EXPERT
“If permission is refused, the installation company must refund any deposit made”
Declaration préable: Who will submit this planning form, you or the pool installer? It’s reassuring to know that if permission is refused, by law the installation company must refund any deposit payment made to date. Time: How long will the installation take? What will the start and completion dates be, and how long is the process?
ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME EXPERIENCE You might have started off with a wish list but have found that you need to make some adjustments to ensure your pool fits within your budget. However, before you look at making changes to the size of the pool, take a look at what could be retrofitted. For example, you might
An olive liner, varnished to the water side with a felt underlay, provides a soſt and smooth finish
liner material, which is then welded into place on site. In between the pool and
liner, there is an underlay of anti-fungal felt or foam that makes the pool surfaces smooth and soft to the touch. This makes it more difficult for algae to build up on your pool walls and it’s therefore easier to keep clean, which can be more of an issue with tiles or sprayed quartz/aggregate. Another in-situ option is a
steel panel pool, which also takes a liner. These are cheaper than all of the above and can be installed as a self-build project or by an independent general builder. The panels come in kit form and are assembled on site. They are relatively easy to install but can be prone to rust, which after time will need treatment or replacing. The panels can be flat or
corrugated and the form of the pool is usually circular or kidney shaped. One downside with these configurations is that getting covers to fit your pool can be difficult.
HOW MUCH WILL IT COST? Cost is without doubt the primary consideration for most people who want to install their own swimming pool. There’s
not only the price of the pool though, there’s also the cost of the extras, which is some cases can equal that of the pool. Generally people end
up paying more than they expected, especially over the past couple of years with the increased cost of fuel, cement and building materials. A total of €20,000 to €30,000 is the average ballpark figure. But in reality, an in-ground pool built by professionals following the regulations and providing the relevant guarantees can cost anything from €25,000 to more than €100,000 – depending on the extras they go for.
KEY CONSIDERATIONS Doing the research into finding your perfect pool can be a
project within itself. Once you have decided on your preferred pool structure, the questions you need to ask your pool builder should include: Filtration: Is it a sand or cartridge system? Lights: An option that cannot be retrofitted without a lot of work. Even if you don’t think you will ever use them, others may want to in future. Margelles: Are coping stones or tiles included? They can be missing from some quotes. Drainage: All pools need a French drain to the outside perimeter walls leading to a compression well. Overflow: Always insist on one, even if it is through an excavation pipe from a skimmer unit.
not need a heat pump right now; this, along with the salt system, can be fitted at a later date. Make sure that your pool installer adds a couple of bypass valves on your filtration return pipes to accommodate these future extras. The pool terrace need not
be the size of a dance floor – in many cases, less equals more. Reconsider the practicalities. Do you really need a huge area around the whole pool? Maybe you could make it deeper on one side than the others, and fit your sunloungers comfortably into that space. There is much more to pools
than I’ve been able to cover here: there’s the positioning, the colour of the covering, the size and shape, the water depth and the steps. And when making your choices, go on recommendations if you can. It also worth sharing your internet search results with your installer so they know what you’re aiming for. I’ll be covering these things in a feature in a future issue. This is probably a once-in-
a-lifetime experience and a professional installer will have the vision to help you realise your dream pool. They would be mad not to, it’s the best job in the world! ■
This pool has a travertine splash bench, and a bleu clair liner to reflect sunny skies 42 FRENCH PROPERTY NEWS: May/June 2024
Julia French runs Pristine Piscines in southwest France Tel: 0033 (0)6 32 10 39 92
pristinepiscines.fr
© JULIA FRENCH
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