I've bene thinking of getting a swimming pool. With an increasing work load and a young family going away is harder than before. I want to make the most of the summer in the UK.
I've always wanted a pool but am not keen on sinking £30k into a block built one as it's so expensive., I also want to make sure I will use it and finally I may do some works to the house in a few years and may incorporate a pool then.
I was thinking of getting one of these in the interim.
http://www.aqua-world.co.uk/shop.htm...egory=14501878
For a little over £3k I can get one with an air source heat pump. Putting aside £3-4k for installation , decking and a gate a fence I'm hopefully coming under £7k.
Has anyone any experience with pools like this? Secondly does any anyone have a pool in the UK - how much do you use it?
Thanks
Whilst I don't own a pool......Are you banking on a great summer because we don't tend to get them on this island do we ?
What about the maintenance of the pool, the cleaning, the filtering etc etc
I suppose if after a few years you didn't get on with it, you could always keep Koi Carp ?
Spend some money into a proper rigid cover. See Abrisud. It may double your cost but:
It halves your budget in maintenance, and avoids the regular fishing for leaves
It double or triple the number of days you can use your pool, including on windy days where the lifted cover can be set as a windbreak
It would probably either dispense you from another heating system or increase your temperature by quite a few degrees.
In France a swimming pool is a liability for an estate agent. With a cover like that it becomes an asset that increases the value of your property.
Disclaimer: I was once a consultant for Abrisud. I can't remember the name of their representative but I seem to remember they were in the Portsmouth/ Southampton area. Genuinely great product.
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
Not banking on an incredible summer but even if it gets 10 uses a year - over 7 years it would be worth it for me. Running costs are much lower due to technology like Ai source heat pumps etc- an the Coi is always an option!!
I was actually looking at those covers but they double the cost at the moment but is always an option for the future.
Last edited by eagletower; 5th February 2017 at 22:12.
Don't underestimate the running costs and the difficulty of getting it to temperature.Originally Posted by eagletower
Unless is in constant use they are a real pain (depending on site) leaves, ph +, ph -, floculant, back washing etc. The worst is one person taking a dip almost needs the same work as many. Also don't forget all the wet children etc.
They are great things to have if have children but they require a lot of upkeep and everything seems to cost far more because it is from a pool shop.
I quite understand why people fill them in. If you are going to invest in one make sure is in a sun trap and look at a cover as quickly as you can and expect it to take a few weeks to comission each summer.
10 uses a year?
Invest the money in family membership of a health club. You'll go lots each week as the children will nag you to go. You get to relax while they play and you'll see someone else cleaning the pool, maintaining the hot tub and servicing the spa.
The location I want to place it in catches sun throughout most of the day.
The wife and I both have large families with lots of nieces and nephews so hopefully will get a lot of use.
Will definitely do a lot more research on the upkeep before I commit to one .
Oddly that's what made me look at the pool. I moved in December and this country club is actually at the top of my road.
http://www.dyrhampark.com/
The pool is cheaper than a years membership!
The cover I mentioned means you do not have to balance the ph quite as much, and it really cuts down on maintenance. All but the flattest ones allow you to swim underneath and that means autumn swims easily. Getting out can be chilly though.
If you have loads of children safety is paramount and when locked no child can get in. In most of continental Europe access to the pool must be childproof and this is one of the best systems.
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
There's also the safety issue to consider; young children would need constant supervision, the swimming pool constitutes one hell of a hazard in my view and I wouldn`t entertain it. It's Ok if they're all at an age where they can swim properly, but accidents can still happen.
Paul
Ah, looks decent.
Shame it's a bit toppy. If you have loads of family children then I can see why you're doing it as your place would be a great focus in the summer.
To back up what Paul says, don't let the parents drop the children off. They need to stay on the premises - especially if the children are very young.
Saint Just do you need to do much ground work for the cover? Can it go on decking?.
