IVY STUDIO - LUXURY OUTDOOR LIVING

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Looking back into the last fifteen years of residential swimming pool history, a majority of in ground swimming pools had a diving board. Today the trend has reversed dramatically and we will analyze why the diving board is no longer popular with today’s pool owners.
IVY STUDIO, LLC is an outdoor design and build firm based in Massachusetts and we have seen this declining trend in the pool and spa projects that we have been involved with.
So why have diving boards and diving pools gone the way of the dinosaur? Here are the five main reasons for their demise.
• Safety- in the past, diving boards have contributed to accidents, mainly younger children. Pools are meant to be areas of relaxation and reduced stress and while boards can be entertaining, the added stress and anxiety they bring, negates their utility.
• Play and stay- new pools are generally designed to accommodate a larger surface area to play in, meaning an area where one can stand with their head above water. Playing games has become very popular in pools these days and such activities like volleyball are all but impossible to play with so much water depth needed in a diving pool.
• Insurance- diving pools with diving boards affect the rate of homeowner’s insurance premiums.
• Stiff diving boards- the diving boards of today are not as flexible as the “old boards” of years past and as such, don’t add the spring associated with earlier board models. This is due to the advent of increasing regulations governing modern pool regulations.
• A large pool is needed- to effectively accommodate a diving pool, the pool design needs to meet exacting regulations as far as length and slope profile. Generally, the pool needs to be long enough so that the slope in the mid-section of the pool is far away enough from the board itself to prevent the possibility of someone diving into this part of the pool and experiencing injury.

These reasons generally negate the desires of clients whose children want a diving pool and diving board. Pool safety is paramount and we incorporate a discussion around pool safety as part and parcel of any aquatic project that we are involved in. To find out more about our aquatic design and build services, contact us at 781- 591-0300 or vern@ivystudioMA.com.