What makes a backyard pool physically nice for adults?

August 8, 2022 7:23 AM

I live in the tropics and am putting a small (10x20 foot) sunken pool in the backyard. I’m choosing features for people 50 and over. I’ve got lights below the water line and shallow steps with a rail. What should the basic depth be and do I need a deep end? What else?
posted by Tell Me No Lies to Home & Garden (23 answers total)

If it’s just for lounging, I don’t think it should be any deeper than four feet maybe even 3 1/2. That would allow people to stand with their feet on the bottom and their heads above water. I don’t think a deep end is particularly necessary. It’s really more useful for swimming and diving, and 20’ isn’t enough to really swim in.

I stayed in a hotel this past weekend that had a pool whose second step (on the steps to get into the pool” was extended around the perimeter of the pool, creating a bench seat. Pretty similar to a hot tub. It was especially helpful because we’d spent the day at a theme park and I was exhausted, but my kids had a second wind. I got to sit on the pool bench while they swam around, but I could be more involved than if I just sat on the side. I’d recommend that.

I stayed at a place in Florida once that had a water feature at one end of the pool, which seems like it would be tacky but was actual pretty fun.
posted by kevinbelt at 7:47 AM on August 8, 2022 [10 favorites]

If you want to use the pool for low impact exercise, and you should, you will want the deep end to be about chest/armpit deep. This is the depth that most forms of aquatic therapy/exercise happens. That depth allows you to take your weight off all your load bearing joints while you exercise other joints and muscles, but can still easily just stand up.
posted by zenon at 7:54 AM on August 8, 2022 [26 favorites]

Agreed that a bench seat at the edge is a nice feature.
posted by Lawn Beaver at 7:55 AM on August 8, 2022 [1 favorite]

Shade.
posted by amtho at 8:02 AM on August 8, 2022 [25 favorites]

If you want to swim for exercise consider making it narrower and longer and at least 4 ft deep.
posted by mareli at 8:27 AM on August 8, 2022 [3 favorites]

I recently went to a community pool that was 4' deep throughout, and had a long ramp down one side and a lift for people who couldn't get in by themselves. All of those would be nice features, along with a bench for sitting/lounging.
posted by DoubleLune at 8:37 AM on August 8, 2022 [1 favorite]

Strongly consider a spa-type pool that is all one depth (around 3.5-4') with seating all the way around the sides. Possibly a Baja shelf/tanning ledge, rather than a deep end.

You might ask around about what the ambient water temperatures run for a pool that size, because THIS 50 year old cannot bear getting into a pool well under body temp. When it's hot out I only heat our spa pool to 90, and if I'm really trying to cool off I turn the heat off when we get in so we cool slowly. At least find out what your passive heating options are if you (reasonably) don't want a heater.

If you'd like to be able to swim, you're probably better off having anchor mounts built in for a suspended stationary swim rig.

Shade, for sure. Shade that can be moved or adjusted for time of year and height of sun is even better. If I had no budgetary concerns I'd put a pergola with retractable shadecloth on top and sides over the entire pool extending to seating areas at each end (or side, if your pool points N-S.
posted by Lyn Never at 8:42 AM on August 8, 2022 [9 favorites]

Shade, outdoor shower with some privacy (not necessarily to full on shower naked, but to pull the bathing suit off the skin and let clean water flow through. Room for lounge chairs, both in the shade and sun. Flowers in the garden. Easy access to a fridge with a freezer and/or ice maker, and easy access to plastic reusable cups.
posted by never.was.and.never.will.be. at 8:46 AM on August 8, 2022 [1 favorite]

Easy access to a bathroom.
Shade.
Appropriate walking surface around the pool that is slip-proof, trip-proof, and yet comfortable.
A place to sit while using a hand-held shower hose.
Lounge chairs and benches, for those who have a tough time sitting down and standing up again.
Racks for towels and robes. Storage cubbies for shoes, cell phones, etc.

Seconding a sitting shelf at one end of the pool and a chest-deep exercise area with hand holds at another.
posted by TrishaU at 9:32 AM on August 8, 2022 [4 favorites]

Shade is nice, but will dramatically affect the water temperature compared to a pool that gets unrestricted full sun. Maybe you could use offset umbrellas (aka cantilever umbrellas) that could provide shade to swimmers while still allowing the pool to get warmed from the sun at other times?

Otherwise, if the pool is shady, you may need/want to consider a heater. A soaking/lounging pool generally needs to be warmer than a lap pool (since you're not constantly moving), and for older folks might need to be warmer still. The cheapest kind of heater in terms of upfront costs will be propane, but they are quite expensive if you want the pool warm continuously. A solar system will be more expensive, but if you have a place to put the panels where they get lots of sun, can keep even a shady pool relatively warm for not much operating cost.
posted by Kadin2048 at 9:36 AM on August 8, 2022

Salt water for easy floating?
posted by lovableiago at 9:42 AM on August 8, 2022

single biggest factor for pleasant usability of a pool in a hot climate is shade. I don't know why so few pools are shaded, but as the lucky access-haver to a shaded pool as well as unshaded ones, I simply don't use the unshaded ones, and that's despite being someone who prefers to be swimming all the time.

I think half of it should be at about 4'10" (a depth where an adult woman of average height can stand on the bottom but be mostly submerged; deep enough to swim) sloping to a deep end of 8 feet.

Temperature optimization is a function of the climate where you live. In a dry climate I like a pretty warm pool, even if it's hot out, and recommend setting up some sort of solar heating to keep it above 85, but in a wet sticky climate, there's nothing so good as a cold pool.

