DIY: a swimming pool in your property
Winter is gone and the sunny enchanting days are back. Perhaps the delicious idea of a lagoon-blue swimming pool in your garden keeps coming to mind. A swimming pool is a safe investment for summer days, and in addition, it will bring hours of fun to your family and friends. It will also, without a doubt, increase the value of your property!
However, a pool does not come for free, and it is not created in 2 days either. Did you know that you can make great savings by doing the job yourself? Indeed, depending on the type and the size of the pool you want, you can save up to €10,000 (£8,386). It requires an important investment in time, and it will need a lot of preparation. If you are one to feel enthusiastic about do-it-yourself projects, here are some tips to help you organize the building of a pool, which will perfectly fit into your French property.
First things first, there are 2 types of pools: an above-ground pool and in-ground pool.
Of course, above ground pools are much easier and cheaper, as you don’t need to dig in the land. Inflatable pools are the less expensive types, with prices starting from around €400 (£355). You don’t even have to be handy with the tools to enjoy one of these. Pools with wooden panels will cost you between €1,000 (£837) and €10,000 (£8,386), depending on the size you are looking for. Some wooden pools can be half-buried.
Regarding in-ground pools, there are 3 main steps when building a pool: the excavation, the structure building, and the embankment.
The excavation usually lasts around 2-3 days when done by professionals, if of course, the weather and the land are ideal. Prices will vary according to the accessibility of the land, its nature, or the possible presence of pipes stretching under the ground of your future pool. The budget can therefore start from less than €1,000 (£837) to €3,000 (£2,516). If you feel confident enough, you can dig the land by yourself, and rent a mechanical digger. This will cost around €200 (£168) a day, but the prices vary according to the company renting them. It is easy to get a quote.
Now that you have enough space for your pool, you need to build the structure. There are several methods and building types and methods to do this. The easiest ones are done with panels or breeze blocks. Once the structure is built, you need to add either a linen, which is independent from the structure and can be removed (linens have a limited lifetime, usually around 10 years), or build a tiled floor (like most public swimming pools for example).
Next, you will have to adjust the land around the pool, which is called embankment. It is advised not to build a terrace immediately after the embankment, as the land might press down and subside.
It is possible, as well as very common, to buy a swimming pool in kit form. For example, you can find in-ground swimming pool kits from €4,000 (£3,355) for a 4m x 2.5m x1.5m pool. The kit comes with stainless steel panels, a 1m x1m x1m pool house, a filter, a liner, a water pump, a delivery vent, a construction manual as well as an excavation plan. Everything you need to build your dream swimming pool in your property will be included!
You can either build the entire pool by yourself, or complete just a part of the job and leave the rest to the professionals (e.g. do the excavation and let a professional build the pool, or vice-versa). You should also consider buying the materials at the end of the summer season, which will allow you to save a considerable amount of money if you have the patience to wait until next summer to enjoy your pool. In addition, do not forget that a swimming pool requires annual maintenance, and this has a cost, which should be included in your budget.