Luke and Will Witt

The owners and managers of Bluepools

The only pool company in France that is run by Fully Qualified Civil Engineers

If you are Worried about How to Buy A Swimming Pool in France

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"10 Tips on Planning and Buying swimming pools in France"

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Above Ground Pools

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Swimming Pool France

Read the full story below of how we developed our ARConWall swimming pools in France using the French designed system of concrete filled polystyrene blocks.

The water is kept in the pool using a modern high technology very durable, very attractive French made PVC liner.

It is kept sparklingly clean and healthy by a hi-tech fully automatic filtration and water treatment system also made in France.

Every size, shape and depth of pool is easy to install at very economic costs and remember - It will still be there providing great pleasure for your childrens children - Because the structure will last for ever - and we guarantee it.

You know that swimming pools are a very basic form of Civil Engineering and both Luke and I are Civil Engineers;

"Doing the Science bit that Civil Engineers do best".

ARConwall Pools

Just listen to the story below of how we developed the ARConWall swimming pool system. You will see exactly why it is the choice of every sophisticated pool buyer that wants to increase the value of their French property through the installation of a new swimming pool.

In an ARConWall pool the walls are built from the polystyrene blocks illustrated below. These are propped at the top by the ARConWall slabs.

Just click on the thumbnails to enlarge the photos. Can you imagine how strong the walls are when these 250mm wide blocks are filled with high strength concrete and steel rods?

But before we go into that let me tell you a bit more about Bluepools

The Bluepools Directors

I am Will Witt and I have an honours degree in Civil & Structural Engineering from Sheffield University in 1966 - I know that puts me in my early sixties - but I am very fit and active - you have to be to build swimming pools!

I became a Chartered Civil Engineer (M.I.C.E) in 1974 and was also a Chartered Structural Engineer (M.I.Struct.E) for about 25 years.

Luke is my oldest son and has an honours degree in Civil Engineering from Leeds University and is a Graduate Member of the I.C.E.

We are the co-owners and directors of Bluepools and we both work full-time in the design and installation of swimming pools in France.

Operational Philosophy

Our objective is to develop Bluepools into the premier swimming pool installation company in France.

We always specify and ensure that all our pools incorporate the best pool equipment available in France from the leading French pool equipment suppliers Procopi and APF (Annonay Productions France) - simply because it is best suited to Fench conditions.

I got interested in pools when I was in Oz!

Darwin in the Northern Territory

I had been working in the oil business for KBR (owned by Halliburton and yes I have actually met Dick Cheney) from the early 1990's. and spent most of 2001 in Darwin, Australia working on a large gas project.

There were lots of new houses and pools being being built in Darwin at the time and being naturally nosy I had a really good look at every swimming pool project that I saw - and there were hundreds!

In Australia, at that time, most of the pools were constructed with water-proof concrete or made from fibre-glass - and I came to the conclusion that there had to be a better way of building swimming pools because each concrete pool seemed to take about 6 months to build and the fibreglass pools just looked awful!!

Move to France in 2002

When I got back to the UK - my wife and I decided to move over so that I could start building swimming pools in France - specialising in providing pools for English residents. We moved with our two daughters - who were 8 and 11 at the time in September 2002. (We also thought that they would be better off in French schools - and they have been!)

I started to install swimming pools in France in 2004 and Luke and his family (Two young boys of 2 and 4 now) moved over to France to work with me in the autumn of 2004.

Research into Pool Types

Before I went to France I talked to Polypool in the UK about installing their PVC liner pool kits in France and then did some basic research into PVC liner pools and discovered that they were often used to waterproof concrete pools as well.

I particularly liked the basic concept where the pool structure stops the sides of the pool from collapsing and the PVC liner keeps the water in - and Polypool came on very strong about how quick their pools were to build.

The Modular Panel Pool Experiment

So I decided that I would install PVC liner pools and as an experiment I built 2 swimming pools in France in 2004 using the modular panel pool kits supplied by Polypool.

These are about the most expensive panel pool kits available in Europe and consist of dense polystyrene panels that are held in alignment by steel channels at the top and bottom of the pool walls.

Lots of concrete and pea gravel is required to backfill behind the panels and stabilise them, before filling the pool with water. The top rail is held in position by a piece of steel angle that is hammered into the ground and tied back to the angle with a bit of screwed rod.

I did not find these pools easy to build, and on both, one of the longer walls moved into the pool by about 100 mm after I backfilled behind the walls. The backfilling was carried out exactly as recommended by Polypool. I had to beef up the anchors on both pools using a few tons of concrete to keep the walls in alignment during re-backfilling operations!