Shade is the most important thing. You can use an awning now but it's nicest to plant stuff that will grow up and over.
posted by fingersandtoes at 10:01 AM on August 8, 2022 [2 favorites]

You need to fence it. Get that done as part of the design right from the start - think of it as extending the patio space around the pool, not an unpleasant extra. Fencing it means you will not have to worry about drowning and close supervision when people visit with young kids or very elderly or pets. You can use plantings to make the safety fence part of the landscape.

If you plan on travel for long periods, ask what other people locally do to shut it down - a cover or draining it? With dengue, I would imagine draining it to be a lot safer if you're away for a while.

Speaking of dengue - make sure the patio/surrounding has no places that can gather splashed/spilt water and breed mozzies.

A friends' condo in Singapore has a gorgeous pool that is over a basement/carpark and thus freeeeeezing cold. If yours goes into the earth, it should be fine. I would be very careful with shade over a pool for the same reason because you want cool water not cold. And no-one should be swimming midday because they will get sunburnt anyway.

Have a water tap/outdoor shower/sink nearby is also very nice because you can refill a glass of water, wash feet and hands esp. if the water in the pool is chlorinated or salt, without having to go all the way back into the house.
posted by dorothyisunderwood at 10:24 AM on August 8, 2022 [4 favorites]

No ladders, just another set of stairs -- and the underwater bench is awesome.
posted by wenestvedt at 10:58 AM on August 8, 2022

In looking at that baja shelf business, I like the idea of integrated pool umbrella bases! Though I agree that some kind of retractable shading, either with umbrellas or cloth/pergolas is a really good idea, no matter what.
posted by amanda at 11:58 AM on August 8, 2022 [1 favorite]

Small, shallow, unshaded pools in the tropics can get nauseatingly hot.
posted by saladin at 12:19 PM on August 8, 2022

You can use an awning now but it's nicest to plant stuff that will grow up and over.

No it's not, unless you want to be constantly cleaning it, especially if it thunderstorms where the pool is. Awnings are much better. If it rarely storms, or if you have a daily pool guy, then trees are cool. This is why a river is better and different than a pool.
posted by The_Vegetables at 12:31 PM on August 8, 2022 [2 favorites]

Depending on where you are in the tropics, I'd take a shaded cold pool any day of the week. The Caribbean Sea is like 26C vs the Pacific Ocean in CA at ~22C and below. Hotel pools in Las Vegas Nevada USA surpass 32C. A swimming hole/stream can be in the high 12C.

Relentless sun makes a cool pool feel even better -if it's normally cloudy, then aim for a few degrees warmer.
posted by The_Vegetables at 12:38 PM on August 8, 2022

It's a matter of personal preference, but my pool in South Florida is right now hovering at 95-100 degrees and I LOVE it. I let it get full sun during the day and put an umbrella up for shade to swim in the evenings or early mornings. It's not for cooling off, obviously. It's like lounging in a hot tub. I spend an hour in it every evening. In the early mornings it's a little cooler, but this time of year it doesn't get below 90 even when the air's ten degrees cooler.

Don't plant stuff to shade the pool- you'll be skimming leaves out of it all the time. Use movable umbrellas for shade (unless you want to keep it cool, then an awning or something might work.) I don't know how the bugs are where you are, but a lot of people here in Florida put a screened enclosure around and over their pool (often connecting to the house, screening the whole patio to make a "lanai") so they can swim without being attacked by mosquitoes. The way our pool and house are laid out it won't work for us, but I've often wished I had this kind of an enclosure.
posted by Daily Alice at 1:55 PM on August 8, 2022 [5 favorites]

I stayed in a hotel in London that used minerals instead of chlorination, and it was the most amazing pool I've ever been in. I love swimming more than probably anything on earth, but have had to give it up because of chlorine sensitivity, and I ended up forgoing all sorts of wonderful sightseeing just to swim in that damn pool. I think especially as one gets older, not having chlorine fumes and the stench on your suit/skin that never seems to really come off would be heavenly.
posted by kitten kaboodle at 3:22 PM on August 8, 2022

Response by poster: Daily Alice wrote:
I let it get full sun during the day and put an umbrella up for shade to swim in the evenings or early mornings.

Could you (or anyone else) give me a pointer to what these umbrellas look like? I’m having trouble imagining ones large enough to cover a pool.

Otherwise….
The average high here doesn’t drop below 87F, so I may be okay without a heater. I’ll make sure to leave room for one.

The bench is a brilliant idea.

About a quarter of the population here is 5 feet tall, so after reading all of this I’m leaning towards 4 feet deep at one end and 5 feet deep at the other.

Thank you everyone who has responded so far. This has been very helpful.
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 7:15 PM on August 8, 2022 [1 favorite]

Something like this will shade at least half your pool depending on the angle of the sun. The base is on wheels, so you can drag it around depending on where the sun is when you want to swim. Or get two, put one at each end, and then you don't have to drag them around too much at all.
posted by Daily Alice at 4:30 AM on August 9, 2022 [1 favorite]

I personally just have two 9' tilting patio umbrellas in hefty stands, because the sun moves both daily and over the course of the year, and I like being able to close them to stargaze. But this is why my dream arrangement would be the pergola that covers the whole pool with retractable UV shadecloth (or/and opaque canvas, for not getting blinded) top like #3 here plus sides, or in Florida maybe go all out on #6 for mosquito control.
posted by Lyn Never at 10:46 AM on August 9, 2022