Illustrated planning concept · Final design follows field verification and approved project documents
Modern Infinity Edge
Vanishing-edge pool for view lots.
- Size range
- 16' x 35' to 20' x 45'
- Installed investment range
- $165,000 – $260,000
- Best for
- Hillside lots, view properties, modern architecture
Two pages: concept rendering, planning dimensions, option decisions, and verification checklist. No email required.
Start with this conceptAn illustrated starting point
This concept is not a permit, engineering, fabrication, appliance-cutout, code-approval, or construction drawing. Field measurements, selected manufacturer documents and listings, site and utility conditions, required qualified engineering, AHJ/HOA review, approved documents, and the signed scope control the final design. The installed investment range is for planning, not a quote.
About this design
A negative-edge planning concept with polished-concrete bond beam, glass-tile vanishing wall, dark interior and a project-specific catch-basin configuration. Reflectivity and concealment vary with geometry, finish, hydraulics, light and approved details.
Key features
- · Vanishing edge; weir length and location set by the approved design
- · Polished concrete bond beam
- · Dark grey pebble interior for reflection
- · Concealed catch basin with auto-fill
- · Full LED perimeter wash lighting
Equipment & systems
- · Circulation and edge-flow equipment engineered for this geometry from the approved design and hydraulic calculations
- · Heating equipment selected for the approved pool and intended season of use
- · Sanitation approach selected for the approved project
- · Filtration selected and sized from the approved design
- · Automation, monitoring and controls selected with the qualified electrical trade
How this pool is planned
A vanishing-edge concept for a lot with a real view, where water runs over a weir wall into a catch basin below and returns to the pool, so the edge reads as if the water ends at the horizon.
As much a view composition as a swimming pool. It is experienced from the house, the deck and the water looking outward, and the effect depends entirely on where you stand.
Feasibility depends on the site, the view and an engineered elevation and edge strategy. The weir location, finished water elevation and catch-basin position are set by the topography and the sightline, and must be confirmed as a site question before they become a design question.
A vanishing edge is a continuously circulating hydraulic system, not a still pool. Edge flow, catch-basin capacity, circulation, filtration, heating, sanitation and automation are engineered and selected from the approved design, hydraulic calculations and the selected manufacturer's current instructions.
Structural, grading, drainage, permit, barrier and HOA review all apply, and hillside conditions frequently add requirements. Everything is confirmed for this address and this scope before construction.
The edge runs whenever the effect is running, and the weir is the most visible surface on the pool. Mineral film, level tolerance and reachable equipment access all become part of ownership.
Zones and relationships this concept reserves
- AVanishing weir edge
The overflow edge and the wall face the water travels, set by the approved design and the view
- BMain water envelope
The pool body, its depth strategy and its relationship to the house and deck
- CCatch basin and return
The receiving basin below the weir and the return path back to the pool system
- DView deck and approach
Where the effect is viewed from, and the circulation that protects that sightline
- EEquipment pad and service access
Reserved pad space for circulation and edge systems, screening and reachable service
Finish and material decision zones
- Interior finish
- Darker finishes are commonly chosen for reflection; actual reflectivity depends on geometry, light, depth and water condition.
- Weir wall face
- The most-seen surface on the pool, constantly wet — evaluate for mineral film and for how it reads from the view side.
- Bond beam and coping
- The edge detail that makes or breaks the effect; its tolerance requirements come from the approved design.
- Deck surface
- The viewing deck material, its surface temperature and how it frames the water.
Site fit — envelope, utilities and access
- Confirm that the site, view and grade can support the intended vanishing-edge strategy; the edge location and elevation are engineered in the approved design.
- Hillside lots frequently require survey, geotechnical and structural engineering — confirmed for the specific property and AHJ, not assumed.
- Confirm setbacks, the buildable envelope, and any HOA or hillside review that applies to this address.
- Complete Arizona 811 Blue Stake marking and identify overhead lines, underground utilities and easements before excavation.
- Verify excavation, material and equipment access on a sloped lot early; access often drives cost more than the pool does.
- Set grading, drainage, finished elevations, the bond-beam relationship and catch-basin location in the approved design.
Water system and equipment strategy
- Edge flow and catch-basin behavior are engineered for this specific geometry; no universal equipment count, basin volume or edge length applies.
- Circulation, filtration, heating, sanitation, automation and any monitoring are selected together from the approved design and hydraulic calculations.
- Auto-fill and water-level strategy are planned with the edge, because a vanishing edge is unforgiving about level.
- Electrical circuits, bonding and controls are scoped by the qualified electrical trade for the approved equipment.
- Equipment-pad location, clearances and service access follow the selected manufacturer's current instructions and approved documents.
Lock these before ordering and construction
- Whether the site's grade and view genuinely support a vanishing edge
- Where the edge is located and which sightline it is composed for
- Overall concept envelope — length, width and depth strategy as illustrative planning ranges
- Interior finish and how dark you want the reflection to read
- Weir face material and how it will look with mineral film on it
- Catch-basin location, concealment and the service access to it
- Equipment-pad location, screening and the service route to it
Verified before anything is built
- Site feasibility for a vanishing edge — grade, view and the required structural and grading conditions confirmed before design is finalized
- Field-measured site dimensions, property lines, setbacks and finished elevations — confirmed on site, with a survey where the specific property or AHJ requires one
- Overhead and underground utilities, easements and Arizona 811 Blue Stake marking completed before any excavation begins
- Structural, geotechnical and hydraulic engineering for the approved edge and catch-basin detail, where the property or AHJ requires it
- Pump, filter, heating, sanitation, automation and feature loads sized and selected from the approved design, hydraulic calculations and the selected manufacturer's current instructions
- Gas, electrical and structural work — scoped and performed by the qualified trades for this address and this scope, with engineering where the property or AHJ requires it
- Barrier, gate, alarm and safety planning confirmed against current requirements for this address before construction — never assumed from a concept
- Current permit, AHJ and HOA requirements for this address and this scope — confirmed in writing before construction
- Approved documents and the signed scope, which control the final geometry, depths, equipment, finishes, safety features, schedule and price
Living with it — care and seasonal notes
- Valley water is hard. Expect mineral film at the waterline and on any feature the water travels, and plan a cleaning rhythm around the finish you choose.
- A constantly wet weir face shows mineral film first; expect a deliberate cleaning routine on that surface.
- Summer heat, low humidity and wind increase water loss; top-off behavior and auto-fill planning belong in the design, not in the first August.
- The edge effect depends on water level and a clean system — routine attention is part of owning the look, not optional.
Planning this pool in Arizona
- Wind on an exposed view lot affects edge behavior and carries water beyond the basin; evaluate the prevailing direction on site.
- Blown dust and monsoon debris load the skimmer and filter faster in Arizona than most owners expect, especially after a storm.
- Sun and UV age coping, deck and interior finishes differently depending on exposure — surface temperature and glare are worth evaluating on your own lot.
No pool, ledge, bench, cover, gate, fence or barrier replaces active adult supervision. Designate an undistracted adult Water Watcher whenever children are in or near water.
This planning board is a concept-stage tool. It is not permit, engineering, hydraulic, electrical, gas, accessibility, barrier, code-approval, safety-inspection, or construction documentation, and nothing here is an installation instruction. Pump, filter, heating, sanitation, automation and feature loads are sized and selected from the approved design, hydraulic calculations and the selected manufacturer's current instructions. Measured site conditions, total connected load, qualified gas, electrical and structural trades as applicable, current AHJ and HOA requirements, approved documents and the signed scope control the final build.
