by Victor K. de Fontenay
PRELIMINARIES
 
PRELIMINARIES
- 1.1 Pool Usage - Why we are Building the Pool - This needs careful consideration as the wrong style or size pool could be regreted 10 years down the track. Always remember that the children who are now 4 or 5 will be 14 or 15 in ten years & may not want to use the pool & may not be around to look after it. They may want it deep now but when you the parents get older, you will want the pool for exersice, relaxation, & easy maintainance. A nice 1.2M flat bottom is much easier & more useful.
- 1.2 Life Changes in Owning a Pool or Spa. Consider the work involved in maintaining the pool. (only about 2 hours a week but who will do it). You will need to be much more aware of who is in your yard, even if the pool is fenced. You will possibly have a lot more of your children's friends around, do you want to handle that. Who will look after the pool when you go on holidays.
- 1.3 Regulations - There are now many regulations regarding owing a pool, these include, Building regulations, Fencing regulations, Insurance Regulations, you will need to check these with your local council & if need be, obtain a copy of the Australian Standards for these areas.
- 1.4 Position/Location - A pool close to the house is easy to watch over & nice to roll out the door into in the morning but it is very noise when there are 10 children clowning around in it. A pool set out in the garden needs to be able to be seen some how even if it is fenced to give some control of usage but can make it better for entertaining to open up the yard.
- 1.5 Type of Pool - Do you want a concrete, fibreglass, Vinyl Liner pool, It all depends a lot on Budget but it can also be controlled by the ground you are building in or on & also by the relitave value of the pool to the value of the house.
There is no sensibility in building a 10M fibreglass pool worth $22,000 in a mansion worth $200,000. You are better to build an 8M Fully tiled concrete pool which will blend more with the property. Similarly don't build a $40,000 luxury pool in a $100,000 house as the resale value will never be there. If you are happy to have a fixed shape which you believe you can fit into your area then the Pre moulded Fibreglass pool maybe for you. If you want to do all the construction with your own hands the consider an Inground Kitform Vinyl Liner Pool.
If you want to blend with the property either freeform or straight lines then possibly the sprayed concrete construction is for you. - This is the type I will be discussing through out this paper.
DESIGNING POOL & SURROUNDS
2.1 POOL DESIGN:
The design of the pool is influenced by a number of items:
- The Land in which you wish to construct the pool, eg On a large property you can locate the pool well away from the house as a seperate identity, while in a small property you will need to relate the pool more to the house as it may have to be close or adjoining the house structure.
Also if the pool is set out in the yard a freeform style design possibly with a more natural set of finishers may blend in well, while if the pool is close to the house it may need to have more formal lines to match the house lines.
- The Type of People who will predominately be using the pool, EG: Adults with young children or elder adults, or children-teenagers. In most cases the depth of the pool will be determined by the long term use. If you have a large family then some deeper 1.5-2.0M depth could be good for playing games in, but if you consider its use for 20 years when the parents are the only ones using it & they are older then possibly a 1.2-1.4M overall depth would be better.
- The Possibility of Enclosing the Pool, due to weather etc. This could be necessary in colder climates to obtain long term usage. In this case the pool may be better set closer to the house to take advantage of one or more walls. Also consider partial covers with open sides to reduce UV damage to the users.
- The Budget for the Pool. Most people would want the most elegant pool possible but it is always controlled by money. My only comment here is go for a smaller pool with better quality equipment & finishers rather than using your dollars to get the biggest possible area. Never take the lowest price on construction. Go for the No2 or 3.
2.2 POOL FINISHES:INTERNAL
- TILES:
These are the most expensive but do give the longest lasting finish if applied correctly & the correct tiles chosen for the paticular application. There are now a number of different types of material for tiles used in pools:
- Ceramic Tiles
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Either 150x150mm or 100x100mm 0r 75x75mm plain colour or pattened, or Moasic tiles on sheets in plain or pattened colours,
- Glass Moasic
Tiles which can provide a very expensive look to the pool.
- Plastik: Tiles
These are a plastic extruded tile which is laid as tiles were many years ago where in the adhesive (white cement or colored CTF) is placed on the back of the tile & then the tile set in place, the adhesive also acts as the grout.
- PEBBLE
The use of small evenly colored pebble set in white or grey cement has become a very much used system in the last 10 years. Its predominance has been brought about by the want for the "Natural Look" pool. The use of pebble is much less costly but the upkeep is greater because of its uneven textured surface.
