Thinking about putting a swimming pool into your backyard?
More than 10 million Americans have installed residential pools in the past. Pools bring families together like never before and provide people with a place to play, exercise, and relax.
Before you have a pool installed on your property, though, it’s important to do the proper swimming pool planning. It’ll ensure that you love your new pool once your pool builder gets it into the ground.
Here is a homeowner’s guide to swimming pool planning that will help you along the way.
Think About How You’ll Use Your Pool
Once you install a swimming pool in your backyard, what are you going to do with it? That’s the question you should ask yourself when you first start swimming pool planning.
There are some people who use their pools to exercise every morning. There are other people who use them to entertain their family, friends, and neighbors. And of course, there are people who live in very hot parts of the country and use them to cool off at a moment’s notice.
Think about how you are going to use your pool prior to planning it all out. It’ll allow you to put in the right pool for you and your family based on your specific needs.
Pick the Right Spot for Your Pool
If you have a relatively small backyard, there might not be many places for you to put your new swimming pool. You won’t have to spend much time figuring out where you’re going to install a pool when space is limited.
But in you live on a larger plot of land, you’ll have to find the right spot for your pool before you start the installation process. And this can be tricky depending on where you live.
Most cities and towns have zoning rules and regulations regarding swimming pools that you need to follow during pool installation. Learn about these rules and regulations before you get too deep into swimming pool planning.
There are also strict rules in place with regards to pool safety in most places. You’ll often need to surround a swimming pool with a fence to prevent people—and more specifically, young kids—from gaining access to your pool when you’re not around.
If you already have a fence around your backyard, that might work just fine and keep you in accordance with your local pool safety rules. But if you’re going to position your pool in a place without a fence, the cost of installing fencing might be something you’ll want to consider.
Regardless, you should spend ample time thinking about where you’re going to put your pool. Once a pool builder starts installing it, there will be no turning back.
Come Up with a Budget for Your Pool
How much money are you prepared to spend to put a swimming pool in your backyard? This is yet another question you’ll need to ask yourself before you begin digging up your backyard to put a pool in.
The average 32′ x 16′ in-ground pool costs about $22,000. You can find pools that cost a lot less than that. But you can also spend double or even triple that in some cases.
Create a budget for your pool prior to starting swimming pool planning to ensure that you don’t overspend on a pool. It’s easy to get carried away when you’re excited about doing pool installation and spend more than you should.
Hire the Best Pool Builder
Unless you have extensive pool building experience and access to heavy-duty equipment and tools, you should not attempt to install a pool on your own. Instead, you should find a reputable pool builder to provide you with pool installation services.
A good pool builder should be:
- Licensed and insured
- Experienced
- Affordable
- Creative
- Highly recommended by others
With the right pool builder by your side, you won’t have to worry about navigating swimming pool planning by yourself. They’ll be able to walk you through the different steps and show you which pools might be a good option for you.
Consider Customizing Your Pool
If you want to keep your costs low when installing a pool, you don’t have to customize it or include too many crazy features. But you do have the option of customizing your pool in whatever way you want.
You can make your pool just about any shape. You can also add a million and one different features to it. Some of these features include:
- Diving boards
- Water slides
- Solar heating to keep it warm year round
- Rock walls
- Swim-up bars
- Beach entries
This site explains how to find out which pool features are important to you. The features you choose will put your swimming pool over the top.
Make Sure You’re Ready to Maintain Your Pool
When you own a swimming pool, it can be a lot of work. You’ll need to treat your pool with the right chemicals, skim the surface of it, vacuum it, and more.
You can get around doing these things by hiring a pool maintenance company to help you out. But if that’s not in your budget, you’ll be in charge of maintaining your pool yourself.
It’s good to spend some time thinking about whether or not you’re up for the challenge. You can do damage to your pool and reduce the lifespan of it if you don’t take good care of it.
Make sure you have the time to devote to your pool before you put the finishing touches on your swimming pool planning.
Start Swimming Pool Planning Today
As long as you’re up for the work that comes with installing a pool, a new pool can change your life.
Your pool will allow you and your family to spend more quality time together. It’ll also give you a chance to exercise and relax more day in and day out. And it’ll really come in handy on those hot days when you’re desperate to stay cool.
Start the swimming pool planning process today and get one step closer to owning the pool of your dreams. You’ll love having it once your pool is in the ground.
Read our blog for more tips on designing the perfect pool.
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