How to plan your pool
1. Obtain necessary building permits. Your city may require you to have a residential building permit to build a swimming pool on your property. You can usually apply for a residential building permit on the website of the local department of construction and safety.
2. Choose a suitable location for the swimming pool. Assign the most appropriate part of your new pool. Most families have swimming pools in their backyards, although you can put them aside if you have enough space to play.
Think about where your pool will go. Installing swimming pools in certain areas may require you to add or remove other outdoor facilities, such as trees or fenced sections, which will increase project costs.
Depending on where you decide to put the pool, your choice of overall pool size may be limited.
3. Come up with a basic design for your pool. Think about how you want your new pool to look. Do you like circle, square or rectangle? How deep is it? How many entrances and exits does it have? These are important details that you need to discuss with your contractor before the project starts.
Most home swimming pools come in standard sizes, such as 10 feet (3.0 meters) x 20 feet (6.1 meters), 15 feet (4.6 meters) x 30 feet (9.1 meters) and 20 feet (6.1 meters) x 40 feet (12 meters), and may be between 4-15 feet (1.2-4.6 meters) deep.
Keep in mind that the more complex your pool design, the higher the total cost.
4. Use concrete to lay the foundation for your pool to ensure its durability. Most residential swimming pools use one of three surface materials: cast concrete, fiberglass, or vinyl. Concrete is the most durable, but also the most expensive. It is often the best choice for large pools, which are designed as permanent additions to the exterior of the home.
If you want your pool to be heavily used, investing in long-term materials like concrete can reduce long-term maintenance costs.
In some cases, a well maintained concrete pool can also increase the resale value of your home.
5. Purchase molded fiberglass cell for easy installation. Fiberglass pools are most often sold as single prefabricated units. This makes it easy for them to be put in, because all the construction workers have to do after excavating your site is to put them in place, and then backfill around them. Fiberglass also provides the best balance of durability and economy.
For saltwater swimming pools, you'll like fiberglass or vinyl lining because salt will wear the concrete over time.
6. If you want to spend less, go to a vinyl lined swimming pool. The vinyl pool liner is basically a large, smooth sheet, shaped to fit the entire pool profile. They are by far the most economical choice to decorate a family swimming pool. The main disadvantage is that they wear much faster than fiberglass and concrete.
Another disadvantage of Vinyl Pool linings is that they are prone to blistering, wrinkling and running. This means that they may need to adjust regularly to maintain their attractive appearance.
7. Search for affiliated contractors in your area and compare your options carefully. You will want to select a professional with a valid contractor license to show that they are qualified to install the pool. Having at least a few years of experience building swimming pools is also an advantage.
