Don't call it a swimming pool

Plunge pools have become an alternative for homeowners looking for an easy and less expensive way to cool off.
When Amy Holland bought her home in Austin, Texas in 2020, she and her husband knew they wanted to have a pool in their backyard, but not just any pool.
< p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">"We don't have kids so we didn't want a giant waterslide, all the features," said Ms Holland, 46, who works in sales of technology. “We really just wanted a 'cocktail pool' that we could dive into, have a drink, invite friends over. We just didn't want a big pool. »
The solution was a plunge pool.
Although traditional backyard pools are typically 15 feet wide and 30 feet long, plunge pools tend to be no larger than 10 feet by 20 feet. They are also flat-bottomed and shallow, usually around five feet deep.
They are also less expensive to maintain and easier to build. The design chosen by Mrs. Holland and her husband allowed for a pool that fit perfectly into their sloping backyard and did not interfere with the long root system of the 100-year-old live oak tree on the property.

Other homeowners love the minimalism of plunge pools, said Allison Messner, general manager of landscaping company Yardzen in Sausalito, Calif.
"I think people who are drawn to plunge pools are looking for a pool with a smaller footprint because they may have more functional areas in their yard which is also a modern look “said Ms. Messner. Larger pools don't allow for much else in the typical backyard, she added, while plunge pools leave space for dining areas and play areas. They can also "make your garden feel like a place to stay," Ms Messner said.
ImagePlunge pools can "make your backyard feel like a place to stay," said Allison Messner, general manager of landscaping company Yardzen. Here, a Yardzen-designed garden in Austin, TX featuring a Texas Tiny Pools plunge pool. Credit...Texas Tiny Pools for Yardzen Not new. In nature, they take the form of deep pools at the bottom of waterfalls, where erosion creates a natural swimming hole. The ancient Romans installed small circular pools, usually five feet deep, as part of their baths. Tiny pools inspired by the example of the Romans dotted British gardens in the 18th century. In the age of social media, photos of swimming pools at tropical resorts or Greek villas are often widely shared.
Once reserved for the wealthy in the United States, Backyard pools exploded when gunite pools, a type of concrete pool, became more affordable for many homeowners. For a time, the kidney-shaped pool — often eight feet deep at the deep end, with a required diving board — became a symbol of suburban status, especially in Southern California, where neighborhoods were filled of splash fight sounds and Marco Polo games.
Lucas Firmin, a swimming pool builder in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, said that most swimming pools that he builds today are about five feet deep.
Chapman Bullock, co-founder of

Fashion Aug 3, 2022 0 203 Add to Reading List

Plunge pools have become an alternative for homeowners looking for an easy and less expensive way to cool off.

When Amy Holland bought her home in Austin, Texas in 2020, she and her husband knew they wanted to have a pool in their backyard, but not just any pool.

< p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">"We don't have kids so we didn't want a giant waterslide, all the features," said Ms Holland, 46, who works in sales of technology. “We really just wanted a 'cocktail pool' that we could dive into, have a drink, invite friends over. We just didn't want a big pool. »

The solution was a plunge pool.

Although traditional backyard pools are typically 15 feet wide and 30 feet long, plunge pools tend to be no larger than 10 feet by 20 feet. They are also flat-bottomed and shallow, usually around five feet deep.

They are also less expensive to maintain and easier to build. The design chosen by Mrs. Holland and her husband allowed for a pool that fit perfectly into their sloping backyard and did not interfere with the long root system of the 100-year-old live oak tree on the property.

Other homeowners love the minimalism of plunge pools, said Allison Messner, general manager of landscaping company Yardzen in Sausalito, Calif.

"I think people who are drawn to plunge pools are looking for a pool with a smaller footprint because they may have more functional areas in their yard which is also a modern look “said Ms. Messner. Larger pools don't allow for much else in the typical backyard, she added, while plunge pools leave space for dining areas and play areas. They can also "make your garden feel like a place to stay," Ms Messner said.

ImagePlunge pools can "make your backyard feel like a place to stay," said Allison Messner, general manager of landscaping company Yardzen. Here, a Yardzen-designed garden in Austin, TX featuring a Texas Tiny Pools plunge pool. Credit...Texas Tiny Pools for Yardzen Not new. In nature, they take the form of deep pools at the bottom of waterfalls, where erosion creates a natural swimming hole. The ancient Romans installed small circular pools, usually five feet deep, as part of their baths. Tiny pools inspired by the example of the Romans dotted British gardens in the 18th century. In the age of social media, photos of swimming pools at tropical resorts or Greek villas are often widely shared.

Once reserved for the wealthy in the United States, Backyard pools exploded when gunite pools, a type of concrete pool, became more affordable for many homeowners. For a time, the kidney-shaped pool — often eight feet deep at the deep end, with a required diving board — became a symbol of suburban status, especially in Southern California, where neighborhoods were filled of splash fight sounds and Marco Polo games.

Lucas Firmin, a swimming pool builder in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, said that most swimming pools that he builds today are about five feet deep.

Chapman Bullock, co-founder of