The right calendar for a new pool

A typical calendar

This calendar is a guide; the actual length of each stage depends on the plot and the paperwork, as we explain in how long it takes to build a pool.

Planning in autumn and winter

After the summer the experience is fresh: you know where the sun fell in the garden, where everyone gathered and what you missed on hot days. It is the best time to decide where the pool will go and how big it will be. Over the winter months the engineer gets on with the paperwork, while you have time to choose the liner colour, lighting or heating without rushing.

Work does not start before the engineer's signed declaration for the small-scale works approval, or before the building permit where one is needed. The sooner this step is done, the better your place in the spring schedule.

Building in spring

• Drier ground. After the winter rains the ground dries out and excavation goes ahead without mud.
• Mild temperatures. The liner is best fitted when it is neither cold nor scorching, because PVC stiffens in the cold and gets too soft in the heat.
• The garden has time to catch up. Paving, plants and lighting around the pool are finished before the heat arrives.
• Water for filling. In late spring, demand for water and for water tanker trucks is usually lower than in the height of summer.

The order of the work is described in detail in building a prefab pool step by step.

If the house is being built now

In a house under construction, the timing of the pool is set by the project schedule, not the season. The pipework, the power supply and the location of the plant room are planned early, while the pool itself usually goes in before the final landscaping of the garden. See a pool for a new house.

Why summer is too late

Many people decide they want a pool when the first hot days arrive, and by then the work schedule is usually already full. Even if the paperwork comes through quickly, the pool will be ready when the summer is well under way. If the decision came late, a good option is to build in autumn: the pool is closed for the winter like any other and is ready from the first warm day of spring, without the pressure of the season.

Islands: out of season

On the islands there are extra reasons to build outside the tourist season. In summer the ferries are full and shipping machinery is harder, the crews are busy and water is scarce. Many tourist areas also restrict building work in the summer months; the engineer or the municipality confirms the exact dates. Winter has its own risks, such as ferries being kept in port by bad weather, which is why the best period is often late autumn or early spring. See prefab pools on the islands.

Questions

See also