Depth/profile question

[Afluv]

Hey everyone. We're in final stages of pool design. What is everyone's opinion on pool depth and profile?

We're planning a 15x38 pool but haven't decided whether it will be freeform or geometric shape. We want a descent amount of shallow water for standing and playing. But we also want it deep enough to jump in from a raised 12-18" pedestal and not hit the bottom.

We were planning a 3.5' - 7' profile. Now we are unsure. Engineer letter/structural changes might be required for 8.5' diver. 6' seems too shallow to jump but too deep to stand/play. 7' might be the same way.

What do you all think?

Thanks

 

[ShadDixon]

I did 6', PB said it would be fine for kids to jump off an 18" raised bond beam. But he's screwed up other things, hope he didn't screw this up too.:-?

 

[Killer95Stang]

Go for the 8 ft.... Even though you can't really dive from 8' , I jump feet first from a 5' waterfall with no issues. 7 foot is just to shallow and neither serves as recreation type pool or diving pool.

 

[jblizzle]

6' is an odd depth like you say, you can't stand and you can not really jump. If you want to be able to jump and surface dive, I would suggest going as deep as you can, at least 8'

 

[gwegan]

How old are your kids?

As they grow they will do all sorts of crazy things. I would get at least 8 feet and probably 8.5. Engineered plans don't cost that much more. You are just buying standard plans and an engineer looks over your plan.

 

[Afluv]

They are 14 and 9. I would love to do the 8.5'. We have small yards in North Texas (hard to believe in Texas, right). PB says engineer may require more rebar and gunite for 8.5' pool inside the 1:1 setback from the house foundation. The letter itself is only $250. It's what the letter might add on that spooks me. Having said that it may be worth it for peace of mind.

Thanks for the replies.

 

[cchopkins]

We are in Plano, and we have a narrow yard, the distance from water to the house foundatuoon ranges from 3 to 5 feets. We ended up have double layer steel bars and 12 inches gunite in thickness through out the whole pool based on the architect's recommendation. The extra reinforcement costed us $4000 additional.

 

[Afluv]

One engineer recommended chemical soil injection 6-7 feet deep and #4 rebar on 6-8" centers for 8.5' pool or #4 rebar on 10" centers for 6" pool. Funny though, 5 of 7 quotes I've gotten haven't mentioned any soil remediation or increased rebar.

 

[gwegan]

Usually it's just additional rebar. The fact you are close to the house could add even more. So the concern is valid. Your PB should be able to give you an estimate. He has seen these plans before. At least I hope he has

 

[cchopkins]

In Plano, the building department is very strick on the 1:1 ratio of depth and distance to the foundation. We were going to have a 3' to 4' to 5 to 6' deep end, had to change to 4' to 5' to 3'5 because we are too close to the house at the deeper end. Hopefully Frisco is less strict so you can get your 8.5 feet.

 

[Needsdecaf]

Looks like us Texans are screwed with small yards!

My pool, build in my sig, is pretty much the biggest that I could fit in my yard without any variances, or any fancy engineering to get it closer to the house. Truth be told that I didn't really want to push it closer to the house, despite being in the home building industry and a civil / structural engineer by education. Just too much headache.

We ended up with 3.5' sloped to 6.5'. The inside of the pool is 29' long My kids are little and the 3.5' area is decently sized. To be honest, even my 4 year old is starting to feel comfortable there despite the fact that she is over her head. My 7 year old is already dive bombing in like a madman.

With a 38' long pool, you will be perfect going up to 8'. With that size, I wouldn't plan on too much diving anyway. 8' should be fine. To be honest, I don't mind the 6.5'. It's enough for me to be fully submerged, and enjoy swimming down. But I would like it a bit deeper so that I don't worry about my son and eventually my daughter jumping in. I would think 7.5' to 8' would be perfect. If I were doing a large free-form, I'd want it deeper. But for a smaller pool, 7.5' to 8' should be good.

Oh, and with that size, I'd go geometric to maximize your area.

 

[jro33176]

Out here in South Florida, the deepest you can typically get is about 6'. We are happy to have 6.5!
Go with the depth that suits you best given your budget, time, etc. I think kids adjust to what they have.