Your summer experience only gets better when you have a pool in your yard. Indeed, installing a new pool can elevate your space and provide wonderful opportunities to relax and exercise in the water. Moreover, it can appeal to various homebuyers, increasing your property’s value. However, knowing the right strategies to install one can be challenging for beginners. Here are some helpful tips for building a great backyard swimming pool.
Set Your Budget
It is important to define your swimming pool budget. It can be challenging to precisely estimate your swimming pool's cost; prices vary according to location, soil nature, pool type, and size. Seasons can also impact the final price of your pool installation; contractors usually offer discounts during the off-seasons when business activities are slow. In general, concrete pools are more expensive than vinyl-lined and fibreglass pools. Other factors that could affect your costs include fencing and landscaping, so note these as well.
The owner of Precision Landscaping notes, "Planning a pool installation budget means accounting for everything from excavation to finishing touches—especially when determining the cost to build a pool in Toronto, where factors like seasonal discounts and local materials significantly influence the final price.
Consider the Pool's Proximity to Your House
The distance between your house and the pool is worth considering. For example, setting it up too close to your residence can allow you to extend your living space to make the most out of your indoor and outdoor life. However, you need to always weigh the pros and cons. Installing your pool near your home can create safety concerns as it makes it too easy to access. Also, water splashes can destroy your foundation, so placing your pool close to your building is not advisable.
Determine the Nature of the Land
Is your site really up to the task? Generally, the nature of the land, the size of your site, and the location of your property greatly impact your pool design. Swimming pool installations are easier on level sites, which means construction costs can increase if your site slopes. Besides that, ground conditions, namely high water table, sandy, rocky, and unstable lands, can make construction incredibly difficult. Urban sites may require caution when placing your pool near property boundaries. Kindly note that shading from surrounding buildings or neighbouring trees can limit your ideas about where to fix your pool.
If you have reservations about the site's suitability for construction, ask your builder for expert opinions. You should also avoid setting your pool in a low-land area, which could create flooding issues during heavy rains. Also, building one in a windy zone increases evaporation requiring you to frequently top up the water to the right level. Strong winds, too, can make you less comfortable after swimming. Thus, erecting windbreaks may be necessary if you have this problem.
Factor in Your Privacy
Do you want to use your pool more privately? It’s a good idea to situate it away from busy streets and public places in such cases. Shifting your pool away from the prying eyes of your neighbours may be important for your privacy. Incorporating features like screens can make your pool extra exclusive, so keep this in mind. Building a fence for your residential pool is smart, especially if you have kids. A fence prevents intruders from accessing your facility and reduces the risks of children drowning. Some states have laws ensuring residential pools comply with the appropriate standards. Therefore, consider asking local fence builders for the best solutions. For instance, if you live in Hamilton, you should work with Hamilton fence builders to install a high-quality, safe, affordable fence for your backyard pool.
Understand the Sun and Shade in Your Space
Sun and shade are two core metrics that help determine where to place your pool. You may consider an area that receives enough hours of direct sunlight daily to ensure your pool feels cosy and well-lit. However, for homeowners in hotter climates, excessive sunshine can make temperatures unbearable, not to mention the risks of exposure to more UV rays. A yard space with enough trees may be ideal in such conditions. Alternatively, you can invest in various pool shade solutions such as shade sail and pergola or you could explore the use of solar pool covers bubbles to both capture heat and reduce evaporation.
Consider Maintenance Expenses
The lining accounts for the largest share of your pool maintenance costs. Some concrete pools may require acid-washing after five years and replastering after ten to fifteen years. Vinyl pools may experience punctures, so you should plan for repairs. Fibreglass composite pools would be practical if you want to avoid high maintenance costs. It’s also worth noting that contractors could offer you an extended warranty for these pools.
Define How You Will Use Your Pool
One significant step in planning your pool construction is understanding its primary function. Do you have kids who will want to play in your pool every day? Will you be using your pool for exercise? Or do you want to invite your adult friends to come over for pool parties? The primary function should influence how you design it. If you are a parent who wants a kids-friendly and family-oriented experience with your pool, going with a shallow and basic design is a good idea. Likewise, homeowners who want theirs to serve adults can focus on depth and visual appeal over accessibility.
Prepare for the Changing Seasons
Y can hardly use your in-ground outdoor pool every month of the year if you live in certain places. One essential pool-planning tip to not overlook is ensuring that your water body is built to survive changing seasons, particularly cold winters. Installing a backyard pool with a sturdy foundation that won’t crack in cold seasons is advisable. Make sure it can be well-drained before the water freezes. Investing in heavy-duty pool covers that can withstand snow and ice build-up is a smart strategy, so keep this in mind.
Install Plants Around Your Pool
An ideal pool design should complement your landscaping rather than contrasting it. It is ecologically friendly to build a garden bordering your pool with plants that blend with it. Flowers, trees, and shrubs can complement the blue colour of the pool, making the place look amazing effortlessly. Planting thick bushes near your pool may also be worth the effort to increase your privacy. At the same time, it helps to realise that not all plants are great for your pool. For example, you may want to avoid planting things that can stress your pool filter. Trees that shed many leaves can cause litter to clog your drains and filters. Consider choosing evergreens to avoid leaves littering your poolside.
Consider Your Pool Shape
While many in-ground pools take rectangular shapes, yards that are not flat enough may not suit this design. Also, if you love working around your garden beds, this can affect the size and shape of your pool. Thankfully, there are several ways to mould your in-ground pool: circular, semi-circular, and triangular designs can be great alternatives depending on the shape or slope of your yard. These shapes can equally work better according to your needs, so feel free to opt for a nonstandard option to customise your pool design as you want it.
Check Local Laws and Safety Requirements
Local authorities can dictate your pool placement. For example, you may not have the right to set up your pool close to locally protected trees or within specific building lines. Learning from your pool contractor about the local laws and safety regulations that can impact your design is important. Call your plumber to inspect your proposed site before you begin construction. Plumbers can identify issues like water lines or sewage pipes below the surface. While at it, watch out for overhead power lines and conduct a proper survey to avoid problems.
Choose an In-Ground or Above-Ground Pool
Another factor worth considering is in-ground or above-ground pool design. Although soil excavation and removal can be expensive, in-ground pools have a more permanent look than their above-ground counterparts. Building an above-ground pool can be faster and easier for homeowners with steep sites. However, installing an above-ground fibreglass pool with a surrounding deck can be tricky, so you will want to talk to professional contractors.
Choose the Right Sanitiser
You need a good sanitiser to kill contaminants like bacteria and algae in your swimming pool. The three main EPA-certified swimming pool sanitisers are chlorine, PHMB (polyhexamethylene biguanide), and bromine. Chlorine is the most common option, so you may want to use this popular chemical to kill germs in your pool. As an effective oxidizer, chlorine dissolves well in water, and there are several types of chlorine sanitisers in the market to choose from, such as liquid chlorine, gaseous chlorine, and trichlor. You should note that testing your pool water before adding additional sanitisers is important. Keeping your pool pH between 7.2 and 7.8 would be best, with the alkalinity hovering around 80-120 ppm. Maintain the right chemical balance in your pool by testing the water multiple times weekly.
Installing a pool can boost comfort while increasing your home’s value. Moreover, it’s a great place to host friends and family for a get-together. Therefore, apply these tips to build a healthy pool in your backyard.
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