- MARBLESHEEN - MARCITE
A Mixture of marble dust & white cement, the system has been used for many years to provide a long term medium cost attractive finish to hundreds of thousands of pools around the world. It has lost fasion over the last five years due to the lower cost of the pebble finish, however I beliebve it is far superior to pebble finish. It does tale more of a tradesman to apply the Marblesheen than it does the pebble. The finish is a beautiful pristine white which gives bright blue looking water.
- PLASTER & PAINT
Plastering- Renering the interior surface of a pool to a beautiful smooth finish & then applying a number of coats of either, Epoxy of Chlorinated Rubber Paint , has been the choise of thousands of pool owners. The system is very efficent but does not last as long as Marble sheen or Pebbling. The repaint will need to be done each 4-5 years. Paint can be used to give some brillant effects in pools using many different colors.
- FIBREGLASS AS AN INTERNAL FINISH
Many pools are first plastered- Rendered & the four or five layers of fibreglass mat of variying thicknesses are laid over the plaster to give a smooth inpervious finish. The Fibreglass can be coloured to many beautiful shades. A bit cheaper than tiling but about the same life expectancy.
- VINYL AS AN INTERNAL FINISH
There are thousands of pools each year built with Vinyl as the final waterproof finish inside. In many cases of areas of bad earth movement & freezing of the water, The manufacturers claim that the Vinyl stands up better over a long period of time. The Vinyl comes in many colors & is quite cost effective. It can be used as a finish on a concrete constructed pool or on a specially built frame of metal or timber.
2.3 SURROUND EDGE
- Style - There are various types of edges which can be incorporated with a pool, these include:
The standard 300mm wide coping with a finish of some type which is different to the pool internal finish & different to the surrounding area. This edge usually sits up 100mm above the surrounding walk way to prevent rubbish blowing into the pool.
The same 300 but matching the surround paving.
The edge can finish flush with the inside if the pool or can lip over to help prevent water loss.
You can incorporate the surround right over the edge of the pool so that there is no break in the finish on the horizontal plane, this requires that you leave the pool wall concrete about 75mm lower than you may normally do so. This can help to make a small area around the pool look much bigger.
- Material
- You can use Brick. Paving stones, Natural rock, Pebble or a nonslip tile on the 300mm wide type edge.
You can use the same finish material or texture as the surrounding paths either on a raised or flat 300mm edge but always leave an expansion gap of 10mm between the pool shell & the surround.
You can pour a deck right over the edge of the pool so that there is no joint showing on the horizontal, the main consideration for this is to look like a bigger area & have cleaner lines.
This inside edge can then be moulded to a number of shapes using easily installed low cost foam moulds.
- Considerations
- Slipperyness, always test any surface which you may consider using before applying it or ask the supplier to refer you to a current pool owner where you can test it.
Roughness - If the finish is to rough, then you could find that the children who stay in the pool a long time & their feet go soft could,find the finish very painfull to walk on.
Pourous - If the finish is to pourous,then water & dust could soak into it and activate the growth of algae, make sure that the finish seals well.
2.4 GENERAL SURROUND CONSIDERATIONS:
- The Area: - Many council bylaws will no longer allow you to have any recreational area inside the pool fence, EG Bar-b-que or tables 7 chairs. If this is so then you only need 600mm to 1000mm of width of paving on two or more sides of the pool for access, & the rest of your entertainment area can be outside the pool area.
If the council does allow you to use more area inside the pool fence, consider how much you will need for tables & chairs & that it needs to be level for these & still needs to allow movement around the chairs.
Also conside the drainage of the area by always allowing a slight fall away from the pool to remove rain water to a drainage gutter or pipe.
- The Pool Fence:
You will need to check your local council regulations regarding pool fencing to see if you have to have a dedicated pool surround fence or a pool area fencing or the backyard fenced. Add to this your own personal consideration as to the safety of childern in the area.
These items will also help you decide on planning of the surround area.
- Trees & Gardens:
You must consider the trees & gardens you currently have & those that you propose to plant. It is nice (in some peoples terms) to have the pool in a "Natural Bush Setting" with trees over the top & garden falling into the water in various areas, but that will cause a dramatic increase in maintainance unless the trees are evergreen & even then they need to be the type that does not loose its leaves or drop pollen or flowers. Everywhere that garden enters the pool or is very close to the pool increases the potential for algae growth & or spiders or other living creatures to get into your pool. Sometimes it is not as "natural" but much more convienent to have a clean area around the pool & if you want shade over a portion of the pool then use the shadow of a tall tree furthur away or install an artifical shade structure.
2.5 POOL INCORPORATING A SPA
POOL CONSTRUCTION MENU
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