Building a pool

Before you start building a pool, think about...

Building a pool is hard work, but maybe not the way people think, before they try it. The hardest part is all the decisions you and your family have to make. 

To get knowledge about everything is time-consuming but can save you a lot of money and keep you from getting problems. If you are going to build the pool yourself and have never done it before, it could be a good thing to hire a pool supervisor. He can help you find subcontractors, make sure the work is done correctly before they leave and even help you with start up. It is a lot cheaper to hire a pool supervisor then to let a pool company build your pool.

The first task you have to tackle is how you want it to look. If you’re building it yourself the only thing that is holding you back, except money, is your imagination. It could look like anything you want. Even if you are going to let a pool company build your pool, you can bring your drawing and decision to the seller. He will be delighted when he sees that you made half of his job, and you will be able to have a deeper discussion about your pool and your needs.

Here are the things you have to make a decision on:

• Size: is the pool to cool off in, or for exercise
• Depth: 6 feet play pool or 9 feet diving pool or something in between
• Shape: so many to choose from
• Water features: slide, grotto, waterfall, planters, boulders, walls; real or artificial
• Spa, or not
• Mosaics: expensive but make the pool look more unique
• Tile: there are tons of different ones
• Interior: different kind of size, color, and brand of pebbles or plaster
• Lights: cheap or more efficient LED lights with light shows
• Pumps; cheap and simple, or expensive and efficient
• Cleaning; in floor, or some kind of vacuum cleaner
• Filter: sand, cartridge, or DE
• Heater: gas, electric, or even solar
• Control panel: cheapest one outside, remote or a panel inside
• Chloride or Saltwater pool
• Decking: the decking doesn't have to be regular acrylic lace, it can look like any stone and still be made of concrete
• Holes for: umbrellas, basketball hoop, volleyball net, you name it
• Mist system: yes, you can have a mist system around your pool
• Fence, or not. Some cities require it.

Building a pool is a lot of work and there are a lot of decisions to make. If you are going to hire the subcontractors yourself there are even more, a lot more. I will come back and give advise through all these steps and tell you more about them, so it is easier for you to make good decisions.