Converting an Old Diving Pool in Baton Rouge to a Shallower Design

Written by Big Easy Pool Designs

Can You Convert an Old Diving Pool in Baton Rouge?

Quick Answer: Often, yes, especially on a sound concrete shell. Converting a diving pool in Baton Rouge typically involves building up the floor of the deep end so more of the pool is standing depth, then adding features like a sun shelf or a bench where people actually spend time. Once the deep end gets shallower, the diving board comes out. Because the job changes the structure and the plumbing under the water, it starts with an inspection and a written scope.

Most of the pools we renovate were built by someone else, often decades ago. If yours has a deep end nobody uses, the good news is that a sound shell gives you a lot to work with.

Why Do Owners Convert a Deep End?

Pools built around a diving board were designed for one activity. Families now tend to want room to stand and play in the water. A deep end that takes up a big share of the pool can sit mostly empty while everyone crowds the shallow side. A shallow ledge also gives adults a place to sit in the water on a hot afternoon.

A shallower pool also holds less water. That means less volume to treat and heat, and a smaller body of water is quicker to bring back into balance after a storm or a party.

What Are the Main Conversion Options?

Raising the Deep End Floor

The core of most conversions is building up the floor so the deep section becomes a comfortable depth. How that’s done depends on the shell and what sits below it, which is why the inspection comes first.

Adding a Sun Shelf or Bench

A shallow ledge gives people a place to sit or lounge with water around them, and it’s a natural spot for kids. Benches along a wall do a similar job in less space.

Reworking the Steps

Older pools often have narrow corner steps. Wider steps that double as seating make the whole pool easier to use.

Retiring the Diving Board

If the depth under a board changes, the board has to go. If you want to keep one, the depth and shape under it have to suit diving, so ask your builder and the permit office what applies before you design around it.

What Has to Happen Under the Water?

Drains and Suction Outlets

Changing the floor affects the main drain and anything connected to it. Drains may need to move, and their covers and suction outlets should be checked against current safety requirements while the pool is empty.

The Hydrostatic Relief Valve

Many in-ground pools in Louisiana rely on a relief valve in the floor to protect the shell from groundwater pressure. When the floor changes, that protection has to be carried into the new design. Our guide to building a pool on a high water table explains why it matters.

Lights and Returns

A deep-end light or return fitting may end up in the wrong place once the floor rises. Plan their new positions as part of the design.

The Interior Finish

Structural changes are followed by a new interior surface over the whole pool. Our post on pool remodeling and resurfacing covers finish choices, and it notes that meaningful shape changes are possible on a gunite shell.

How Do You Plan a Conversion in East Baton Rouge Parish?

Start with the permit office for your address. A conversion changes the structure of the pool, so ask what permits and inspections apply before any demolition is scheduled. We pull the permits our work requires.

Think about water on the site, too. The National Weather Service reports that the August 2016 flood was most widespread in East Baton Rouge, Livingston, Ascension, and Tangipahoa parishes. A drained pool and an open work area both deal with rain, so ask how the crew will manage runoff and groundwater while the shell is empty. Conditions vary from one lot to the next, and an honest builder checks yours before promising a schedule.

Finally, check the license. Louisiana requires a license with the Residential Swimming Pools classification when residential pool work is valued over $7,500. Our guide to choosing a pool builder in Baton Rouge explains how to look one up and what the consultation should cover.

Is Conversion Worth It Compared With a New Pool?

If the shell is sound, renovating usually costs less than demolition and a new build. The inspection is what tells you whether the shell qualifies. A conversion also lets you fix tired tile and coping while the pool is down, and our breakdown of what drives pool renovation cost explains how those lines add up.

If the shell has serious structural problems, the answer may change. That’s a conversation to have with the inspection results in hand. For ideas on what a family-friendly layout can include, our recreational swimming pool page is a good reference.

What Should You Ask Before a Conversion Starts?

Bring these questions to the inspection so the written scope answers them.

• Where will the main drain end up, and what cover will it use?
• How will the relief valve protection carry into the new floor?
• What happens to the existing lights and return fittings?
• How long will the shell sit empty, and how is groundwater watched during that window?
• Which finish goes on afterward, and is it priced in the same quote?

A builder who can answer these on the spot has thought through the parts of a conversion that live under the water. If the answers are vague, ask for them in the written proposal before you sign.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a vinyl liner pool with a deep end be converted?

It depends on the wall panels and the floor underneath the liner. Some changes are possible and some aren’t, so the construction type needs to be confirmed on site.

Do I have to remove the diving board?

If the water under it gets shallower, yes. A board only belongs where the depth and shape suit diving.

Will the pool be cheaper to maintain afterward?

Less water generally means less to treat and heat. How much you notice depends on how much volume the conversion removes.

How long does a conversion take?

It depends on the scope and permitting, and weather plays a part. You get a written schedule once the design is approved.

Talk Through a Conversion

We’ll inspect the shell and plumbing, then put a design and a written price in front of you before anything changes.

We handle pool remodeling in Baton Rouge and pool renovation in Baton Rouge across our Baton Rouge service area. Request an inspection or call (504) 688-4066.