Entries are the part of a pool design that gets the least attention on the drawing and the most use in real life. Kids sit on them. Adults stand on them with a drink. Grandparents rely on them. The entry decides whether the pool is easy to get into for everyone and how much of the water is left for actually swimming.
Corner steps
Steps tucked into one corner of the shallow end are the most space-efficient option. They take a wedge out of one corner and leave the rest of the width free. They are the default on small in-town lots around Greensboro and Winston-Salem where every foot of swimming length matters, and they work well paired with a bench elsewhere.
Full-width steps
Steps that run the entire width of the shallow end look generous and are easy for a crowd to use. They also cost a few feet of pool length, so on a lot where the pool is already short they can make the swim area feel like a wading area. Where there is room, they are the most comfortable everyday entry there is.
Wedding-cake and radius steps
Semicircular steps stacked like tiers give a freeform or classic look and are easy to sit on from several directions. They project into the pool rather than across it, so the impact on swim length is moderate. They pair naturally with freeform shapes.
Benches
A bench is a submerged seat along a wall, usually in the deep end or along a long side. It is where adults end up during a pool party. Benches are inexpensive to add during construction because they are just formed into the shell, and they make a pool with no shallow lounging area far more usable. Add a bench where the afternoon shade falls, and it will be the most used seat in the yard.
Tanning ledges
A ledge is a flat shelf a few inches deep, big enough for a pair of loungers, with a step down into the pool. It is the most popular addition we build and the most practical way to get shallow lounging without giving up swim depth. Our post on tanning ledges covers depth, size, bubblers and umbrella sleeves.
Beach entries
A true zero-entry pool slopes from the deck into the water with no step at all. It is the most accessible entry possible, a delight for toddlers and older swimmers, and the one that costs the most space. A comfortable slope needs a long run to reach useful depth, which eats a large share of the footprint. On a big lot in Oak Ridge or Summerfield it can be stunning. On a typical subdivision lot it is usually the wrong trade. The shallow slope is also the warmest, stillest water in the pool and needs more brushing than anywhere else.
Matching the entry to how the pool will be used
- Young kids: a ledge or a wide shallow step area where they can sit and play in inches of water, in the parent's sightline.
- Lap swimming: corner steps only, and keep the length. See lap pools for fitness for what a swimmable pool needs.
- Entertaining: a bench along the long wall and a ledge at one end. The pool becomes a place to be, not just to swim.
- Aging in place: steps with a generous tread and a handrail, or a beach entry where space allows.
Details that matter on any entry
Tread depth should be comfortable for a foot, not a tiptoe. The nosing of each step should be marked with a contrasting tile line so it is visible under water. A handrail should be planned for, even if it is not installed now, so the anchor is set in the deck. And every step, bench and ledge is a low-circulation spot; a return jet aimed across it keeps the water moving and the algae down.
Entries are decided early because they are built into the shell. If you want to talk through options for your yard, book a free consultation. We design and build custom pools throughout the Triad, from High Point to Elon, and we start every design by asking who will be getting in and how.