Anyone have a pool?

Blueyed228

So we are putting an inground pool in at the end of the month.  I am having second thoughts on how deep it should be.  Its going to be 16' X 32' with a double roman end.  We decided to go 3.5 feet to 4.5 feet.

My thoughts behind this were that we want it to be more of a party pool where people can hang out and not have to tread water like they are training for the Navy Seals.  But some people have said we should go deeper.  I am picturing vollyball games etc and dont want to have to worry about diving and all that.  Plus, a few family members cant swim and wont be comfortable having their kids over if its too deep for them.

If you have a pool, tell me about it and why you chose what you did.  Im interested to hear your thoughts.

[Deleted User]

I would definitely have a deep end. Our friends have that and they still have parties and play volleyball. Their pool has a steeper cutoff so you know exactly where it gets deep. Plus, what's a pool party (for kids) if you can't cannonball or jump in without worrying about breaking your leg because it's to shallow?

I like to dive, especially when doing laps, so I prefer having a deep end. Like 8 feet or so.

alynne1113

I agree with the deep end

Blueyed228

I know for sure I dont want to go 8 feet.  But now im nervous that I should!

vegasgroom

My first recommendation would be to not get a pool lol.  Very few people use them as often as they think they will, and then you just get pissed off every month when you think about how much it costs to maintain.

But anyway, I would definitely go deeper than 4.5 feet, you don't want to risk someone assuming the other end of the pool is deeper than they think and crunching into the bottom. 

My pool is about 24' x 15' and I did 7 feet deep so people could dive.  It came out to be about 12,000 gallons I think.  I did a salt pool since I knew I would not have the patience or time to deal with chemicals.  Turns out I didn't have time to deal with scrubbing it or any of that crap either so I hired someone regardless, and thanks to it being salt, the pump needs to run 12 hours/day sucking down electricity.  So I spend $110/month on pool service, probably at least $50/month on electric, I have to add water to it (Florida) a few times a month due to evaporation and then prepare for something related to the pump, etc. to break every few years that will result in a big bill.  It is nice having the salt though so you don't get that chlorine smell.

OutOfTheBlue612

Someone mentioned re-sale value. Do you plan on staying in this house for a really long time?

I would say to have a deep end, as other people pointed out, for diving, etc. You can always buy some of the plastic, floating ropes that hotel pools have to differentiate the deep end for when people are over.

Blueyed228

Vegas- we got the salt generator.  I dont know if that means it is salt or not.  Also, H had a pool growing up and knows how to deal with all that stuff.  And he has the time.

I would consider going to 5.5 feet i think.  I just worry that since my area is known for ledge that we may not even get the 4.5 feet without having to blast.

[Deleted User]

What about 6-6.5 feet? or 7? Personally, I don't like always being able to touch the bottom. I remember growing up playing games where we would collect the toys at the bottom of the pool, and it's a lot more fun when the bottom isn't right there, but you have to work for it a bit. Plus, I hit my head if doing sommersaults in shallow water, because I suck at them and need more room.

vegasgroom

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_snarky-brides_anyone-pool?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:17Discussion:ff846d45-a342-4619-adec-d2540be21120Post:54bd311e-a98b-4c75-bdb0-f16f334cd3ce">Re: Anyone have a pool?</a>:
[QUOTE]Vegas- we got the salt generator.  I dont know if that means it is salt or not.  Also, H had a pool growing up and knows how to deal with all that stuff.  And he has the time. I would consider going to 5.5 feet i think.  I just worry that since my area is known for ledge that we may not even get the 4.5 feet without having to blast.
Posted by Blueyed228[/QUOTE]

Yeah same thing; it's a very low amount of salt, not like sea water.

I had to push to get 7 feet here in Florida; you hit ground water at 5 to 6 feet so going deeper than that is a real pita for the construction workers.  Perhaps that's why I've had to have leaks fixed three times now lol.

jemmini6

We don't have one at our house, but my aunt/uncle wanted the same thing so their 'deep end' is actually in the middle.  It's about 4' on both ends and goes to about 7-8' in the middle.  We've played lots of water volleyball at their pool and it works out really well.

K&J64

I would go at least 7ft deep for the last 10ft of the pool. I'd be worried someone would jump in not knowing it wasn't deeper and before I had time to inform them and get hurt. The motorized cover sounds like a great idea too if you can swing it.

kimheartsscott

My parents pool is deep in the middle.  It is 3.5 feet on one side, then gradually goes down to 6.5 feet and the back up to 4 feet for the other side.  But, they also have a water slide that lands in the deep section.

The shallower sections are great for the adults and the kids love the deep sections, for the most part.

vegasgroom

Pool that's deep in the middle; you all are four years late, I would have definitely done that if I had thought about it when building my house, I really like that idea.

