KY Build Started June 17th-- DIG PICTURES!

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T

TPippinKY

Member
Mar 25, 2021
16
Kentucky
Hi, everyone!

Our dream is coming true and we are adding an in ground pool to our backyard!
Dig is scheduled to take place on June 9th-- we can't wait!

I am seeking input on which side of the pool we should make the shallow end. I am including a picture with our current plan regarding concrete. I think we know which side we think should be the deep end, but I just want to see if the consensus matches our thinking.

For reference, the right side of the picture is east and the left side is west. The pool will have full length steps and reach a maximum depth of 6 feet (which I hope is the right choice on depth). It is a 16x30 pool.


IMG_2055.jpg
 
Given what appears to be the door in the middle of the house, my initial thought is shallow end on the left and deep end on the right. That way you can go straight from house to pool. Unless your primary mode of entry is cannonball, in which case maybe switch it! :p

However, on second look... I'm assuming the grey line is meant to be extent of decking? In which case, it looks like the intended seating area is on the right? If that's correct, then I would probably put the stairs where the seating area is. So that you can transition easily between the two outdoor areas. And it's only *slightly* further to walk to the stairs from the house.

I might have thought of putting the pool more to the left side, in the narrower area of the yard. Then both the stairs and seating area would both be right in front of the door.
 
Hello fellow KY resident!

Looks like a fun project! By fun I mean crazy :p! We are in the middle of our build now and it has been quite the challenge (even when compared to building a house).

To answer your question, I pretty much agree with KCNM. I would normally plan the shallow end to be the west side as it is closer to the door to your house, but when I consider your thoughts for the patio I would think otherwise. If there is a good reason to have the larger patio space on the east side, I certainly understand. If the larger patio could just as easily be placed on the east end, then I would do that and have the shallow end and the larger patio space both to the east. There are many variables to consider though, so you have to make the best decision you can considering all of the info available.

Best of luck!

Marc
 
T,

Another option is to go with a sports pool which has the deep end in the middle.. Something like 4' - 6' - 4'

There is no right answer here.. Whatever you like best for where the deep end should go. Not that 6' is deep.

Thanks,

Jim R.
 
i vote for shallow end closest to the door. But there is an argument to be made that it could go to whatever side has the most patio space.
 
A few more bits of clarification:
The pool placement is limited by sewer on the left side (we rerouted from the middle of the yard as far as we could) and electrical on the right. It is sandwiched right were it HAS to go! :p

Our sitting area on the right is mainly on that side because of where the sun hits. We figured if we put the sitting area on the left side, backs would turn to the water as the sun moved through the day. Because of this, we thought having the full length steps on the same side as the larger patio sitting area would make more of a social area.

We are also thinking the gate area on the right would be where people would come into the space and naturally congregate on that side.
 
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Do any of you have 6 foot depth pools?
I am looking for the right balance between socializing and depth that would not result in anybody breaking their back if they jump in. We currently have a 2 year old but as our family grows and our kids get older, it is inevitable they will do dumb stuff and I want to minimize the jumping in risks that may come from a 4ish ft depth.
 
If you go 6 you might as well go 7. that Was my reasoning from amending my design from 6 to 7. After 7 it can be 7 or 100 and it doesn’t much matter unless you are high diving.
 
Thanks for the input, @jamjam. That is a good point.

I swam today in a pool that went to 8.5. I tried to find the 6 ft spot and I still have reservations about whether or not it is deep enough.

This feels like a huge decision and I am really worried about not making the right one.
 
Only “wrong” decision is too shallow. So I used my above logic to settle on 7. It was a snap decision and I never second guessed it. I’m sure if I stayed with 6 I would be second guessing it. But it is a very subjective decision.
 

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Our fiberglass pool is 6 ft deep. Ultimately, it depends on what you want the pool for in my opinion. Exercise, lounging, cannonballs, and/or all of the above? Most liner pools in our neighborhood go from 3 ft to 8 ft. with a typical size of 16x32. There are four additional FB pools in our neighborhood with three being 6 ft deep and one being 8 ft deep. Ultimately, you really can’t go wrong with whatever you decide.

Best advice I got was get as much decking as possible as you spend more time around the pool versus in it. Second, bigger sized pool increases the need for all things involved.

Lastly, some mention on the forums to have your returns going with the wind direction if possible to help with flow and skimming.
 
I talked with the PB and told him I had decided to go deeper than six feet. Unfortunately, he said it is not a good idea. He said we have a water table we will run into and it will cause us problems over the lifetime of the pool.

He takes care of the pool behind us (in the picture from original post) and he said that pool floats its liner almost every summer.

Looks like 3.5-6 it is!
 
at the end of the day if you have a quality built pool with finished hardscaping and a functional space, all is good. I try to pose it this way to my wife - how many times do you walk into a space that you are floored by and you just fall in love with? Now realize you were not there for any of the decisions or planning. Granted you should absolutely get what you want but sometimes the bigger picture is better to focus on.
 
I trust our PB. We talked again this morning and he explained again the issue with the water table.
He said he just cannot do it. He said if I am dead set that he would recommend some other PBs to talk with but he would not move forward if I was dead set on going deep. That seems like it is driven by integrity and he is being honest.

He said he could try to push a little bit from 6 to 6'2-6'4 etc but now I'm thinking a flat 6 would be best.
If we can't get to 7, anything over 6 seems like it would make it totally un"touch"able but still not deep enough to make much of a difference.

UPDATE: 6.5'
 
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