It was patently obvious that these pool walls are only stable when the pool is full of water and that if the pool needs to be emptied for any reason it is likely to collapse. AND SUCH POOLS ARE ONLY EVER GUARANTEED AGAINST MANUFACTURING DEFECTS - NOT STRUCTURAL COLLAPSE CAUSED BY BAD GROUND CONDITIONS OR HIGH GROUND WATER LEVELS!!!!

We were determined to install pools with an unequivocal guarantee against structural collapse so we had to find another system.

Fibreglass Pools

Luke joined me in France just after the two Polypools had been installed. We looked into the fibreglass pool option and soon decided that they were even worse than Polypools. Follow this link to see why:-

Fibreglass pool problems

Fibreglass pools not only collapse but they can also shoot up out of the ground as well!!!!

Concrete block and liner pools

We then examined the other options on the market and decided to try the concrete block and PVC liner system that many artisans use. We built two pools using this method - one in very good ground and the other in very unstable ground.

The pool structures worked well under both good and bad ground conditions - this is a picture of the bad ground conditions pool during construction - Just click on it to enlarge - they don't get much worse than this - and it was only the third one that we built!

We finished the pool as shown in the picture on the right and the client was very pleased with the finished product.

There were several construction drawbacks however:

• The interior walls of the pool needed to be finished by rendering with sand and cement. This is a very weather sensitive process - it cannot be done if it is too wet, too frosty or too hot.
• The 3 stage process - screed rails, scratch coat and finish extended the pool construction programme by 2 weeks.
• It was also very difficult to produce a very flat finish to the top of the walls so that the liner lock was level - this extended the programme by a few more days.

So the system can produce a good product that is not sensitive to poor ground conditions - but it takes far too long and is very weather dependent!!

We needed a system where we could tell our Pool Buyers when our Installation Team would be on site and how long their pool would take - So it was back to the drawing board!

Reinforced Concrete Filled Polystyrene Block Pools

So then we looked at how most of the big French pool chains were building their pools and discovered reinforced concrete filled polystyrene block pool walls! - we both immediately thought Yes!

The first pool that we built using these was a great success because it was quick and easy to build, the pool water was clearly a lot warmer in the mornings and the pools walls felt and looked very good - it was a bit of a Euraka moment for us both.

However we soon realised that the polystyrene block walls were not enough on their own because of the very poor ground conditions that cause paving subsidence around pools that is so often seen in France and we were also worried about Ice Loading.

Ice Loading

We wanted to make the structure of our pools as robust as possible and certainly robust enough to withstand the highest ice loadings that might be exerted on the walls in a very severe winter. I remember the winters from the 1960's and I think we are in a cycle where they will return - global warming or not!!

It is a basic fact that the vast majority of pools in France - and I mean well over 90% - have never had 100mm of ice cover on the pool. So most modular panel pools and fibreglass pools are going to be completely knackered if we have temperatures below zero for two or three weeks.

Are you confident enough - from all the pontification by scientists that severe winters are behind us - to spend 25,000 Euros TTC without a guarantee from your pool installer that your pool will not collapse under ice loading?

If you are - "You're a better man than I am Gunga Din" (Rudyard Kipling 1892).

Roman Steps

The structure of the Roman Steps is also very important because if these move or deteriorate visually the pool will lose all its Value as an Investment.

By the way if the steps are square on plan they are known as Greek steps and if they are round they are Roman Steps.

Initially we installed Fibreglass Roman Steps but during the development of the ARConWall System it became apparent that these were not satisfactory for several reasons including:-

• The future deterioration of the surface of the fibreglass that would not be renewable along with any liner replacement - thus eliminating one of the major advantages of a PVC liner in pool renovation
• The difficulty in holding the Steps in position during concreting that resulted in highly stressed fibreglass at the junction between the Steps and the pool walls and the risk of future failure
• The long length of joint between the liner and the Steps that increases the length of potential leakage points in the liner cut-outs by about 100% - at a point of maximum vulnerability from damage arising from the feet of pool users.
• The bare ends of the fibreglass steps that will allow steady moisture ingress and possible structural collapse
• The inability to provide non-slip treads on the steps
• The inability to carry the freize on the PVC liner around the steps and match the colour of the Steps with the colour of the pool liner
• The inflexibility of the step layout
• The narrow tread width.
• The vulnerability to structural collpase under ice loading

It became apparent that the use of fibreglass steps was incompatible with our desire to provide unequivacol structural guarantees. So we abandoned their use in favour of PVC liner covered steps with non-slip treads. These have been very successful and have massively improved the appearance of our pools.

