The beginner’s guide to swimming pool remodeling for homeowners

In your ambitions to remodel your pool, you would not find yourself to be alone in it. This is because you would find that majority of the homeowners would be considered to be in the same boat. While they are quite happy with the current look and feel of their swimming pool, they would like to change things up a bit.

Hence, it would usually be in these kinds of cases that it would be best if you consult with a builder who specializes in pool construction and remodeling. By talking to an expert, you would be able to get even your most basic and silliest questions answered without facing any sort of hesitance. So, if you would like to know more about the entire topic, continue reading below.

The kind of pool that you want and your budget

One of the first things that you would need to get out of your way is the kind of pool that you would like to have, along with the budget that you have set for it. First things first, vinyl or fiberglass pool would not be recommended for certain areas due to weather, quality, and draining issues. In this case, you would find your only option to be a concrete pool if you would like to build it properly.

So, on average, a basic in ground pool would normally cost you around $25,000-$40,000. You would find options to be endless. If a basic pool is not something that you would be looking for, then the sky would be the limit when it would come to spending. In fact, you would find that some of the pools would cost $200,000 if you would be overly creative. This is because this kind of a swimming pool would be the centerpiece of your backyard and would be considered to be a piece of art.

The county or city setback requirement

For this aspect, you would need research the requirements online, consult a pool contractor, or call the county office. Do not settle for anyone that would say “I heard” or “I know” because every inch would seem to count. In addition, pool contractors should canvas the area and take measurements before they would quote you a price.

Pilings for pool foundation

For coastal real estate properties, you would find that they tend to possess unique soil conditions. For this, some concrete structures for swimming pools would need pilings in order to retain the integrity of the structure. Hence, a professional pool contractor would be able to determine if a pool would need pilings or not based on experience in a certain area, a soil or drilling test. Pilings would be 10-16 inches diameter poles that would be twisted or driven in to the ground at specified locations around a pool. These pilings would then compress the soil around the pool and increase the capacity for load bearing. Hence, a soil test has been deemed to be the best way to determine with certainty and it would roughly cost around $500 to perform. So, if the pool would require pilings, then it would increase the cost of the pool by somewhat $3,000 to $5,000, depending on the size of the pool.

The size of the pool

The smallest size of a pool which would be recommended is 12ft x 22 ft. However, you would find the standard size to be about 15 x 30. This would all depend on how much space you have and how much of this space you would like to use for your swimming pool. For instance, if you would like to provide a leisure place for yourself and your kids, then a large swimming pool would be considered to be ideal. On the other hand, if you would just like some certain guests to come over to your house, sit back, and relax, then a smaller pool would work better. This is because the larger the swimming pool would be, the more expensive it would be to build it since more materials, labor, concrete, and excavation would be required.

The shape of the pool

It would be in this area that your creativity would come in to play. This is because you would be able to find several pools to be “kidney shaped” or to have a “three circle”. However, this is something which would all have to do with the location and architecture of your home. A square pool would be quite simple and would seem to work well with thinner proportions and limited space. These would also be better if you would like to swim laps and exercise. However, the shape of the pool would not seem to affect the price of the pool in a significant manner unless the wet edges, water movement, finishes, or spillways would need to be custom designed.

The depth of the pool

The recommended depth of the pool should not exceed 5 to 5 ½ feet. Unless you would have another reason to have a deep pool. There would be no need for anything above 5 ½ feet since it would be unusable. This is because people would not be able to stand. In addition, the deeper the pool would be, the more expensive it could get when the time would come for dewatering during the construction phase. Also, if it would be below the water line, then it would require extra concrete and labor.

Features

In order to make your swimming pool appealing, there would be unlimited amounts of features that you would be able to add. For example, you could think about adding a water feature so that you would be able to enhance the visual effect of the pool or hear the constant flow of water. Other features that you could think about are as follows:

• Sun ledge with umbrella or swim outs
• Beach entry
• Rock structure
• Infinity edge or wet edge
• Unique lighting
• Fire pit or fire pot with reflective value.

Surface or finish of the pool

Lastly, a finish would definitely help to add that extra beautification element to the pool. The standard finish would be DiamondBrite which would definitely look excellent but would need to be re-finished after it would get spotty or fade out. Another option that you could think about is pebble finish. This could add a great look to a lagoon style swimming pool and would also shimmer in the sunlight. In addition, tile finish would be slightly expensive but could turn out to look the most elegant, depending on which tile you would choose.