These days, pool design is all about creating a backyard oasis. So the popularity of beach entries and sun shelves makes perfect sense: They’re beautiful, safe, practical, and fun. They add a resort-like quality to just about any backyard pool.
Beach entries, also known as zero-depth entries, do just what the name implies: They allow the same kind of gradually sloping entry into the water that you find at the beach. Sun shelves, also called tanning ledges, step-outs, or Baja steps, are a more compact cousin. They are a shallow ledge made for lounging and playing. Where a beach entry starts at ground level and gradually slopes to the depth of the shallow end of the pool, a sun shelf typically keeps the same depth, usually no deeper than 18 inches.
But it’s what these two entries have in common that attracts consumers: They appeal to the whole family, offering children a safe place to play; parents a spot to supervise without having to swim; and sun-worshippers of all ages a cool, watery tanning haven.
That’s why more consumers want them, says Ron Coker Jr. of Master Pools by Artistic Pools in Atlanta. Coker says increasing numbers of customers are seeing these designs at vacation resorts and coming back with ideas. “We’re finding a more educated buyer,” he explains. “They’ll say, ‘We saw this, and we want this.’” Ray Alderete agrees. “People want them when they see them,” says the owner of Alderete Pools in San Clemente, Calif. Of the 35 pools Alderete completes each year, he estimates nearly 20 percent have beach entries and more than three-quarters have sun shelves.
Beach entries and sun shelves can be designed in an almost infinite number of shapes and sizes. Sun shelves, especially, can take on any configuration, depending on the kind of look and function the customers want and depending on their budget. One pool builder has even built specially measured his-and-hers sun shelves for a husband who is 6 foot 4 inches tall and his wife, who is 5 foot 2 inches.
But these entries also have some specific design requirements. First of all, they must be safe. Here depth is critical, especially if the homeowners have toddlers. The pool designer should ask clients where they want the water to come up to on their little one and then measure how many inches that is on the child. Sun shelves, especially, should not invite jumpers or divers. They must not look deceptively deep or be placed where children may accidentally think they can jump in.
These features also have to fit within the yard. For homes with backyards too small to accommodate a beach entry, a sun shelf can be a good alternate design; it can be large or small as needed. Many builders just expand the first or second step for people to play or sunbathe on.
But beach entries are space hogs by nature. It takes a lot of space to go from deck level to a 3-foot depth when you’re keeping a safe slope. The National Spa & Pool Institute recommends at least 7 feet of run for every 1 foot of drop. Many pool builders prefer an even gentler slope of 9 to 12 feet of run for every 1 foot of drop. This would require from 21 to 36 feet of pool length to drop just 3 feet. “Builders really have to keep the distance in mind,” Alderete says. “You want it to flow really nice so you’re not sliding when you walk in.”
Sharon Edry is a freelance writer in New York City.
