How much does it cost to turn a play pool into a diving pool? (apartment, insurance)

[gtaz]

A house I’m looking at buying has a play pool and I would like know an estimate on the cost for making in deeper.

[ReadyFreddy]

It's probably not much cheaper than making a diving pool where no pool exists. You still need to dig, rebuild, re-plumb, resurface.

[pbenjamin]

Actually I would think that it would cost more than starting from scratch. Seems like you would have to remove most of what is there first and then build a new pool.

[miran]

How deep does the pool need to be in order for it to be safe for diving?

[observer53]

The ones built more recently are 8 1/2 feet at the deep end. The pool in the house I grew up in was 10' deep at the deep end.

To me, it would not be worth the cost. Most use pools for lap swimming and getting wet, for which a play depth pool is enough. And, they are easier to keep clean.

[ReadyFreddy]

I think they might be safer, too?

A lot of people now build fake rock formations into their pool perimeter and the kids jump off those into the pool. A lot of times they have slides and fountains and even hidden grottos underneath. I think it's a lot prettier than a diving board and probably just as fun, or more. Some things you can only do off a board, though. I think in today's new pools, diving boards aren't common.

[maverick974]

If you have a diving pool, most insurance companies have a problem with that. Particularly if you have a diving board. They don't like that at all.

[SluggoF16]

Originally Posted by maverick974

If you have a diving pool, most insurance companies have a problem with that. Particularly if you have a diving board. They don't like that at all.

It was the first question my insurance company asked and that was over 20 years ago. My pool in TUS was not a diving pool. The one in my back yard as a kid was, however, bult in 1964 with a diving board. Don't know how it affected insurance. I haven't seen an apartment or community pool with a diving board in many years.

To deepen a pool requires removal of the shell. This is easy if the pool is fiberglass but since the majority seem to be gunite under plaster then the whole thing needs to come out. The demolition alone would be a lot of money, depending on the equipment used and thickness of the shell. If you've ever priced haul-out and environmental reclamation of concrete with rebar, it adds up fast. Then the hole needs to be deepened and while there would be some savings over a fresh excavation, I don't suspect it would be a lot.

Once the hole's widened and deepened, then the new shell is reinforced, gunited in and plastered over with new plumbing (might be able to use the old plumbing but might as well upgrade to a newer and more energy-efficient motor, pump and filter).

In the end, while the demolition and waste removal would probably not quite equal the cost of a new pool, it's going to be close... anywhere from 50-75% of a whole new one, and then there's the new construction which requires a greater volume of gunite (or shotcrete, another name for it) and likely costs more than an equivalent 5 to 6 foot deep pool. In effect it's almost like buying a pool-and-a-half or even two.

[observer53]

Between the costs and the insurance issues, I'd be happy with the play pool if I were you, if you otherwise want the house.

[SluggoF16]

On the plus side, a deeper pool means more water and higher water and chemical bills. But at least if there's an algae infestation, there's more work to be done.

Yeah, I'd stick with the existing smaller pool. (From a former pool guy who did that kind of thing for a living)