What is a vanishing edge, and how does it work?
One wall of the pool is built slightly lower than the rest and finished as a weir. Water flows over it in a thin sheet and drops into a catch basin, a narrow trough built below the edge. A pump sends the water from the basin back into the pool, so the sheet keeps running as long as the system is on.
From the deck you see water meeting the sky or the tree line. From below you see a wall with water sliding down its face. Both views get designed, because on a sloped lot the low side is often visible from a lower terrace or the yard beneath it.
Why does a vanishing edge call for gunite instead of fiberglass?
A fiberglass shell comes out of a factory mold, so its outline, depth and edges are fixed before it reaches your yard. Gunite is built in place. A cage of steel reinforcing bar is tied to the plan, plumbing is set through it, and concrete is sprayed over the whole thing and shaped by hand. That is what makes freeform curves, raised spas, grottos, beach entries and a weir wall possible.
The trade-off is time and upkeep. A gunite build runs longer than a fiberglass install, because the shell has to cure before the interior finish goes on, and that finish will need renewing someday. Our gunite pools page sets the two methods side by side.
Does my Franklin lot suit a vanishing edge?
The strongest candidates have a natural drop on one side and something to look at past it. Franklin sits on both sides of the Harpeth River, and where a lot falls toward the water, a pasture or woods, an edge on that side frames the view. A flat lot can still take one, but the basin then has to be sunk below grade or the pool raised, and the effect reads more like a water feature than a horizon.
On the site visit we check soil, grade and drainage before anything is drawn, and we stand where you’ll sit to see what the edge would actually face. A neighbor’s roofline is not a horizon.
The edge changes the hardscape as well. The deck wraps three sides of the pool, and the fourth side is water, so anyone crossing the yard needs a route around it. We plan steps or a path down to the lower level, which also gives you a way to reach the catch basin when it needs cleaning.
Which features get built into a gunite shell during construction?
Anything that needs plumbing or extra structure is easiest to place while the steel is still exposed. In a gunite pool that includes:
- the weir wall and catch basin for a vanishing edge;
- a raised spa that spills into the pool;
- a grotto framed under a rock waterfall;
- a beach entry that slopes in gradually from the deck;
- benches and a tanning ledge shaped to the plan.
Why does that matter for the finished pool?
Lines and fittings set before the spray become part of one continuous shell, which is cleaner than cutting into cured concrete later. Our project gallery includes The Palm Oasis in Franklin, filmed from above: a round spa beside a curved tanning ledge with two loungers on it.
What rules still apply around a vanishing-edge pool?
A vanishing edge changes the look, and the safety rules stay the same. Tennessee law bars a local government from issuing a residential pool permit unless a pool alarm is planned (Tenn. Code § 68-14-805), and Franklin’s posted guidance applies that to pools 36 inches deep or more.
The city’s published barrier guidance also says the pool can’t hold water until the permanent barrier is in, and that no opening in the barrier may let a 4-inch sphere through. Where the edge faces a drop, the fence line has to account for that low side too. We draw the enclosure with the pool, so it never ends up cutting across the view. The Franklin service area page covers the city’s permit process.
How should the deck and seating be planned around the edge?
An edge only pays off if the seating faces it. We lay out the deck, steps and coping with the pool, using our custom hardscaping work for the surround. When a covered kitchen or seating area is in the plan, our outdoor living design places it looking out over the water instead of at the equipment pad. When you’re ready to walk your lot with us, ask for a consultation.