Award-winning vanishing-edge and infinity pools, engineered for Arizona’s hillsides and views.
A vanishing edge is the most demanding detail in residential pool construction, and the most rewarding. Water spills over an edge set so precisely that the surface seems to run straight into the view, then falls into a hidden catch basin and returns to the pool. Our vanishing-edge work has earned three PHTA International Awards of Excellence: Gold in 2022 and two Bronze awards in 2025.
Morris Pools is a family-owned vanishing-edge pool builder based in the East Valley of Arizona. We design and build infinity pools for hillside estates in Paradise Valley, foothill lots in Scottsdale and Cave Creek, and view properties across Phoenix, always in concrete and always engineered before excavation begins.
Also called an infinity or negative edge. One or more sides spill into a catch basin below, so the pool reads as one plane with the horizon. It is at its best where the land falls away to a view of Camelback, the McDowells or the valley lights.
Water spills over every edge into a concealed channel and sits flush with the deck as a still, reflective surface. One of our 2025 PHTA Bronze winners is a black-tile knife-edge pool that mirrors the modern farmhouse behind it.
A raised spa whose edge spills into the pool below, often clad in glass tile or mosaic. In Scottsdale we have carried a hand-set Greek key mosaic from the waterline straight up onto a raised infinity-edge spa.
The edge you see is the last few millimeters of a system designed long before the first shovel hits the dirt.
Water doesn’t lie. A spillover edge has to be level to within 1/16 of an inch across its full length, or the water channels to the low spot and the sheet breaks. We get there with a dead-level bond beam, tile set to laser-checked elevations and a final wet test before we call it done.
The basin below the edge holds the water running over it and the water swimmers displace, while keeping enough in reserve for the pump. We size it for the pool, the length of the edge and the way you will use it, and plan how it refills and drains.
Flow rate, weir length and pumps are calculated before excavation, with dedicated plumbing for the edge. Too much volume and the water breaks into white water; too little and it clings to the wall. The right balance gives one clean, silent sheet.
Monsoon winds push water across the surface and dry desert air evaporates it fast, so edge orientation, basin capacity and the fill system are designed for both. On a slope, the vanishing wall is an engineered structural wall, coordinated with grading and drainage and finished to be seen.
The best vanishing edges face a view, which usually means a slope, and slopes bring review. In Paradise Valley, the Town’s Hillside Building Committee reviews pools on hillside-designated property, including disturbance, grading and drainage, height, lighting and materials. In north Scottsdale, many lots border Natural Area Open Space that the pool, deck and equipment must stay out of. In Phoenix, lots with slopes of 10% or more need an approved grading and drainage plan before building plans are reviewed.
We design to follow the natural grade rather than flatten it, and prepare the plans and submittals each city requires.
Three PHTA International Awards of Excellence in the Residential Pools with a Vanishing Edge category, verified on phta.org. See all nine on our awards page.
Residential Pools with a Vanishing Edge
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Residential Pools with a Vanishing Edge
View the PHTA 2025 winners (opens in a new tab) ↗
Residential Pools with a Vanishing Edge
View the PHTA 2025 winners (opens in a new tab) ↗No. A vanishing edge is most dramatic where the land falls away to a view, but a perimeter-overflow pool, where water spills over every edge and sits flush with the deck, is just as striking on a flat lot. We'll show you which suits your site.
There is more to look after: a catch basin, a dedicated pump and water that is always moving, so evaporation and water chemistry need closer attention in the Arizona heat. Good engineering keeps daily care simple, and our weekly pool service team can take care of it for you.
Sometimes, but it means structural work on the shell, a new catch basin and new hydraulics, so it is closer to a new build than a remodel. We evaluate the existing pool on site and tell you honestly whether converting it or starting fresh makes more sense.
Often, yes. Paradise Valley's Hillside Building Committee reviews pools on hillside-designated property, Phoenix requires an approved grading and drainage plan on lots with slopes of 10% or more, and north Scottsdale lots may border protected desert (NAOS). We prepare the plans and submittals each city requires.
Construction of a custom pool typically takes about 4 to 6 months once permits are approved, depending on size, features and weather. Allow extra time for design and approvals on hillside lots. You get a target timeline before construction begins.
Call (480) 284-4296 or email info@morrispools.com
Book a Design ConsultationTell us about your project and we’ll get back to you within one business day. Prefer to talk? Call (480) 284-4296.
