Many homeowners will initiate the pool planning process by looking through tile finishes and waterfall features. This is where you should start. Before you make any design decisions, however, you need a blueprint of what’s actually beneath your backyard, because that’s what will determine your budget and your timeline.
A soil analysis determines soil stability, slope gradient, underground utilities, and any easements that limit where a structure can be built. Skip it, and you could find out that you have a rock shelf or high water table post-excavation, adding tens of thousands of unexpected costs to a project with a signed contract. Do the survey first. Then choose your tiles.
Vet Contractors For Local Knowledge, Not Just Photos
Looking at a portfolio is one thing. Other than confirming that a builder has experience, the portfolio won’t give you a clear idea of whether they’re a good fit for your particular build. As we’ve said, soil types, site access, elevation, and even sunlight angles can all be unique on Sydney’s various north shore building sites. When comparing pool builders sydney with genuine local concrete experience, ask them about their direct experience with your area’s soil type and geological conditions, as well as the specifics of your property.
Permits Aren’t Paperwork They’re Your Project’s Foundation
Many people believe that you obtain council approval while the bulldozers are already in action. You do not. A Development Application needs to be lodged, assessed, and approved before you turn the first sod. In many areas, engineering certs and soil reports are required to submit with your DA and to be approved in their own right pre-DA.
Stoppages due to lost permits don’t just slow your project, they also cost you direct in fines and the potential need to ‘make good’ on partially built or fully completed construction. If the contractor tries to get you to sign a contract before permits are approved you may not have the right contractor. Then check your title for easements. An easement for drainage or utilities can wipe out a prime pool position, so you want to know that up front rather than six months in.
Plan the Build Sequence, Not Just the Pool
Installation of a concrete pool, whether using shotcrete or gunite, is not a small project. According to the Swimming Pool & Spa Association (SPASA) most builders will generally complete construction within a 12- to 24-week timeframe from the time you sign on the dotted line to when you are ready to take your first swim. So, if you’ve put your hand up for a December swim, that planning needs to be well underway.
There will be times during construction when access for machinery will be necessary through your property or around difficult areas. If you have live landscaping, have recently erected a new fence or there is limited access down the side of your property, it will be necessary for the pool builder to access the site. If the fence is going up or plants are being installed down the side of the yard on another side, machinery may not have anywhere to travel. Ensure new fences and garden side work are completed after the pool shell is finished and machinery is off site.
The same principles apply to hydraulics and filtration requirements. The pool builder will need to know where the pump and filter are going before the concrete gun goes off or the spa core is poured, not when the landscaper has completed alfresco arrangements and expects the pool builder to insert what he needs and remove the modifications the other trade has engaged to complete.
Choose Materials For the Long Run, Not Just the Day of Completion
The surface edging of a pool, also known as pool coping, is a design aspect that has both aesthetic and functional significance. When pool coping materials are not designed to withstand the chemical content of the pool water, it can deteriorate soon after installation and become a significant maintenance cost. This is particularly true with saltwater pools, as the coping and the deck may experience faster erosion and degradation if the materials used are not suitable for a saltwater environment.
Similarly, the selection of waterproofing membranes and/or special pool shell renders and membrane systems is critical because their failure may not become apparent until the surrounding walls start to show moisture damage or water undercuts the pool and forces liner replacement or a pool rebuild.
Orientation is a Design Decision With Real Consequences
Before you finalize where the pool will sit on your site, go out and stand in your backyard at 9am, 12pm, 3pm, 6pm, and 9pm. Where does the sun sit on the property at those times? This can change dramatically from April to September, which is when you use a pool.
Where does the prevailing wind usually come from at 3pm? Where does the snowdrift accumulate in January? Where do the mosquitoes live?
Get the pool siting right, and you’ll use it plenty. Get it wrong, and it’s a blue hole in your backyard.