The Lowdown on Infinity Edge Pools
You’ve seen them at high-end hotels, luxury resorts, and in photos of celebrity houses in the Hollywood Hills and Malibu – pools that seem to vanish into the horizon or the ocean beyond. Sometimes referred to as negative edge or vanishing edge pools (among other names), this design is more commonly referred to as an infinity edge pool because one end seems to disappear right off the edge of the map, or go on forever, depending on the backdrop.
Whether you want the latest and greatest your pool designer has to offer, you’re looking for the Zen-like experience of watching your pool disappear into the horizon, or both, there are a few things you should know about vanishing edge pools before you break ground. Here’s the lowdown on the hottest trend in swimming pools.
How Does It Work?
Vanishing edge pools are so named because the water seems to vanish over one side of the pool, as if cascading away into a waterfall. However, this is just an illusion.
True, these pools do feature one wall that is lower than the others, ensuring that water spills over only the one side. The water doesn’t just vanish, though, it is collected in a catch basin on the other side of the low wall and recycled back into the pool to maintain the water level.
What Are the Benefits?
Infinity edge pools will offer you the same function as any other pool, as your pool designer can tell you, providing your family and friends with opportunities for fitness and fun. Where you really see the benefit of vanishing edge pools is in the visual appeal.
If you’ve seen one before, you probably know that the attraction lies in the “never-ending” feeling evoked by the vanishing edge, which does make it appear as though the pool goes on into infinity. This is especially noticeable when the pool looks out over an ocean view and the pool water appears to blend seamlessly into the waters beyond.
It’s also apparent when the pool is built on a hill and the water can merge with the skyline. Of course, your yard needn’t necessarily fulfill one of these two criteria to make an infinity pool a good idea for your property. Any scenic backdrop will do.
In fact, you might get even more of a waterfall feeling when you peer off the edge and see wooded area beyond. Perhaps this is the feeling Frank Lloyd Wright was trying to capture when he built Fallingwater on a Bear Run waterfall in Pennsylvania.
Hire an Experienced Professional
If you decide you want an infinity pool in your backyard, it’s important to find a contractor that has experience installing one. The design for these pools is very specific and the trend is still taking off, so not every contractor has built one before.
Pacific Sun Pool & Spa has built many vanishing edge pools in the San Diego area—and we would love to design yours. Give us a call for a free estimate. We will ensure that your beautiful new pool is built properly and you can begin gazing into infinity as soon as possible.