Paul completely agree. Party of why I like the above ground systems . Can build up stairs , build a fence around and self closing gate, with a lock and audible alarm.
We had a pool at our house in Spain when we lived out there. It got used maybe two or three times a year when we had guests.
Must of the time it just sat there evaporating away.
Completey agree , don't want to be a crèche.
With work the way it is and likely to be for the next free years getting away for more than a week at a time is tough. And with two children in tow, going far to catch sun is too much hassle hence wanting to make the most of the sun we have here when we do.
No, no ground work that I remember. Just enough space at one end of the pool and a railing system so no problem on decking.
I would advise you to contact them before you start anything and discuss the options. They would work it out with you at no expense, and you can then walk away if you're so inclined. But sometimes a small change in dimensions for instance can save you a significant amount.
You can fit it at a later date but speaking beforehand will save you money.
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
Funny, we had a rigid pool cover until this morning.
Was curved over the pool and comprised of four 'quarters', each on casters so that one, or all, could be rolled back and expose the pool. Was also the type that was just about high enough to comfortably swim under without needing to open.
65mph winds this morning blew the thing apart and smashed the aluminium and poycarbonate construction to smithereens in neghbouring fields. One of the segments is still on the hilltop it blew in to as has, so far, been to dangerous to recover. Maybe tomorrow...
Not that this prompted the the change, but we are going to drain the pool, put a glass 'lid' on it and use it as a greenhouse. In its place we are going to dig a natural pool. So much nicer to swim in, no chemicals, the water is softer and pretty much zero maintenace, bar topping up. Still relativley new in the UK they are very popular in Europe.
Can thoroughly reccomend both of Michael Littlewoods books on the design and build. The freedom of design and the natural aesthetic win hands down (for us) over a blue rectangle full of chlorinated water.
In my experience, an indoor pool gets plenty of use in Britain, but our weather makes outdoor pools less useful.
If you've got a nice heath spa at the end of the road with an indoor pool I'd consider that if you think the family want to swim. Jumping in an out of an outdoor pool in the sunshine is pretty rare here!
I've got an indoor pool and use it every day. My outdoor hot tub gets used once a month as it's bloody cold getting to and from it so far too easy not to bother!
Last edited by nellyh; 6th February 2017 at 05:21.
I would only consider an indoor pool and it would get used every day (Mrs is obsessed with swimming) but the costs would be huge. Having to build a structure in the back garden then put a decent heated pool in it would just end up costing so much that even my man maths would struggle to justify it! Shame though as its a bit of a dream of mine...........
You and I both. When I was in Sixth form in 1998 my mate's parents had a Wooden Log cabin with a swimming pool built that was attached to their house. It cost £70k back then. We used it loads and I would love an in door , but the costs would be enormous.
Have you any idea how old that's just made me feel?
A little bit older than I feel? :)
We had one of these installed about 8 years ago
http://www.ukpoolstore.co.uk/acatalo...ess__Pool.html
Certainly the first season it was used nearly every day as it was a very hot summer, 2 years ago I opened it for the season and it was used a handful of times.
We paid for the heat pump and tbh it was a waste of money as it relies on the ambient temperature, from our experience if its a stinking hot day you do not want a hot pool, but when its not you do, but the pump doesn't work in those conditions, we have a solar cover that works very well. If we did it again we would opt for solar panels.
As to the running costs they are not that high, it will also depend on which chemicals you opt for, we opted for Blue crystal as my sons had eczema which chlorine can aggravate, however chlorine is a lot cheaper. Depends on usage the ph levels only need adjusting every 2 weeks. The only other running costs are the filtration pump and the counter current system, which are only ever on when in use.
We have had many parties in the pool for the boys and indeed adults. It is still very pleasant to sit on the lilo and sip a cold glass of something.
Would we do it again, yes I think so as the boys and friends had a great time, it cost about £12k with installation, decking etc.
Does it add value to the house, put people off or attract them, with ours since it's above ground and can be dismantled there is not an issue, however we have known people who have had in ground pools that has created many issues when selling.
