The DIY trend continues to grow not only across the country, but the world. From YouTube videos to television shows, you can pretty much watch and learn how to do any task, no matter how big or small, on your own. Watching the videos makes anything look pretty easy, until you start the task and (sometimes) end up achieving nothing. While DIY does work in many cases, it cannot be called the preferred option in all scenarios. In fact, some jobs are best left to experts. One such job is building and installing a swimming pool.
Just get on the internet and search for DIY pools and you will find hundreds of results, videos, pictures, blogs, step-by-step guides etc., on how to build your own swimming pool. Reading through these steps makes the process looks like a simple task. But, is it really that simple?
Being in the pool industry for a long time, we constantly hear horror stories about how someone thought they could handle a project as big as building a swimming pool on their own. All they end up with is mess at their hands when they are done. What they thought was a cheaper solution to having a pool in their backyard turns out to be an expensive deal. They not only have to get the mess sorted, but also have to call in pros to fix what they have done. The result is often double the cost of what they had initially thought. Also, there are some projects which are challenging for even experienced pool builders such as infinity pools – not all of them build these because of the project complexity and advanced knowledge required.
Investing in a swimming pool is a big deal for anyone as it involves a lot of money. People think of ways that can keep the overall cost of the project as low as possible. Thus, they end up searching the internet for DIY swimming pools and begin the task themselves. While the biggest benefit of DIY pools is definitely cost savings, these cost savings can hurt you badly in the long run.Self-installation of swimming pools is a good idea only when you are an expert and are sure nothing will go wrong. Before you embark on the journey of DIY pool installation, here are some questions you need to ask yourself:
Do I have the experience needed to build a pool?
Do I know if I can go for an inground pool installation or need to have it installed partially or completely above ground?
Do I have the equipment needed for pool installation?
Can I handle the task on my own without messing it up?
Will it really save money for me or cost me more in the long run?
Is it better to call experts for pool installation or should I just try and do it myself?
As mentioned before, DIY swimming pools might cost you less in the beginning, and you may consider it a success. But, is it something short-lived? And, money is not the only thing to consider in this scenario as well. There are a number of other things to consider as well.
Before you go on and start with a DIY pool, read this piece to know if you are in the right place to do so or not.
Can You Really Do It Yourself?
Installing a swimming pool on your own is not something for the faint-hearted. It is an intricate process that requires a lot of expertise, patience as well as professional equipment to do the job. Plenty of foresight goes into pool installation and it is not something that you can plan and complete in a couple of days. It requires technical thinking, along with skills like building, plumbing and electrical expertise. You will also need manpower as doing it alone is going to take you forever. Problems like over dimension of the excavation can take a lot of time to fix as you require more backfill material to correct the issue and do it all over again. If you don’t have an intimate knowledge about pool installations, you are more likely to run into issues that are going to cost you much more than what you had initially planned. Thus, the cost savings you had thought you’ll make by self-installation of swimming pools is just going to be a far-fetched dream.
Steps for Correct Installation of Your Swimming Pools
It is important to install your pool correctly, plumb it safely and ensure it is properly drained to prevent any structural damage. Here are some crucial steps that can help you in this regard. This information refers to fibreglass pools installation:
- Installation of free-draining bedding material under the floor of the pool shell
- Minimisation of system pressures through efficient filtration plumbing
- System pressures fully compliant with AS1926.3:2010 Water Recirculation Safety Standards
- Cement-stabilised backfill compacted and washed around the steps and walls of the pool
- Compliant stand-pipe system
- Sub-soil drainage around the complete perimeter of the pool
- Concrete bond beam with re-enforcements properly tied to the fibreglass to cope with the soil reactivity outside
Do You Have the Skills Needed to Build Your Own Pool?
Self-installation of swimming pools is a major construction project. It requires a great deal of management. You will need experience with excavation, ground preparation, plumbing work, concrete laying and electrical work. You also need to have an understanding of the engineering principles that go into determining the best location for the pool and the best self-installation of swimming pools practices. In addition to this basic knowledge, you also need to be aware of the engineering requirements of Australia and New Zealand as your warranty may be null and void otherwise and the insurance company will also not be willing to be a party either. A number of people who begin the pool installation as a DIY project end up handing it over to the experts for this sole reason that they are not sure whether they will be able to comply with the standards or not.
