- employ a specialist; not just an optimistic guy who happens to have a shovel

Pools are complicated structures and once they're built it's too late to rectify many potential problems so make absolutely sure your builder is able to build your pool correctly 

Some Questions to ask your Pool Builder

• Will you apply for planning permission for my new pool?

• Do you carry out a site survey before construction begins?

• Do you do this yourself or employ a specialist?

• How many have you been in the Pool-building business?

• Do you sub-contract any of the building phases?

• Are you a member of a Professional Organisation?

• Have you ever traded under a different name?

• Have you won any awards for your pools?

• How long have your construction crew been with you?

• Do you have any open or pending legal suits against you?

• How much, and what type of, insurance do you carry?

• Will your warranties be in writing; and what exclusions do they include?

• Do you have pools under construction in my area?

• Do you have any Show-Pools in my area?

• Can I speak to some of your previous clients?  (and if not, why not?)

• Will your staff clean up the site after construction?

• What hours do your staff work and do they work at weekends?

• Do you remove tyre tracks from the access point and my lawn?

• Who is responsible for any damage to my neighbours’ property?

• Who will repair any pipes or cables broken during construction?

• Will my sewage or septic tank lines be affected?

• How long will the project take from start to finish?

• What incidental costs will I incur?

• Will my driveway or patio be broken by heavy equipment?

• Is my electricity supply, water quality and drainage adequate?

• What happens if the excavator hits rock or hard conditions?

• Will a Project Manager oversee the project from start to finish?

• With what other legal requirements are we obliged to comply?

• Are my start-up chemicals and pool-tools included in the price?

• How will the pool affect my utility bills?

• How much will it all cost and what is the payment schedule?

• Will I be instructed in the care and maintenance of my pool? (If not, why not?)

When you have the answers to these questions you will be in a better position to judge if this builder is the right one for you

Remember: - there's always someone who can do it cheaper!

• Building a swimming pool, of whatever type, in-ground or above-ground, is a job that calls for a great deal of expertise

• A Professional will do the job right first time and with pools that's exactly what you need to happen

• If you think that employing a Professional is expensive - just see what it costs you to employ an amateur! 

We supply all plant and equipment featured on this website. All our work is Guaranteed; Parts and Labour

For free and unbiased advice, a site visit or no-obligation Quotation*, please make initial enquiries by email. Tell us a little about your pool problem and include a daytime phone number. Thanks, we look forward to meeting you soon

Note: - Please contact our recommended pool professionals for supply and installation of all pool-related services: - 

Andalusia and the Costa del Sol - Pool Safety Spain

Nerja area - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

*We only offer Quotations: - a fixed, agreed price that cannot, and will not, be increased. We do not give 'estimates', as an estimate offers the client no guarantee of final price

Share this website with other Pool Owners and Users,  encourage them to read about Pool Safety, learn CPR and help them to save lives, time and money. Please help us to make every pool a safer place - by sharing this information we can cut the number of pool accidents and deaths.  Please also see our Facebook page

Ken Walker - MyPoolGuru©

- don’t begin construction of your pool unless and until you have obtained the correct Permit, Licence or Project from your Local Authority

Ignore any blandishments of a cowboy builder such as - “they hardly ever check up on pools”- or, “we can start now and pay a small fine if we get caught”.  You will always get caught eventually and the fine is often far greater than the cost of the pool

The world is in financial crisis and Local Authorities are just as broke as anyone else. They can and will levy fines for pools built without planning permission, or for building an inappropriate pool in a rural or protected area (most above-ground pools  get round this particular restriction but still need planning permission in many areas. If in doubt - ask your Local Authority 

In these days of Google Earth and comparative mapping technology the local authorities will find your new pool and they will fine you accordingly if there is no planning permission

One of our clients, fully aware that she needed planning permission , went ahead without it and built a 8 x 4 meter (25 x 12 ft) in-ground pool in her back yard at a cost of 24,000 Euros.  She was caught and fined 40,000 Euros and, as she did not have enough to pay the fine, the Local Authority took her house for non-payment, sold it at auction and gave her the change.  She started with a nice Villa and ended up with just enough money to get her out of Spain and back to the UK! 

