It is very important that before you dive into a big home project, you analyze every detail and element that might affect it. Even though it sounds very attractive, you should ask yourself if it is the right moment, if you have the budget, or if it will be an unnecessary head ache.

Why having a swimming pool at home?

Having a pool at home is not only a great advantage to escape the heat, it also becomes a tool to keep yourself physically and mentally active, regardless of the size of the pool. You can do aqua aerobics or swim a bit, even just playing with a beach ball will keep you going, and of course it’s great for your mental health.

It’s a great way to share quality time with family or friends, because who doesn’t like to take a dip every now and then? Also, if you decide to sell your property in the future, the fact that it has a pool gives it an extra attraction, which may be the point that defines the sale of your house instead of other options on the market.

Points to take in consideration

Costs

Unfortunately, the cost of having a private pool is quite large. Not only is it the construction process, there are a number of requirements that must be met before, during and after the project that require monetary investment. The initial investment is destined to the construction permits and procedures to carry it out. And the installation cost is high, so you must make sure you have the necessary means to invest in your pool, without having to fall into debt.

Maintenance

To maintain your swimming pool’s useful life, it is necessary to keep up with the suitable maintenance according to its characteristics.

It is a vital process to maintain the good state of the pool and to continue enjoying it to the fullest. In general, their costs are divided into actions that must be done weekly, monthly and yearly.

Per week, cleaning should be cautious – if not, you will be forced to empty it immediately. This is superficial and you can do it by yourself, it consists of taking out the leaves that might got there because of the wind, and vacuum the bottom to get rid of any dust and rocks that might accumulate.

Monthly maintenance gets done to avoid the swimming pool becoming a pond. This treatment is a lot more detailed and requires special products for chlorination, crystallization and balancing the pH. This process consumes a lot of time, and that is why you should leave it to a professional.

Annually you should make a general check-up  to see if there are any damages to be fixed. There could be leaks or cracks, which means additional costs for their repair. Maybe you will have to spend on more water as well.

Safety

One of the biggest priorities in the home is always the safety of all the people who inhabit it. When having a pool, you have to be extra careful with children: make sure they have adult supervision, implement rules of conduct (do not run near or push others, etc.) and know how to swim.

It not only represents a thread to the children, an accident can occur in a blink of an eye, even with older people. That is why you should take preventive actions and talk to an expert who can tell you which safety methods are more suitable for your pool.

Legal paperwork

For developing this project, it is a must to fulfill certain legal requirements according to the law. This means an additional cost due to the fact that you need to pay for them. They are issued and revised by the Ministry of Health.

• Water availability certification. (Mandatory)
• Property blueprint. (Mandatory)
• Airport´s area of influence approval. (As required)
• Riverbed approval from the INVU. (As required)
• National park, wetland, river or stream location approval. (As required)
• Train lines approval from the INCOFER. (As required)
• High – voltage network approval by the ICE. (As required)
• Approval from the Minister of Public Works and transportation MOPT. (As required)

If a titled property is located within a Registered Maritime Zone:

• Land use concession according to the National Register certification. (Mandatory)
• Concession grant from the Registro Nacional de Concesiones del Registro Nacional de la Propiedad vigente. (Mandatory)

Take into consideration the time it will take for the paperwork to be processed. The first institutional revision takes around 15 business days – after that, you have 30 days to correct any mistakes and the second revision takes around 5 business days to make a fulfillment report for the municipality.

Work start

The most recommended time to start building, is during winter for It to be ready in winter. Also, building companies are busier during summer due to high demand.

Design

This is one of the most entertaining parts of the project because if where you can get involved the most. The creative process is designing a pool must involved a lot of aspects depending on your taste and conditions.

There are two types of swimming pools according to building:

• Construction pools: they take a longer time than the other one and is pricier – but, is has more resistance and can be fully personalized.
• Prefabricated: this ones take a longer, they can be ready around two or three days. Even though it is not free design, there is a variety of shapes.

The material can change depending on your taste and budget.

• Concrete: they are more resistant, but at the same time pricier. The finish is very sharp and there are a lot of personalization options. The biggest disadvantage is that it takes around 30 to 60 days for a small to medium pool to be finished.
• Stainless steel: this ones are the easiest, but they tend to be more damaged by the sun. At the same time, you can personalized them in size and shape.
• Fiberglass: this ones are quicker to install, but the more limited when it comes to personalization. The repair is very easy, you will just need some more fiber glass. But, they tend to discolor pretty easy because of th sun and can not be repainted.

Accessories

There are a lot of thins and accessories your pool can have, some of them are:

• Interior: skimmers, massage jets, cartridge filter pump, lights, counter current and nozzles.
• Exterior: railings, slides, waterfall and stairs.

In the case of the stairs, they can be standard, which are made at the same time as the swimming pool. The ones you get installed are the prefabricated stairs, usually made from plastic or resin. And last but not least, roman stairs are found at one end of the swimming pool and are usually rounded.

Orientation

It is important to know the movement of the sun along the day and how does the sunlight travels trough your backyard. It is recommended to place it where the sun hits the most. This way, it will still be temperate when there is no sun.

It is better if it faces the south and keeps a considerable distance from trees and bushes to avoid leaves falling in the pool. Besides, there should be water and energy connections near by. Wind is one of the reasons why temperature increases because it evaporates water, that is why it is important to plant around the pool.

Measurements

You should take into consideration the dimensions, because they should be according to your backyard’s size. En general, private swimming pools go around 5×3 and 10×5 meters. When it comes to depth, usually it comes around 1 meter and maximum 1.70. They tend to be uneven with the deepest point on one of its ends.

The deeper the pricier because it means more water, electricity and cleaning products. If the design included a trampoline, the depth should be around 2 and a half meters.

Water treatment

Having your own swimming pool, looks forward to get rid of the risk of contracting funguses or bacteria. According to an OMS study, the diarrhea disease rate between swimmers goes around 3% and 8%. Even though, bad water treatment can cause the same effects of a public swimming pool.

To get rid of microorganisms and increase water transparency, chlorination is necessary. For it not to be harmful for the skin, pH levels must be adjusted. It should be around 7,2 and 7,6, if it is higher it can cause skin irritations and if it is lower the risk of rust surfaces is higher.

For a proper disinfection of the water, levels of chorine should be from 0,5 to 1. This can be made by tablets and a couple of hours filtration. It is important to highlight that this should be made when there ir no one inside the swimming pool.

Before making a big investment, it is crucial to analice your situation and settle down the pros and cons. It is important to make premeditated decisions with purpose, in order to avoid projects becoming big mistakes.

Being really well informed is key before developing a project of this nature. It is importance to be responsible and organized with your resources is going to help you defining goals and at the same time improving life quality.

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