I'll try and dig out actual photos if you are interested
Nick67 pictures would be great. What type of cover do you have? I've looked at the solar panels which are really cheap and reviews are really good. The Pool is going next to a Summer House and out door Kitchen which has about 24 square meters of roof space that can catch sun so was planning on get these to use alongside the Heat pump.
As prices for both buying and running have come down so much , it's worth a punt in my opinion. I can't see myself moving from here for years so resale value isn't an issue , but should I ever want to remove it - it's a lot easier to dismantle than a in ground one.
That is not me by the way haha, my 80 year old father in 2009
We have removed the steps as we found is fairly easy to clamber out.
Cover is similar to this
http://www.poolmarket.co.uk/domestic...Fa6_7QodbvYN2Q
Thanks Nick. Looks great. I'm sold.
Will meet my landscaper to discuss who to best install it.
How comes you didn't use it in Spain of all places?
We just didn't as was the case with most other people we knew.
It was just something else to be looked after.
As with a lot of things in life, the reality doesn't live up to the dream.
I'm not saying don't do it but you'll probably find that it doesn't get used anything like as much as you think it will.
Maybe the OP needs to tackle the root cause of the problem rather than build a swimming pool; home/life balance sounds way out of kilter if he can't get time to take holidays. Life isn' t a practice run, you only get one go at it.
Paul
I've got a list of things I could file under that!
Spot on,and having two kids and losing people close to me has made me feel that. Hence wanting to make home as fun as possible until a time I can better alter the work/life balance. In reality the work life balance isn't so bad. Just being self employed I find it almost impossible to switch off- hence a holiday longer than a week no longer feels like a holiday. I have wheels in motion to change this but it will take a few years.
Last edited by eagletower; 6th February 2017 at 14:43.
We had an above ground pool for a number of years. No hole digging.
My middle son used to use it most but since he has moved away to Florida and we have not had any real long terms of hot weather since, we took it down and put it away.
We did use it a lot and enjoyed it when we had those very hot summers, but that was in the past.
I would certainly recommend as a good way to a pool without digging a bloody great hole and a large expense.
Also if you want to move in future an in-ground pool puts a lot of people off.
Cheers,
Neil.
Thanks for all your posts . Here's mine installed . Steps need screwing in and the heat pump needs wiring into a spur . Hope we get some good weather now .
That looks great, my kids would love that in the garden!
Two houses down the road, an elderly couple owns a house with a pool in the back garden. (level with the ground version). It's in use almost every day during the Summer when the grandchildren come over and play in and around the pool. It's always a cheerful sound when the grand-kids come and swim. The pool gets used at least 40 days/yr.
My father-in-law used to be a high school teacher in Toronto. He and and two colleagues ran a pool installation business in Toronto; working all Summer and after school to install pools. Thousands of them. Despite the idea of a harsh climate in Canada, the Summers are hot. His company was one of the first to start experimenting with heating the pool with solar cell powered panels and heat pumps. He sold his part of the business when he retired 20 yrs ago and as far as I know, the business is still in operation.
Menno
I have to say that looks brilliant :)
Well done!
GTG at yours then - looks awesome
Bring your waterproof watches and some slinky trunks!!!
Would love one of those... Alas, no space in my poxy garden!
Enjoy... fingers crossed for a hot summer
Looks great!
If its not to crass a question, what were the costs?
Thanks fellas @jasonM I paid £3000 to install , that included clearing the ground and laying the concrete base . The pool with filer, heater , covers , cleaning kit etc came to £5995.
Cheers, thats not bad I don't think, its a great size.
Very nice pool, I hope you get some great weather this year.
Cheers,
Neil.
Hope so too! It hailstones earlier !
It's sold as a diy job - and having seen the guys put it together it's definitely a diy job for a competent DIYer- as the base was laid well that made actually putting the pool together , really , really easy.
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