The use of fibreglass steps is a sure sign that a pool builder is an amateur - as we were when we started!

The ARConWall System

Most French pool builders just build the pool and do not concern themselves with the the backfilled ground between the pool walls and the edge of the excavation for the pool.

And around every pool there is also a wedge of sub-soil that has been weakened by the excavation for the pool and that continues to be weakend by rain water getting into the backfilled ground around the pool.

When the paving is installed around the pool it subsides as the ground around the pool settles. There is absolutely nothing that can be done about this in Modular Panel Pools like Polypool or Fibreglass pools because they are not designed to take the weight of any concrete bearing down on them.

However the reinforced concrete filled polystyrene block pool walls can accept the weight from a concrete slab. To take maximum advantage from this we provide special steel reinforcement to connect the concrete slab to the top of the pool walls - including around the Roman Steps.

The concrete slabs do three things:-

1. They span over the backfilled ground and the sub-soil that has been weakened by the excavation for the pool thus avoiding the traditional subsidence alongside the pool walls and provide a solid foundation for paving slabs.

2. They stop rainwater from getting into the backfilled gap between pool wall and the excavation edge and then continuing to soften the surrounding soil.

3. They rigidly hold the top of the pool walls in position thus allowing Bluepools to adopt its motto "Built for Life" and provide an absolute guarantee against collapse under ice loading

We call this structural system the "ARConWall System" an ancronym from "Anchored Reinforced Concrete Wall" . Every one of our pools is completely surrounded by these ARConWall slabs. Under severe ice loading some damage may occur to the polystyrene but this will be simple to repair with exterior grade filler and would not even require pool emptying.

The Standard Pool

Click on the plan below to enlarge it. This is the Standard Pool that we supply when you look up the Pool Prices in our Estimate Tools for swimming pools that are supplied under the BEVLOR and 6 Week Pool Installation Options described below.

The pool illustrated has 1.2 metre walls and a 1 metre deep hopper. The Estimate Tools also provide prices for another alternative that has a flat bottom with 1.5 metre deep walls. Even deeper pools are available at a slight increase in cost.

Pool Installation

Bluepools has been installing pools using its own labour, plant and equipment for 6 years now and has a large portfolio of projects and very satisfied customers.

This has been very successful but resulted in a situation where we were spending most of our time on logistical planning and management. We were simply not able to spend enough time developing every pool project to meet our Client’s exact requirements and so we have changed our method of operation in order to give Clients the best level of service and minimize the price that our Clients have to pay for their new pool.

So after lots deliberation we decided that Bluepools should operate as a franchisor that rigidly controls its junior partners and franchisees – the Pool Installers

Bluepools undertakes all the commercial negotiation with Pool Buyers and then makes sure that the Pool Installer builds the pool to the very high Bluepools standards.

In Summary it all works like this:

• Client visits Bluepools website and becomes a subscriber
• Client requests Bluepools to provide a proposal
• Bluepools provides Estimates, Sketches and Contract for Client Approval
• Client enters into the Contract with the Local Pool Installer
• Bluepools supervises the Installation of the Pool by the Pool Installer
• Bluepools certifies that the pool has been installed to it’s very high standards
• Client pays the Franchisee for the Pool Installation

The Franchisees are all rigorously vetted by Bluepools and fully trained in the techniques involved in the installation of Polyblock Pools.

Every franchisee can provide references from previous pool Clients, including those that were the Customers of the Bluepools Franchise.

The Pool Installation Options are summarised in the following Table

Introduction

We have mentioned the three different methods of getting one of our pools installed before. We are pleased to provide more details of each method here.

Bevlor

How it Works

Bluepools supplies a kit for all the pool equipment including the polystyrene blocks for the pool walls, as well as a detailed instruction manual. The pool is installed by the Pool Buyer on a DIY basis or by the Pool Buyers builder and Bluepools inspects and reports on the workmanship during three visits to the pool site when the pool equipment is also supplied.

The BEVLOR Installation Service is a new pool installation process that has been developed by Bluepools in order to provide:-

• The highest performance pool kit on the French market - the ARConWall Pool that uses a modern high technology very durable, very attractive PVC liner with water that is kept healthy by a high flow filtration and water treatment system.
• At Best Value (BEV)
• At Lowest Risk (LOR)

The service involves the various steps shown here BluepoolsPoolKits and is applicable for a pool site anywhere in France. Step 3 may be excluded if the Pool Buyer does not require the planning submission option.

The basic pool costs and the cost of all the Optional Components are provided in the Bluepools Kit Estimate Tool. To gain Access to the Tool just add your Email address to the Subscription Form www.bluepools.co.uk and click on the Download Link.

