POOL STRUCTURE OPTIONS

If you want a pool for use in the summer of 2007 please contact us as soon as possible as our installation slots for this autumn and next spring are now filling up rapidly

0546 48 37 99

To contact us please telephone our French number above or click on Contact Form to tell us your requirements

What are the options for the construction of an in-ground pool?

Fibreglass pools - nothing could be simpler - just dig a hole in the ground - put some sand in it, drop the pool in and fill it up - and they are cheap. This is a very good solution for those on limited budgets and who just want something to swim in. The downside is that they can float out of the ground when it rains, they will look pretty dilapidated in 5 - 7 years and may even detract from the value of your property.

Kit and liner pools - This is a big topic because of the massive number of different types on the market. The French love anything that is built in a factory and comes with a lot of glossy brochures and so there are loads of French kits to choose from. There are also kits made both in the US and the UK that are sold here. Christal pools have been selling and installing their double bubble pool kits for 10 years and many people really love them.

One of the drawbacks with kit pools is the inflexibility in shape - each structural system imposes limitations on the shape that can be built and there are often consequential considerations. For instance, round pools make it impossible to install flush paving without lots of cuts and haphazard joint arrangements that look awful. This is often overcome by having the paved surround run under the curved coping stones on the pool edge - this is not only unattractive it is also a trip hazard. Large round Roman Ends that make a pool very attractive are virtually impossible to install in round kit pools.

However the main drawback with kit pools is that there is always an element of risk because of the division of responsibility between the kit manufacturer and the installer. The manufacturer's guarantee will invariably relate to the life and adequacy of the "structural elements" of the pool - with qualifications regarding the quality of the soil in which it is installed. The installer will guarantee to install the pool "In accordance with the manufacturers recommendations". It does not require much imagination to see that kits can get installed in water-logged or very weak soils and when there is a problem the manufacturer will blame the installer and vice versa.

When undertaking installation here in SW France we find that there are potential problems in over half of the pools that we install. There is no doubt that many kit pools will suffer complete failure, at some stage in the future, usually when they are being drained down. The most common reason for draining down is that the water is so full of algae that chemicals will not remove it. This unfortunately tends to happen in spring, after the winter pool "hibernation" - just when the water table tends to be at its highest!

The components in most kit pools are mainly the cheapest availible and many will only provide a complete pool water change in about a day - this can lead to unhealthy water or overdosing with chlorine that can give bathers green hair!

Builders pools - All that we can say is "Caveat Emptor" - buyer beware. When a builder has done a really good job on your property it is easy to say "Do you build pools as well?" If they say yes it is highly likely that they will build a pool in concrete blocks on a slab, render the concrete floor and side walls and then tile on top. The whole thing will look superb but when it is filled with water it will leak like mad and quite possibly fall apart after a year or so because the leaking water has softened the ground underneath the pool. The water circulation systems and the filtration system are often based on cheap undersized elements are also bought from the local pool shop. Click here for a photograph of a typical pool of this type.

Concrete block and liner pools - These are the type that are traditionally installed by the French artisans. They consist of a smooth floated concrete floor slab ("radier") and hollow concrete block walls that are filled with reinforced concrete. The internal faces of the blocks and are then rendered in a 3 stage process and the liner eventually fitted. Structurally these pools are very reliable and should easily give a 25 year life.

The drawback is that they involve a lot of "wet trade" work and are very prone to construction delays because the weather is bad or more likely because a critical artisan is "doing something else at the moment". The high labour content also makes the pools costly because of the 100 % labour cost mark-up for French social security payments.

Polystyrene block and liner pools - This is quite new technology and is increasingly being used for pool construction in France. In good ground conditions it involves the construction of a heavy duty concrete strip foundation on which the 200 mm wide hollow polystyrene blocks are erected and then filled with reinforced concrete - the pool floor is formed with a screed. In soft ground or fill the whole pool floor is built in reinforced concrete and then the hollow polystyrene blocks are erected and filled with reinforced concrete.

The system has the following structural advantages:

• It can be adapted for any soil conditions

• underpool drainage can easily be installed and guaranteed to protect to pool under all ground water conditions

• It is very quick to build - two weeks for the pool structure - keeping laboour costs down

• The erection of the walls is not affected by bad weather conditions

• The walls do not require the use of highly skilled, in-demand workers