Adding a tanning ledge in the deep end: is this a thing?

[pokey]

We bought a new house in May of last year and moved from a sport pool we loved - rectangular and four feet deep on the sides and five feet deep in the middle - to a giant kidneyish shaped 70’s diving pool with a very small shallow end and a huge drop off to a large 8 foot deep end.

We’re redoing the plaster, coping, tile and decking and my wife and I are looking to make the deep end a little more usable. Has anyone ever added a tanning ledge/sun shelf to the deep end of a pool? I always see them on the shallow end, which makes sense since it’s often where kids play.

We’re thinking of adding a shelf on the deep end curve that is 10” deep and goes out far enough to have two chaise lounges side by side. You know, the deep end is the curvy end of the kidney and we’d draw a straight chord across the curve, say, 6 feet out from the end. Of course, the catch here is that if you walk off the shelf you drop into 8 foot deep water instead of into the shallow end.

I can’t find any pictures online of something like this - has anyone done it? Any other ideas of how to reclaim the deep end? We have a five year old daughter who is a solid dog paddler and is working on learning strokes. She loves the shallow end and loves swimming to the deep end and back but we’re imagining this as a place where grown ups can hang out while kids are in the shallow end in a few years. I thought about swim up barstools as well but this idea is getting more traction with the wife.

Final point - the deep end is underneath a tree so it’s pretty shady. But since we’re in Dallas, that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

 

[ajw22]

We’re thinking of adding a shelf on the deep end curve that is 10” deep and goes out far enough to have two chaise lounges side by side. You know, the deep end is the curvy end of the kidney and we’d draw a straight chord across the curve, say, 6 feet out from the end. Of course, the catch here is that if you walk off the shelf you drop into 8 foot deep water instead of into the shallow end.

If you are going that far why not raise the rest of the deep end to 4' - 5'? Maybe sloping from the shelf down.

I have no idea of the feasibility of it. You need to talk to a PB about how he ties in the new structure with probably rebar and gunite into the existing shell. And what that does to any returns and drains in the area.

 

[PrehistoricPool]

Partially filling in the deep end to make it shallower is very feasible, and actually less work than the tanning shelf, because there is less volume to fill. I talked to several pool builders when I first bought my house, with a pool with a deep end around 11 years ago. My kids were very little then, 2 and 4. While I procrastinated about what to do, my kids grew up quick, and loved the deep end. I a glad I didn't do anything to it.

I understand not everyone needs or wants a deep end, but you might want to consider your needs and wants can change over time, and not necessarily a lot of time.

 

[kimkats]

I get what you are thinking of............that could be interesting and can be done with enough wallet!

Share a pic of what it looks like now to give us an idea what you are dealing with.

Kim

 

[PoolGate]

I cannot imagine a pool without a deep end. Both my kids (11 and 14) love to throw pool sinker toys and dive for them. They dive and jump off the board all day long. I love to dive as well. So a lot depends on your personal wants/desires. Kids get older though and once they do, they maybe will want to dive more. Tanning ledge is great we have a large one. Ours was added after the pool design though since we have more than enough space meaning it didn't take away from our pool area. We do love it but only once have ever put chairs in it. It has 2 umbrella sleeves again we've only used those a handful of times.

 

[bcoastal]

I am interested what your pb says. We asked about enclosing our existing cocktail cove to make it a hot tub and our pb said the added weight of concrete could possibly crack the pool.

 

[pokey]

I am interested what your pb says. We asked about enclosing our existing cocktail cove to make it a hot tub and our pb said the added weight of concrete could possibly crack the pool.

What is a cocktail cove??? That sounds like something we would definitely be interested in!! Please tell me more.

I hear you all on not wanting to lose the deep end. The trouble is that the pool is shaped vaguely kidneyish with the three stairs down in a little offshoot area and then a relatively small shallow end before the descent starts. So my options are to either (A) turn the stairs into a tanning ledge and take up more of the very limited shallow end with stairs, (B) add sort of little swimout/benches around the curves in the pool which provide places for people to sit but they'd all be separate and far from one another and none would be big enough to really hang out as a group on, (C) build a bench alongside the back wall the of the deep end that people would jump over, or (D) build a big tanning ledge in the deep end that would basically kill the deep end.

Pictures below. I'm very open to all suggestions. Right now, the only place to hang out in the pool is the steps, which is fine, but I would ideally like more seating areas.

 

[bcoastal]

What is a cocktail cove??? That sounds like something we would definitely be interested in!! Please tell me more.

I think it is called a cocktail cove...? It has like 6 returns and a sitting area. I think ours is small compared to others.

 

[PrehistoricPool]

I think it is called a cocktail cove...? It has like 6 returns and a sitting area. I think ours is small compared to others.

View attachment 81010

Now THAT's what I'm talking about! I need one of those in the next pool. All I got with this one is a measly bench / swim out. At least its within arm's length of my future bar.

 

[kimkats]

Is there ANY chance of adding the cove like above to the pool?

 

[sktn77a]

My in-laws in California have exactly what you're describing in their 1966 era, kidney-ish pool. There's a bit of a cove recess to permit a bigger ledge but you could probably do it without the cove (not sure you could get a chaise lounge on it, though, unless you curve it out). You'd need to drill holes in the bottom and side of the pool and epoxy rebar up to the height of the shelf and then shoot gunite/shotcrete to build the ledge. Replaster the whole thing and you should be good to go!

Edit: Looking at your pool pictures again, are you considering doing this across the entire deep end 6' out towards the shallow end? Like the picture below? This one is in the shallow end but I see no reason it wouldn't work in the deep end, if you don't have a diving board. That should be do-able, too - same approach.

 

[changeyez]

That's my pool! There were no issue doing this (in the shallow end).

My in-laws in California have exactly what you're describing in their 1966 era, kidney-ish pool. There's a bit of a cove recess to permit a bigger ledge but you could probably do it without the cove (not sure you could get a chaise lounge on it, though, unless you curve it out). You'd need to drill holes in the bottom and side of the pool and epoxy rebar up to the height of the shelf and then shoot gunite/shotcrete to build the ledge. Replaster the whole thing and you should be good to go!

Edit: Looking at your pool pictures again, are you considering doing this across the entire deep end 6' out towards the shallow end? Like the picture below? This one is in the shallow end but I see no reason it wouldn't work in the deep end, if you don't have a diving board. That should be do-able, too - same approach.

View attachment 81018

 

[Deb04]

I would think that a tanning ledge in the deep end would make diving off the side (which kids will do no matter what) extremely dangerous. You might not be able to get a permit for it.

Forgive me if I’m over sensitive to the dangers. I know someone who is paralyzed from diving in too shallow water.

 

[spoonman]

Just my two cents. If it were me, instead of filling the deep end I would just add a shelf where you have some extra decking space. As others have said, deep ends become much more valuable as the kids grow. As well fewer people build deep ends these days so they are a bit unique.