Tips and trends on designing a plunge pool that ticks all your boxes
As a result of higher-density living and more stringent development controls, private exterior spaces are becoming smaller. However, instead of fewer pools being built in these smaller backyards, courtyards and on rooftop terraces, pools are as popular as ever — they’re just smaller.
Plunge pools are typically smaller than 6m x 4m and down to 2m x 3m. Plunge pools are also becoming popular because owners are starting to realise that a large pool isn’t important for most families. There’s a window of time when a large pool is fun for children to play in, say from ages eight to 14, then afterwards the size of the pool is less important.
“When children are young (up to age six), they only need a small pool because they are limited to the pool steps and shallow benches. Then adults and families with teenage children tend to lie around the pool in summer, socialising and warming up then jumping in and cooling off and socialising on seats and benches,” explains John Storch, director of A Total Concept Landscape Architects.
The smaller size of a plunge pool means that features and design budgets stretch further, allowing for more expensive and interesting tiles, stone etc. Additionally, the smaller body of water is less expensive to heat, enabling the plunge pool to be used as a giant spa.
Traditionally pool depths range from 1000mm through to 1800mm. In smaller pools the base in the floor is often flattened to make it less steep and more usable. “We increase the depth to increase the volume of water, allowing total submersion and a cooler plunging summer experience,” explains John.
Swim jets are great for exercising and increase the useability of a plunge pool. When working out your ideal plunge pool size, consider whether or not you want to also incorporate swim jets. These generally aim water 1000mm down the pool. Add to this the length of a person swimming with arms outstretched (2500mm-ish) plus an extra metre behind the feet of a swimming person for splash and you get a minimum 4500mm for the length of pool for swim jets to work effectively.
Good design for plunge pools is even more important than their larger counterparts. Large spaces are more forgiving with design that is not up to scratch, whereas visual flaws and imperfections can’t be hidden in small-space design. Everything must be perfect.
Tips for designing a winning plunge pool
• Clean simple lines work best; cluttered designs don’t work well for plunge pool design.
• A plunge pool in a small space can be designed to double as a water feature to act as the focal point, especially at night with the addition of coloured tiles and coloured lights.
• Use very dark colours in small pools to make bold statements, or very light washed-out colours to blend the pool into the overall garden. Mid-range blues are popular with traditional-size pools and seem to lose effect and be out of place in smaller pools.
• To create a more social, entertaining nook in your plunge pool, design your bench seat to run along either three or two edges of the pool.
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