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Tips for Choosing the Right Pool Ladders and Stairs
Swimming allows one to relax and stay cool and even doubles as an excellent way to boost and maintain health and fitness, making it a popular pastime. Pools are considered a prized feature in real estate, as they enhance visual appeal when they’re properly maintained. Homeowners often place them in strategic spots, like on the lawn as a focal point or the patio to create a lush paradise.
Swimming pool designs in Atlanta focus on the landscape as well as the structure being built. Along with aesthetics, functionality is key, and no single additional feature impacts usability more than stairs and ladders. Here's how you can choose the right ones
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Identifying Pool Types
Choosing between a staircase and a ladder largely depends on the design. Whether it’s in or above ground makes a difference in what entry method swimming pool contractors use. Adding or working around an existing deck also plays a role.
In Ground Pool
This is one of the first types that come to mind when you think of a pool. It's an excavated pit fitted with a steel shell, covered with tiles or a liner, and filled with treated water. More often than not, stairs are already integrated into the design from the very beginning of the planning and construction process. Depending on how you want them to look, the steps may be straight and even or curved and increasing in size, like a multi-tiered cake.
An in ground type may also have one or more ladders installed around the sides, depending on how large the pool is. Since there's no need to climb over a barrier to get in and out, this additional element only has one leg that's attached to the interior pool wall. In some cases, it comes in the form of indents carved on the side to step on and two steel bars that you can hold onto to exit.
Above Ground Pool
This type is a bit like a freestanding bathtub on the bathroom floor. It's typically delivered to one's doorstep in pieces and put together by a team of experts. Since it doesn't require any digging to create a solid foundation, it's assembled rather quickly, though the ground does need to be leveled first.
For an above ground type that's accompanied by a deck, it's best to go with a one-leg ladder. This is usually attached to an interior wall, allowing the user to go into the water carefully. If this extension isn't present, and the pool is defined by thin barriers, then you should install a two-leg ladder, with its ends planted on either side of the enclosure.
It's also possible to have a staircase added to this kind of pool. Inside steps usually come with built-in handles for your safety and convenience and make entry and exit much easier for people with limited mobility.
Ladder and Stair Materials
Your pool entry and exit accessories can come in a variety of materials, including stainless steel, resin, and plastic. When opting for plastic, you can increase the lifespan by making sure it has a UV inhibitor mixed with it, which will protect it from sun damage. Regular steel is the cheapest to make, but scratching the powdered coat invites rusting. Stainless steel, however, is highly durable, though it is more expensive.
Get in touch with Hilltop Pools and Spas, Inc. to consult the best swimming pool builders in Atlanta. These experts will even give you a free quote for their services.
We have had the privilege of being awarded more than 60 Design Awards in every award category, including custom residential concrete pools, commercial concrete pools, in-ground vinyl liner pools, and major renovations. Hilltop was named one of the “Top 50 Pool Builders in the USA” by Pool and Spa News in 2013-2017. Pool builders across the United States were evaluated in several areas, including the total number of pools built, customer service, certifications, industry involvement, employee retention, as well as advertising and social media presence. Our company was also nationally recognized for customer service and social media. We were the only Georgia company on the list in 2016 and 2017!
We would consider it a privilege to design and construct your project and have you as a member of our “Hilltop Family.”
