end or tuck out of the lane.
• Finishes stay simple, with a lane line on the floor if you want one.

A lap pool doesn’t have to be single-purpose. A tanning ledge at one end, or a wider section for the family, keeps the lane clear on weekday mornings and makes the pool social on Saturdays.

How Long Is a Lap Pool, and What Length Fits a Kenner Lot?

There’s no legal or standard length for a home lap pool. Competition pools are the only fixed reference. World Aquatics sets its courses at 25 meters and 50 meters, and many American high school and college pools run 25 yards. If you train for meets or open water, matching one of those lengths lets your pace times translate.

Many home lap pools are shorter than a competition course, because the lot decides. Here’s how we think about length when we walk a Kenner yard:

• Your stroke. Longer lanes mean fewer turns per workout. A strong swimmer usually wants as much length as the yard allows.
• The lot. If your Kenner lot has a long side yard or a narrow backyard, that shape is often the reason a lap pool makes sense in the first place.
• Setbacks. Property-line setbacks, easements and the house itself all eat into the usable length. The city’s rules for your address set the limits.
• The rest of the yard. Decking, equipment space and a path around the pool all need room too.

If the yard simply can’t hold a long lane, a smaller pool with a current system that lets you swim in place is another route. A spool is a related option for tight yards, and our post on spools and courtyard pools for small lots covers how compact pools work in this region.

How Wide Should It Be?

Width matters less than length. One swimmer needs a single comfortable lane. Two swimmers training side by side need room for two lanes. Width also changes how the pool reads from the house, so we look at it from the back door before we settle on it.

How Deep Should a Lap Pool Be?

Consistent depth matters more than maximum depth. The lane should be deep enough that your hands don’t hit the floor on a full stroke, and level enough that you aren’t swimming uphill and downhill on every length.

Where depth gets more interesting is at the walls. Swimmers who do flip turns want more water at each end than swimmers who touch and push off. If family members will also use the pool for cooling off, one shallower end or a ledge gives them a place to stand. We set the depth with you during design, based on how you swim and who else will be in the water.

Depth also has a local wrinkle. Kenner sits on soft delta soil with a high water table, so a deeper dig can mean more groundwater management during construction. Our guide to building a pool on a high water table explains why that shapes the engineering of the shell.

How Much Does a Lap Pool Cost in Kenner?

We don’t publish a flat price, because two lap pools of the same length can land far apart. The things that move a lap pool quote are:

• Length and depth. More volume means a bigger dig and more water to circulate.
• Site conditions. Access for equipment, groundwater and drainage all change the dig.
• Finishes and features. Tile, coping, a tanning ledge, lighting and a current system each add to the scope.
• Decking and equipment. The surround and the pump, filter and plumbing runs are part of the project, not extras.

Our post on what an inground pool costs in the New Orleans metro breaks down these cost drivers in more detail. For a real number on your yard, we put a written estimate in front of you after a free on-site consultation, before any work starts.

What Should Kenner Homeowners Know Before Building?

Start with the permit office for your address. The City of Kenner’s Inspection and Code Enforcement Department says a building permit is necessary on all construction, including pools, cement work and fences, and it follows the 2021 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code with Louisiana amendments. We handle that permitting as part of the build. Our post on pool permits and barrier rules around New Orleans explains what barrier requirements usually look like.

Then think about the weather. Kenner summers bring heat, humidity and frequent afternoon storms, and the swim season runs long. That’s good news for a lap pool, since a long season means more months of daily swimming. It also means the deck needs to shed water, and the equipment pad needs to sit where heavy rain won’t flood it. Those details get solved on paper, in a custom pool design for your Kenner yard, before any digging starts.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a lap pool fit in a narrow Kenner side yard?

Often, yes. A long, narrow footprint is the lap pool’s strength. Setbacks and access for construction equipment are the usual limits, and we check both on the site visit.

Is a lap pool only for serious swimmers?

No. Plenty of families use one for cooling off and casual swimming. A ledge or a wider section at one end makes it friendlier for kids and guests.

What kind of lap pool do you build?

We design and build inground lap pools sized to the swimmer and the site. Our inground pool page for Kenner covers the build options.

Plan Your Lap Pool in Kenner

We’ll measure the yard and show you a lane that fits your stroke before you commit to anything.

See more about pool design in Kenner, request your free consultation, or call (504) 688-4066.