A reputable Pool Builder will always wait for the Local Authority Permit before constructing your pool, and will probably be able to apply for a permit on your behalf.  Certainly they should be able to advise you on this subject

If you give your builder permission before you have a Construction Permit, and the works are subsequently stopped, the builder will quite rightly demand payment because you told him to start work 

You will be left with a big bill, a useless hole in the ground and possibly a huge fine. The builder will simply move on to the next project 

We supply all plant and equipment featured on this website. All our work is Guaranteed; Parts and Labour

For free and unbiased advice, a site visit or no-obligation Quotation*, please make initial enquiries by email. Tell us a little about your pool problem and include a daytime phone number. Thanks, we look forward to meeting you soon

Note: - Please contact our recommended pool professionals for supply and installation of all pool-related services: - 

Andalusia and the Costa del Sol - Pool Safety Spain

Nerja area - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

*We only offer Quotations: - a fixed, agreed price that cannot, and will not, be increased. We do not give 'estimates', as an estimate offers the client no guarantee of final price

Share this website with other Pool Owners and Users,  encourage them to read about Pool Safety, learn CPR and help them to save lives, time and money. Please help us to make every pool a safer place - by sharing this information we can cut the number of pool accidents and deaths.  Please also see our Facebook page

Ken Walker - MyPoolGuru©

-a small pool is the best pool for a modern plot-size - and far more economic than an Olympic-sized Lido in the backyard

A swimming pool can be a great place to relax, exercise, play, sunbathe or just cool-off - or it can be an expensive hole in the ground into which you shovel your life savings

 If you intend to build a pool you need to think long and hard about why you want a pool in the first place and what you expect to get out of it

Many pool problems stem from the fact that the pool is too big for the amount of use it gets.  A pool salesman will sell you the largest pool he can - usually far too big - simply to boost his sales commission

A pool that’s properly designed and equipped can save you truckloads of money on construction, more money on pool chemicals and water - and save countless hours of cleaning drudgery 

A well-designed pool; broad steps, table & seating

Depth is just right at 0.9 to 1.5 metres (3’0” to 4’10”)  

The chances are that you will only ever build one pool in your life, so it’s worthwhile putting some thought into it so that you end up with something that has not cost you an arm and a leg and yet still gives you all the features you would like in your pool

Why settle for a problematic, expensive, unheated rectangular box with built-in maintenance costs?  Hands up all those who have been in a pool where non-swimmers can only huddle together on the steps because the pool is too deep! It's probably too deep because the original designer could visualize himself as Tom Daley, silhouetted in a swan-dive against that golden sunset. We all have dreams; but let's keep them reasonably realistic!

Low usage of the deeper water results in circulation ‘dead-spots’ where algae flourish, which can lead on to very expensive problems

Once algae and lime-scale get a grip they can be impossible to eradicate without draining the pool

(Oh! You can put your hands down now, thanks.)

A pool should have underwater pool-lighting and an area within the pool where the kids can play safely - e.g. wide, round-edged steps, ideally with a barrier to the deeper water

In reality most adults just sit on the steps with a drink (remember - use unbreakable polycarbonate glasses only) and rarely thrash up and down like Mark Spitz or Michael Phelps. An in-pool seating area will get a lot of use from everyone who visits your pool

If you want to swim long distances fit a resistance-swimming pump; it’s much cheaper, and far more environmentally friendly, than keeping 40,000 litres of ‘extra’ water ready 24/7 if you swim for only 30 minutes per day. On the other hand, make sure your pool will be big enough for all that will use it!

A 5 x 3 metre pool can be built a fraction of the price of a 10 x 5 metre pool and costs far less to fill, heat, protect, clean and sanitize

A part of the savings could be used to finance a heater and pool-cover, giving you all-year use of the pool

The balance could pay for automatic chemical dosing and pH Control, a Salt-Chlorinator or Ozone Generator, a Safety Net or a resistance-swimming pump, some of the new LED colour-changing lights, perhaps a waterfall to cool the pool in high summer, some shading, an Auto-Cleaner or fancy mosaic tiles

Whatever design you choose you will need to know how to care for your new pool and all the elements that make it work and keep it working.  

Ensure that you get clear instructions on how the pool works from your pool-builder or take some tuition like the PoolSchool© Course. 

If you are fortunate enough to live in southern Spain we can teach you about all this, hands-on.

We supply all plant and equipment featured on this website. All our work is Guaranteed; Parts and Labour

For free and unbiased advice, a site visit or no-obligation Quotation*, please make initial enquiries by email. Tell us a little about your pool problem and include a daytime phone number. Thanks, we look forward to meeting you soon

Note: - Please contact our recommended pool professionals for supply and installation of all pool-related services: - 

Andalusia and the Costa del Sol - Pool Safety Spain

Nerja area - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

*We only offer Quotations: - a fixed, agreed price that cannot, and will not, be increased. We do not give 'estimates', as an estimate offers the client no guarantee of final price

Share this website with other Pool Owners and Users,  encourage them to read about Pool Safety, learn CPR and help them to save lives, time and money. Please help us to make every pool a safer place - by sharing this information we can cut the number of pool accidents and deaths.  Please also see our Facebook page

Ken Walker - MyPoolGuru©