Most of the DIYers of pool building and installation are overwhelmed right when they start digging the soil to lay the base for the pool. The budget also tends to blow up enormously when the soil conditions seem outside normal or what they had expected. What if there is a high-water table in the backyard? What if the soil is too rocky and you hit a big rock where you are unable to dig any further? Do you have the right equipment to deal with such things? More importantly, are you confident that you will be able to do it yourself?
Installing a pool is not something that can be done in a week or two, except when done by experts. Only a professional team of experts can complete the pool installation task timely as they have the right equipment and expertise to do it. Imagine the time it is going to take you to get the job done when you don’t even have any prior experience and tools to do it.
Money Talk
The primary goal people want out of self-installation of swimming pools is saving money. The answer to how much money you will save with DIY pool installation depends on how much work will you be able to do yourself and how much will you be outsourcing to contractors? And if you consider time as money, you are going to spend a lot of it on pool installation when you are doing it for the first time.
Most of the professional pool companies do not charge you anymore than the costs they have to incur themselves during the installation process. Thus, they make little to no profit when it comes to pool installations. Thus, if you think it is going to cost you a lot taking help from experts, think again. The key difference when you have a professional pool installer by your side is the fact that the pool will be installed by someone who has plenty of experience in the field. They have done this before and are aware of everything that needs to be done in all circumstances. They understand the potential risks your site might pose and the different ways to deal with them. They will make sure that the pool is installed in the most professional manner so that no problems emerge in the future such as excessive loading of the pool walls or high ground water pressure. So whether you plan on having a plunge pool or a lap pool installed, be sure to consider professional pool installation.
Professionals Take Full Responsibility of Their Work
When you are installing a pool by watching some DIY videos on YouTube, you are left on your own. There is no one to guide you on the process and no one to check the proceedings and tell you if you are doing it right or not. On the other hand, if they pool installation is being done by an expert, you know the entire process will be taken care of by them. They will install the pool and even if something goes wrong, you know you have a company right there where you can go and ask for repairs. They will provide you a warranty of their work which becomes important if you plan to sell your property down the road. Thus, when you are handing over the task of pool building and installation to a professional company, you know that you are in safe hands, not only right now, but in the future as well. The pool will be completed under strict adherence to the building laws and safety regulations and you will not have to worry about the structure and built of the pool too.
Professionals Offer Maintenance Service
Another benefit of pool installation done from experts is the fact that they will also offer maintenance and repair service in case anything goes wrong. If you think that just installing the pool was the main task, you are in for a surprise. The pool is going to stay in your backyard for decades. It is a big investment and thus needs maintenance and repairs as well. If the pool installation has been done by experts, you know that you can call them for any help or advice in the future regarding your swimming pool. If you still insist on DYI pools, here are some questions you might want to ask before you begin with the task:
Where is the pool kit from?
Do they provide any onsite support in case you need it now or in the future?
How long have they been in business?
What are their reviews and what are people saying about them online?
Do they have a reputation of being helpful in case you need some help?
Will they offer any help in case you need equipment for the pool in the future?
Do they offer any warranty on their products and equipment that you can claim in case anything goes wrong?
Before you embark on the task of installing a swimming pool in your backyard on your own, get answers to the above questions and decide if you want to proceed or not accordingly. If you are a practical person who has prior experience in construction, you may want to try DIY pools. However, as swimming pool installation experts and having heard a number of stories of DIY swimming pool installations going wrong, we suggest that you leave this task to the experts. If you still insist on doing it yourself, make sure that the project doesn’t cost you much more than what a professional company would have charged for better work.
Get in Touch with Us
Planning to install a pool in your backyard on your own?
Why not take some advice from the experts?
At Nowra Local Pools & Spas, we have years of experience in pool installations and maintenance. We can help you install a well-built pool in your backyard done by experts and as per the standards to follow under the law. With our experts by your side, you won’t have to worry about anything at all.
Get in touch with us today to get answers to all your questions by contacting your local dealer at (02) 4423 0973. You can also request a free quote by sending us an inquiry. All you need to do is fill out a form and you are good to go.
