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My custom pool design

I have the great pleasure and challenge of designing the pool for the new house 🙂

In our current place we have a small fibreglass pool which we didn't have much flexibility with given the small area we had to work in. It's smaller than we'd like and uninteresting in its design. However in the new house we have much more room and we'l be doing a concrete pool so we get the design we want.

Would love to hear from anyone that's done this before and/or is a pool designer/installer by trade. My current plan is to build it from precast slabs, join it up, seal it, tile/skin it and fill. And this is where I'm looking for some insights/feedback.

Best/most efficient way to build this pool? I'm think most, if not all, is precast slabs but can see a possible combination with some intricacies frame and built on site.
Suggestions on finish? Fe options; raw concrete with appropriate sealant, membrane, tiling.
Specific consideration for effective jet/filtration positioning?
Sand or cartridge filter? Pros and cons...
Anything else you have to offer is welcome 🙂

We're looking at a pool around 7m x 4m in swimming area and would like a more unique and appealing entry such as below (ideally in addion to the swimming area but open to some compromise).

Love the idea of being able to lay on the flatNice steps plus "spa"Nice steps plus "spa"

Thanks very much!

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Comments

BIM_Engineer

@ProjectPeteI seem to recollect you are building on reactive soils?
If this is the case then I wouldn't recommend you attempting the shell in either masonry or precast with liners..
You will be in for more problems than what it is worth... Stick to fibreglass pools mate

At a guess those pools are 70K+ BTW Interesting designs coSt Goodluck

Kermit

Hi @ProjectPete,

I don't know anything about pool building or reactive soils! But I can help on the pool filter question.

Go for a sand filter everytime. A lot of pool builders will push cartridge filters but they require regular cleaning and can be a pain in the long-term. A sand filter is a much better option for ease of cleaning and long-term maintenance. There’s usually not that much price difference – probably only a few hundred dollars. Apparently pool builders prefer the ease of a cartridge because they don't have to plumb a waste line - they are being lazy for their own benefit.

If you do end up going with a cartridge, absolutely make sure there is provision to empty (reduce the water level) of the pool. I've got a friend who runs a pool maintenance business and he's seen heaps of pools with no provision to reduce the water level. This is crazy as with a decent amount of rain you obviously end up with a pool that overflows. This can kill nearby plants and cause other issues.

Some other things you're probably already thinking about:

I assume you're going to go with salt?

Any interest in a self-cleaning system?

Spa jets and swim jets?

Lights?

Water feature?

Paving?

Heating?

Hard or soft cover? And how to hide it/put it away when retracted?

By the way, a swimming area of 7 x 4 is great. I'd also recommend in your entry area having a shallow area for sitting/relaxing in the shallows (and drinking cocktails).