DEPTH: Sports pool OR Traditional Shallow 2 Deep?

Jump to latest Follow Reply
B

BeatTheHeat15

Active member
May 12, 2019
33
louisiana
My husband and I have decided to go 3.5' to 5' but still debating between sports pool or traditional shallow to deep end? The pool with be roman/grecian style with basically a rectangle swim box (basically 26' length x 17' width) with tanning ledges added to each end and then a hot tub centered in the back and a half-circle-bench in the front by the house. We have young boys and love playing volleyball in the pool but like to play with a softer ball and don't necessary need the whole pool to play. Trying to figure out what to consider on deciding between 3.5' - 5' OR 3.5/5/3.5. Any advice or suggestions are appreciated. Thanks!
 
15,

If you are not going to have a pool deep enough to dive in, then in my opinion, the sports pool is the best way to go.. It lends itself to volleyball like games. I would go 4' on each end with a 6' middle...

Have you ever been in a gunite spa? If not, you owe it to yourself to try one before you buy one... Spas are the most oversold and underused items in a pool build. You will either end up loving it, or hating it, and it would be best if you knew what you were getting before spending $10 or 20$K on something you might not use.

Thanks,

Jim R.
 
15,

Standalone spas or hot tubs have comfortable seats and a ton of jets with all kinds of options... Gunite spas, not so much.. they look great but my experience is that they are not very comfortable.. Like I said.. you might love it.. But I personally would not invest $15K just to find out that I did not like it. If at all possible, you need to try a gunite spa first. Then you will at least know what you are getting before spending the money..

Thanks,

Jim R.
 
Last edited:
Measure where 5' will hit the adults in the house. I know I would not be able to walk in it. Make sure you are talking water depth when you talk to the PB. Water depth is where the water will be half way up the skimmer opening. Some measure a pool from the floor to the bottom of the coping. That is NOT water depth as the water does not go up to the coping unless if has been overfilled. The skimmer will not work with the water that high.

Kim:kim:
 
My opinion only: The deep end of my pool is a little over 6'. Even though I had convinced myself that was deep enough for my purposes, it turned out I was wrong about my purposes. If I could do over, I'd have at least 8' down there. The little kid in me wants to dive, and do it safely. Your kids will want to do that too I bet.
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
Same. My deep end is 10 feet and there is nothing to me like getting hot by the side of the pool and diving DEEP down and then back up to the ladder on the other side. Or, finishing cutting the grass and jumping all the way to the bottom until my feet touch and then pushing back up. I am also proud of the fact you can pass the quarter test in my deep end. And the way the transition looks.

The one downside is that it is hard to brush the transition and it takes about 20 minutes to brush the entire pool but I find it relaxing anyway so I don't mind.
 
  • Like
Reactions: lazygirl1978 and Casey
Although it would be nice to have a deep end, we want a pool that can be used more for sports and hanging out. So we won’t be doing a deep end. My dad has a diving board and a deep end that we can go use when we want to. We are just trying to figure out whether to do the sports pool or shallow to deep (even though it’s not really deep...lol).
 
I'm 5' 7". If I didn't get a diving pool (which we did), I'd go 4'6'4' if long enough, or 4'5'4' if too short in length. I like 6' because I can tread water and move around a bit without touching. It also makes playing up on the volleyball net more of a challenge (good thing) for many. And the extra foot of depth when jumping in is nice.
 
We went 4' 5.5' 4' and love it. We wanted a party pool and if I need a quick cool shower the sheer descents provide that. We built specifically so we could play volleyball, basketball and after being in so many pools for so many years it was obvious that the deep end got used less than 10% of the time by the adults. However, if I was in my 20's again and had young kids, I probably would have put in a diving pool. All depends on the taste and place of life you are in.
 
We have a sports pool. 3.5/5/3.5 is great for volleyball and other throwing sports, though I sometimes wish we had 5.5' in the middle. On the other hand, with a net at the 5' depth, a 5'6" person cannot do much jumping or spiking if they play close to the net.

I also sometimes wish we had ~45" on at least one of the shallow ends. The 2 ends don't have to match.

Regarding the spa, our gunite spa has been well used by adults as well as large groups of kids. But none of us are spa connoisseurs like Jim. :)
 
Mine is 3/5.5/3.5. It is L shaped with the leg on the L as a tanning shelf. We love it for playing sports like volleyball and badminton. We are older but our nieces and nephews spend a lot of time in it. No complaints about not being able to dive. We have a 12 foot long wall on the back that has 2 waterfalls. The kids use it to jump in. They absolutely love it.
 
It seems the sports pool is more popular than the 3.5 to 5. But my husband is worried 26’ length is not enough for a sports pool.
ComputerGuyInNOLA said:
Mine is 3/5.5/3.5. It is L shaped with the leg on the L as a tanning shelf. We love it for playing sports like volleyball and badminton. We are older but our nieces and nephews spend a lot of time in it. No complaints about not being able to dive. We have a 12 foot long wall on the back that has 2 waterfalls. The kids use it to jump in. They absolutely love it.
Click to expand...

What’s the length of your pool?
 
Mr Bruce said:
Same. My deep end is 10 feet and there is nothing to me like getting hot by the side of the pool and diving DEEP down and then back up to the ladder on the other side. Or, finishing cutting the grass and jumping all the way to the bottom until my feet touch and then pushing back up. I am also proud of the fact you can pass the quarter test in my deep end. And the way the transition looks.

The one downside is that it is hard to brush the transition and it takes about 20 minutes to brush the entire pool but I find it relaxing anyway so I don't mind.
Click to expand...

Quick question.... What is the quarter test?
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
You must log in or register to reply here.
Thread Status
Hello , This thread has been inactive for over 60 days. New postings here are unlikely to be seen or responded to by other members. For better visibility, consider Starting A New Thread.
Top Bottom
Back
Jump to latest Follow Reply