Texas Man Spends $2.2 Million Turning His Backyard into Four-Pool Waterpark

Summer in Texas may be merciless, but Hal Jones from Austin has found a great way to stay cool at all times. He spent a whopping $2.2 million to have four enormous pools built into his backyard. He wanted to create a pool experience that’s ‘second-to-none’, so he chose a property located on the shores of Lake Travis – where his guests could arrive by boat.

Once he identified the property, Jones hired designer Evan Mills to come up with a plan for the water-park and create four pools, each with its own unique design. “We have the hot tub, the kiddie pool, Lazy River and Negative Edge pool,” said Jones.

The lazy river pool, which includes a swim-up bar, is where he entertains his friends. “I traveled throughout Texas and saw how people loved the lazy river pools,” he said. “You don’t need to get out of the pool to enjoy a drink!”

“One of my favorite things to do is to sit at the bar and watch a football game, watch my kids go around – and you don’t have to check on them,” Jones explained. “It’s when they don’t come around that you need to check on them!”

The lazy river pool holds 190,000 gallons of water that can flow at speeds up to 8 knots, and it also includes a waterfall. Building this pool set Jones back by a good $450,000. “This is a million-dollar pool because of the scale!” he joked.

The hot tub, one of the largest pools designed by Mills, can hold up to 30 people at a time. The kiddie pool has a gigantic water slide constructed some 60 ft off the ground. It cost $45,000 to create the concrete columns and support structures for the slide. The kiddie pool is naturally a favourite with Jones’ kids and their friends – he estimates that there have been around 450 children inside the pool on a single occasion.

Maintaining such large water bodies is neither easy nor cheap. Bills will spend up to $5,500 a month on maintenance alone, excluding staff and bartenders. Electricity costs an additional $3,5000 a month. But according to Jones, the pools are a good investment – he already believes that they might be worth $3.2 million, a million more than what he originally spent.