Fiberglass pools with tanning ledges and benches

They are all shallow parts of the shell, and the names get mixed up, so here is how Liberty Composites, the manufacturer whose pools we install, uses them.

• A tanning ledge is a wide, flat shelf with only a few inches of water over it. Liberty's add-on ledges are 10 inches deep. You lie on it, set a chair on it or let small kids splash on it.
• Swim-up seating is a molded bench along a wall or corner, at sitting height under the water. It is for sitting partly submerged and talking.
• A wading area is like a ledge with more water, which Liberty puts at roughly 14 to 18 inches. It suits small children and anyone who wants to sit fully in the water.
• Safety ledges are narrow footholds below the waterline along the walls, somewhere for a child learning to swim to rest.

These are some of the models in the lineup we install that Liberty lists with a tanning ledge. Sizes are Liberty's published specs, which can vary by up to 3 percent.

Our published package prices for some of these are the Enrichment 9x17 at $68,400, the Hero 12x26 at $74,900, the Anthem 14x30 at $90,200 and the Heavenly 16x38 at $101,300. Each package includes the Pentair pump, DE filter, a pool heater and LED lights, a 4 foot concrete wrap deck, startup and installation.

If you like a model that does not have a ledge, Liberty makes two separate ledge options that are set alongside the pool. The Purity measures about 7 feet 8 inches by 15 feet 8 inches, and the Symmetry about 8 feet 4 inches by 16 feet. Both hold roughly 10 inches of water.

An add-on ledge gives you more flexibility in where the ledge sits and how big it is, and the pool keeps its full swimming area. The trade-offs are a larger total footprint, a little more plumbing and deck work, and one more joint in the design. We price add-on ledges from the 3D design, since the cost depends on the model pairing and the deck around it.

Nearly every Liberty design has some swim-up seating. A few make it the main event. The Compassion 12.23 and 12.26 have full-length swim-up seating along one side, which turns a mid-size rectangle into a long in-water sofa. The Stature 13.23 and 13.37 pair full-width entry steps with built-in seating. The Devotion and Victory freeforms curve their seating around the shallow end.

Benches are the feature adults end up using most. Kids swim laps around the parents, the parents sit where the water is at chest height, and nobody has to climb out to talk. If your pool will be the place where neighbors gather on a Friday night, count the seats before you count the feet of swimming length.

Yes. Liberty's Deluxe versions combine shallow features with a built-in spa. The Heavenly 14 Deluxe, 13 feet 10 inches by 32 feet, adds a built-in spa to the tanning ledge and swim-up seating of the Heavenly 14. The Hero Deluxe and Relaxation Deluxe put a spa into the Hero and Relaxation shapes, and the Unity Deluxe is a 16 by 35 foot freeform with generous ledges and a built-in spa about 3 feet deep.

For an Ohio yard this is an appealing package, because the spa gives you somewhere warm to sit in April, October and on cool summer nights, while the ledge covers the sunny afternoons. The catch is that every shallow feature takes water away from open swimming. On a Deluxe model, check how much standing and swimming area is left once the spa and ledge are accounted for, especially if you have kids who want to play games.

Because the shallowest water warms first. Northeast Ohio does not get a lot of sun compared with the southern states. NOAA's comparative climate data put Cleveland at 64 percent of possible sunshine in June and 66 percent in July, and Akron-Canton averages only about seven clear days a month from June through August. Ten inches of water on a ledge picks up that sun fast, and on a cool late-May afternoon it may be the only part of an unheated pool that feels pleasant.

Where the ledge sits matters as much as whether you have one. Put it where it catches afternoon and early evening sun, which is when most people are home to use it. Keep it away from the side shaded by the house or a tree line. If the model you like has its ledge at the wrong end for your yard, the pool can often be flipped or turned in the design, or an add-on ledge can go where the sun is.

It depends on the model. An automatic cover runs in straight tracks across the whole water surface, including any ledge, so the shape has to allow it. Liberty flags several ledge models as auto cover ready, including the Compassion 12.26, the Heavenly 14 and 16 and the Enrichment plunge pools. In Ohio we push covers hard, because they keep heat in overnight and keep leaves out, so if a cover is on your list, check the auto cover ready tag before you fall for a particular ledge layout.

A ledge or wading area is a good place for small children to play, and it also sits right next to deeper water. The edge where the ledge drops off into the main pool is where a toddler can slip from ankle-deep to over their head in one step. Treat the ledge as part of the pool, not a separate kiddie pool, and keep an adult watching the whole time.

Pick one adult as the water watcher whenever kids are in, someone who is not on a phone or cooking, and back that up with a proper barrier and alarms. Safety ledges along the walls give a child a place to grab and rest, and textured steps help with footing. None of that replaces supervision and swim lessons.

A molded ledge uses part of the shell's footprint that could otherwise be swimming water. On a 14 by 30 foot pool with an end-to-end ledge, the swim area is noticeably shorter than the outside dimension suggests. For a family that mostly sits, plays and lounges, that is a good trade. For someone who wants to swim real laps, look at the ledge length on the plan before choosing, or pick a longer model.

Ledge furniture is the other consideration. Chairs made for sitting in a few inches of water need to be stored when the pool closes for winter, and they can get in the way of a cover. Plan a spot for them.

They are part of the same gelcoat shell as the rest of the pool, so they age the same way: well, if the water chemistry is kept in range. Latham's Liberty warranty requires weekly water testing and lists target ranges such as pH 7.2 to 7.6 and total alkalinity 80 to 120 ppm. Ledges get the most sun and the most foot traffic, so they are where you will first notice chalky film or staining if the water is neglected.

One detail worth knowing: the warranty treats the top of any wall between the pool and a built-in spa or tanning ledge as part of the pool's beam, which it expects to be covered by coping or deck. Cosmetic marks there are not warranty items. That is one more reason the coping and deck details around a ledge deserve attention in the design.

Start with how your household spends time in the water, then choose the shallow features before the length. We design every pool in 3D on your lot before anything is dug, so you can see where the ledge falls in relation to the sun, the house and the patio, and compare a built-in ledge model with an add-on ledge side by side.