What’s the fun part about inground swimming pools? Swimming? Well, yes. Having pool parties? Well, that too!!! Relaxing in the water on a hot day? Yes, that’s fun as well!
Okay, maybe we should re-state the question 😂.
What’s the fun part about designing an inground swimming pool project and finalizing the smaller details? If you said choosing the accessories, you’d be right!
Really, when it comes to most things, accessorizing is one of the most enjoyable processes. There are so many small details, especially in inground pools, that can create countless combinations to make your project unique.
Some accessories for inground pool include, but aren’t limited to:
- LED Lighting
- Pool Games
- Decking
- Outdoor Kitchens
- Slides
- Tanning Ledges
- Bubblers
- Deck Jets
- Waterfalls
What we’ve listed above are some of the more popular accessories for inground pools, but what we’re going to focus on in this article are some of the least popular accessories. More specifically, we’re going to tell you which accessories are the least popular and why.
And by no means are we telling you that these accessories are bad. Rather, we just want to tell you which accessories have been trending in the other direction over the past few years because of the way people are using pools nowadays.
Diving Boards
In recent years, the desire for pools has switched gears from wanting to swim in them to just wanting to relax in them. Therefore, diving boards have become less popular, especially for adults.
When you think about it, what do adults do in a swimming pool? They lounge around with their family or friends and just enjoy the weather. And there’s nothing wrong with that. But what this trend has resulted in is the lack of need for a diving board.
Those who tend to use diving boards are children because they get more enjoyment out of them. They can jump into a pool over and over again from a diving board and not get tired of it, but adults don’t really get that same enjoyment out of them. Plus, it likely wouldn’t be safe for an adult to use a diving board in a residential pool because of their depths.
You see, residential pools don’t have very large depths. They usually top out at around 8-10 feet deep, which may not be enough space for an adult to safely jump into a pool—especially if they are over 6 feet tall.
Therefore, diving boards aren’t really safe to use in residential pools unless they have depths that well exceed 10 feet, which are difficult to make possible anyway (hence why they are not popular accessories).
Inground Hot Tubs
Another accessory that isn’t very popular in inground swimming pool projects is an inground hot tub. Typically, an inground hot tub is placed near or even inside an inground pool, which results in a few disadvantages:
- Far from entrance of house
- Exposed to outside conditions
- Must be covered by pool cover; cover may need to be configured to accommodate hot tub
- Far less jets than an above ground hot tub (5-15 as opposed to 30-70)
Now, they are more aesthetically pleasing than above ground hot tubs because they are part of an inground pool rather than being a separate structure. However, placing a hot tub in the ground will not only be more expensive, but you won’t be able to use it in the Midwest all year-round since it will have to be closed along with the inground pool itself.
It is for these reasons that inground hot tubs are one of the least popular accessories for inground pools, especially in the Midwest because there is such a short amount of time that inground pools can be used in a calendar year. And with less time to use inground pools comes less time to use an inground hot tub.
Deep End Pools
As we mentioned earlier, people don’t really use pools to swim in anymore, which we know sounds weird because it’s called a swimming pool. But the fact is that people purchase pools nowadays to relax in on a hot summer day and just enjoy being outside in something that can cool them off.
Therefore, pools with deep ends approaching 8-10 feet have become less popular in recent years. There’s no need for deeper pools if the owner and their families/friends aren’t going to be jumping into the pool or doing intense swimming.
If all the pool owner and their guests are going to do is lounge in the pool on a Saturday afternoon for a pool party with food and drinks, then the need for a pool exceeding 4-6 feet is nonexistent. And that situation is now the reality for many pool owners, which has caused deep pools to drop significantly in popularity.
Why Are These Accessories Less Popular?
The main theme behind why diving boards, deep end pools, and inground hot tubs is because the use of inground pools has changed over the past decade or so.
People don’t really use pools to swim in anymore. They’re more tools used for relaxation and enjoying the summer months with friends and family, which is great. That doesn’t mean that they can’t be used for swimming, it just means that they aren’t used frequently for swimming. And if that’s what you want to use your pool for but still want these accessories, nothing is stopping you! We’re just telling you the recent trend in pools.
You can totally be that person with an inground hot tub included with your inground pool with a diving board and a large depth!
If you have any more questions, don’t hesitate to give us a call at (219)-322-2797 or visit out Learning Center for more articles about inground pools and accessories!
