We were going to put one of these in, but our PB warned us that there are instances where even the slightest breeze will make the pole rock back and forth. After rocking back and forth over time you can get cracks since the umbrella pole doesn't fit exactly to the sleeve in most cases. They said they put them in all the time, but wanted to let us know that cracks around the umbrella sleeves were not covered by warranty, and if it resulted in structural damage or leaks, it also wouldn't be covered. We didn't want to take a chance. They also told me how small children like to grab onto the pole getting in and out of the pool. Since I have small children, I didn't want to take a chance. But many people on here have them and love them. I don't regret not getting one, because I like the sun anyway and I could always pull over a tilting umbrella for shade if I chose to do so. Plus, I have a bubbler fountain in the center of my sunshelf and decided I didn't want another hole in the shelf.

We love ours! Sometimes, although we may not be swimming, we just go out there and sit in the chairs with the open umbrella - it's very peaceful. We bought an umbrella with solar lights, so at night it actually lights up the sunshelf. We also have two bubblers.
Here is a pic, not a great view, with the umbrella closed:

Thanks. What diameter is your deck hole for that umbrella? Do you use standard umbrellas you'd use on a deck. I can see avoiding wood poles would be wise. The PB said they usually just use a length of schedule 40 PVC to make a sleeve for these holes...did you all use a special sleeve, or just a piece of PVC imbedded in the beach shelf?

Abby - good looking pool you have there. How deep is the water on your sunshelf?

We actually have never left ours in more than a few days. When it's out it has a screw cap that is flush with the plaster. I'm actually surprised at how much we use it. The umbrella came with the original design from the pool builder proposal. No mention of any risk. 18 months later, not a hint of a crack. I now wish we had put various umbrella holes in the hardscape. Hope that helps, Lisa

Various pool supply companies make special umbrella sleeves just for this purpose. I think ours cost a whopping $12. It's a lot more finished of a look than just a piece of PVC pipe. Ours also has a screw cap to put on that is flush with the shelf when there is no umbrella in the sleeve.

I'm not sure what the diameter is, but it's just slightly larger than the pole on our umbrella (I think you can get thicker poles though). We are just using a plain deck umbrella with an aluminum pole.

On super hot, super sunny days, you will appreciate having it. I know it's hard to visualize now, in January...lol

We love ours. It is great for the kids, and I have found that several people who don't want to get wet, find their way to the shelf to sit and stick their feet in the water under the shade. It has been very popular. We take ours out after every use and store it away in the pool box, so cracking shouldn't be an issue.

I highly recommend it and worst case scenario, you don't use the umbrella.

Good luck in your project and happy swimming.

Mike

Yellowfin - Thanks! The sunshelf is 6" deep and measures around 8' x 12'. The umbrella is about 1 1/2" diameter and sits in a 2" piece of pvc that is flush with the sunshelf. The sunshelf is topped with the same travertine as the deck.
Abby

DEFINITELY worthwhile, especially if you get a lot of sun. We have the same umbrella sleeve that Lisa_SanDiego has, which has a cap that you can screw back on when not using it. I've been told by others on this forum that the kind we have is the volleyball sleeve from Waterways. We use ours all the time, and use one of those smaller beach umbrellas (metal pole) that you can find at CostCo. The pole is skinnier than the sleeve, so we wedge in a small piece of plastic (or whatever we can find) to keep the pole steady. If it gets too windy and our umbrella spins around, we just take it out.

There's no structural problems with the umbrella sleeve, but you do want to ask your PB to remind the GUNITE crew to leave a small hole on your baja shelf where the sleeve will go. The PLASTER crew is the group that actually drills the hole and inserts the hole or pvc pipe.

The only downside to our umbrella sleeve was that the plaster guys drilled it a little crooked, so the umbrella doesn't sit straigt in the hole. No biggie, especially sinc we use a smaller umbrella and have something to wedge it in place. When we don't feel like using the sleeve, though, we just put an umbrella/stand next to our baja shelf.

Good luck with your project! -Melissa

In our case, it was the masons that put the sleeve in. No hole was left by the gunite crew at all, and the masons drilled a hole into the gunite. The plaster crew did the finishing work, making sure it was flush.

When they drilled it they asked me what spot I wanted it in, so be sure you are around that day.

If properly installed, I wouldn't worry about a structural problem. Most benches have a substantial amount of gunite and if you hit dirt while coring it would be good to pour a small footing around the sleeve. The biggest down side to sleeves in the benches is that these are ideal places for algae to grow, no circulation and hard to clean. I would suggest that if you have one that you flush it out regularly. Specialty sleeves are made for this purpose and they are very inexpensive.

We considered a hole in our entry but opted instead for an offset unbrella set into the deck. It not only provides shade over the beach entry but can also be rotated 360 degrees and canted. And there isn't anything cheesy about the base and associated hardware.

Here is a link that might be useful: Offset umbrella

Except the offset umbrella costs $600! I'm glad I'm putting an umbrella hole in my pool, then.

Here is my two cents... I put one in the baja-step and five in the deck during our construction. The ones in the deck may be used for volleyball. The ones with the caps look good, are intended for the purpose, and are not expensive, as noted earlier. We put a hole in the bottom of the ones in the deck with some rock below to prevent water accumulation. As long as the cost is not too much, put them in. Even if you never use them it is better to have the choice since you are not likely to spend the money and go through the hassle after the pool is completed.

Here is a link that might be useful: Pool Forum (my blog)

We had the sleeve installed on our baja shelf. We had the shelf designed for our two year old and his little brother (someday) and it is 21" deep from the pool deck. The problem we are experiencing is that every market umbrella retailer is overly concerned with the diameter of the shade, but we need an umbrella that stand a minimum of 11-12 feet tall. Does anyone know where you can get an umbrella with a taller pole or a pole extension?

Abby, I know this is off-topic, but I love the color of your pool. What type of plaster/finish did you do? Is it a colored plaster with a 3M product? Or something else?

Thanks!

Does anyone have an issue with the umbrella not standing straight up in the umbrella hope? Our shelf has a sleeve and cap, but the umbrella leans. Any suggestions on what product might help it stand up straight?

Hi, Meg,

Mine leans, also. I usually wedge a screwdriver in it to keep it straight. We only put it up when needed.

I'm building a new house and pool (done in about 45-60 days) and I'm not putting a hole in the new pool.

Kevin

I’m currently building a new house and pool and decided against the hole in the baja shelf. Two of my friends have pools and their umbrella has been stuck or has been thrown from the pool due to strong winds which damaged the bottom of the pole that goes into the pool hole. I rather buy a mini table that has an umbrella attached to sit in the baja shelf with a few ledge loungers.