Wiscisbliss

4.5 feet doesn't seem deep enough... but that might be because I am almost 6 feet tall. 

tayylor65

At my parents house our pool was ~4' in the shallow end to 6' in the deep end.  Of course you can't have a diving board for that and you shouldn't dive in general.  We never had any issues.  We set up volleyball in it and were even able to safely do keg rodeo (empty keg in the pool that acts like a rodeo bull of sorts) when we were older.  I think it's nice to have it deep enough so a full grown adult can "dunk" easily.

neelynicole

Our pool is about the same size as what you're looking at doing. I *think* ours goes from 3' to 6' with half of it being a very gradual slope, then dropping off steeper. It works for us, but we also don't do a whole lot of entertaining with people actually getting into the pool. Mainly we just use it for FI's niece and nephew when they want to come play.

Also, ours was already dug out/done when we bought the place. So I guess I'm not a ton of help.

Sounds like Vegas is definitely a good authority here for some input on the dig-out. And like a PP said, have you thought about an infinity? Or possibly a double layer with an infinity pouring into another level, where one can be even ground for entertaining and one can be more sloped? Of course, that depends on water tables and how far you can dig.

I'm definitely interested in an update on this since FI and I are looking at building a custom place in the near future.

Blueyed228

Neely- I dont think I have the rooom for that.  My lot is big (18K sq feet), but the area we have designated for it isnt.  Maybe I will consider going to 5 feet. 

neelynicole

Yeah, you definitely don't want to take up the entire remaining lot space with just a pool

How much room do you think you'd need for something less sloped, like for the volleyball? You certainly don't want to be cramped up due to a drop off in depth, but you also don't want to only have 5 feet of space for a sudden drop, either.

I say just figure out how much space you need/want for what you want to do with it (like entertaining) and figure out from that dimension what you can feasibly work with.

And I'm serious about giving me an update on this! If we end up starting building proceedings soon, the pool is definitely one of the things I'm going to be in charge of.

Blueyed228

I will for sure.  They start digging May 31st.  They said 3 weeks.  I hope its at least in by July 4th since H is gun ho about a pool party that weekend.

We just re-did the deck.  It was 16' X 12' and was not sturdy.  Now its 24' X 16.  There is 2 staircases now.  One leading to the pool area and another leading to the yard.  The only problem is H made the staircase 8' wide and I cant find a gate for it.

neelynicole

8' ? Holy crap! I don't think I've ever seen a deck staircase that wide. Probably going to have to go custom with getting a gate on there now. Are you looking to do a match to the decking material, or something else like wrought iron?

Blueyed228

I dont think wrought iron would do well with the snow and rain.

H bought a rectractable gate, but im afraid it wont sit flush to the floor and kids can get under it.  We have to figure something out.  i dont know what possessed him to go that big with it.  I wasnt happy when I saw it.

neelynicole

Ahhh, yeah, I forgot that you were in that winter blizzard zone out on the East coast. No iron for you.

Do you want something that actually swings like a gate? Like hinges and latches and all that junk?

FI and I are putting in some retractable screens on our rear doors soon. Which, if you're open to sticking with the retractable thing, that could be an option. Obviously not something that's a screen, but the same companies that do those *should* be able to something in a different material that would suit the weather needs around there.

The ones we're getting done are totally flush on the bottom. They have a bit of a give to them just in case someone tries to walk through them, but they're really sturdy. If I was at home, I'd give you the manufacturer's name so you could look at them and see if they could do something more along the lines of what you might want.

Blueyed228

Yeah, the gate that he bought was the screen material.  He got 2 in hopes that he could put a removable post in the middle of the staircase.  I dont think its going to work.  I just worry because I have 2 very young nieces and my friends have small kids.

neelynicole

I know how you feel about the kids. FI's niece and nephew love to play outside when they're over and their parents aren't always with them (that's a whole other story), which frightens the bejeezus out of me. I'm always wathing out the doors to see what they're up to.

We have one of those kid 'fences' for the pool, but never put it up. Mainly because it's a PITA. I just always hope that someone's going to be close enough just in case.

I can already tell I'm going to end up being a helicopter mom with the first one.

Blueyed228

I have been looking at the covers with the alarms on them.  They are expensive, but I think its worth it.  They can hold heavier weights and an alarm will go off.

I also think our homeowners insurance requires us to alarm all doors/gates that lead to the pool area.  Its a PITA but worth it in my eyes.  Our backyard is fenced in already, but if it wasnt it would be required by law to do so.

Im just excited because we entertain a lot.

ricksang

You will have a southern guest for the summer. Just an FYI :P