6 Week Pool

How it Works

Bluepools undertakes all the preliminary discussions and negotiations with Pool Buyers. This includes the preparation of any special designs for infinity pools, pools on slopes, part buried pools, above ground pools inside old buildings etc.

Bluepools prepares the Estimates and the Contract documents for signature by the Pool Buyer. The Pool Buyer can discuss the Installation with the enfranchised Pool Installer and take up references and then Bluepools makes sure that the Pool Installer builds the pool to the very high Bluepools standards.

For more details including a detailed description of the actual process just click on the following link:-

6 Week Pool

The basic pool costs and the cost of all the Optional Components are provided in the Bluepools Estimate Tool. To gain Access to the Tool just add your Email address to the Subscription Form above or below or at www.bluepools.co.uk

Bespoke Pools

How it Works

This Service is applicable where Special Designs are required for your pool.

This would apply for example where the pool site is very difficult (e.g.on a very steep slope), where multi-level water flow from structures on the edge of the pool is required, where major landscaping works are required to accommodate the pool, where the pool has an infinity edge or where the pool is very large with a high volume of water.

If this type of pool is within 200 kms of Jonzac then the 6 Week Pool approach could apply (As described above) but the installation period may be longer.

It would also be particularly applicable when the Pool Buyer is having a new house built or an old one renovated and already has an experienced, qualified builder on site and wishes to integrate the pool installation with the building project so that the problems that can occur when two builders are on site are avoided.

The Bespoke Pools Service is applicable for a pool site anywhere in France.

Bluepools can also follow a similar approach for overseas pools when the Estimate would incorporate travelling costs and kit delivery costs.

For more details including a detailed description of the actual process and the standard prices just click on the following link:-

BeSpoke Pools

Why does the ARConWall system and all the other elements that are built into all Bluepool installations and kits provide such high performance swimming pools?

Because they have:-

• A structure that is guaranteed against any form of structural failure caused by subsidence or pool water pressure or ice loading  no matter what kind of soil or ground that it is installed in or what the water table level is- This is backed up by a 10 year "deccenale guarantee" issued by a French insurance company. You will find that many gurantees specifically exclude poor ground conditions from the guarantee- Follow this link to find out more about Pool Ground Conditions
• A structure that integrates the pool wall and the reinforced concrete slabs surrounding the pool so that both elements support each other - The ARConWall system that ensures that the pool wall will never move and the paving around the pool will never subside - to find out more follow the link The ARConWAll structural system)
• A heavy duty liner that is guaranteed for 10 years and that will not suddenly start to leak for no apparent reason. - Remember that all tiled pools leak - liner swimming pools do not - and if the liner does get cut somehow the hole can be easily located and repaired. Follow this link to find out Why Tiled Pools Leak
• A filtration system that provides automatic water top-up, optimal filtration and water hygiene - This effectively guarantees that the health of pool users will never suffer if the pool is looked after properly.. Follow this link to find out more about Pool Water Filtration
• A construction system that is very quick and easy to erect and fill with concrete - The polystyrene blocks eliminate the wet trades associated with the older style artisan built pools in concrete blocks - Follow this link to find out about Pool Types on the Market
• Optimisation of the swimming pool level, location and design - Relative to your property location and existing floor floor levels - Fill in the Contact Form at the top of this page to get a Free Guide on "Planning Your Pool Installation"
• Pool wall insulation that retains the heat and makes the pool less costly to heat - Follow this link to find out more about Pool Insulation and Pool Heating and how our pools can heat themselves with the right equipment!
• A classic rectangular shaped pool and liner covered square Greek Steps or round Roman Steps - That will enhance the value of your property in France - not reduce it - Follow this link to find out more about the cost of a Bluepool and why it is a worthwhile investment Pool Sizes and Costs and the Affect on Property Valuation

What are the Benefits provided by a Bluepools Installation?

The following benefits that the Pool Buyer gets from a Bluepool will apply whether the pool is bought under the 6 Week, Bevlor or Bespoke Pool process and include:-

• A fully documented, guaranteed pool -  Built under our supervision using the best technology and materials available that will add a substantial amount of money to the value of your property.
• Detailed Planning and Installation drawings - The design, location and level of your new pool will be arranged to optimise the attractiveness of your property. Non professionals often get the pool finished level wrong and this leads to drainage problems and you can even end up with an installation that sticks out of the ground like a bunker!
• The ARConWall reinforced concrete structural system - Built into every pool allowing us to guarantee the whole pool structure and the concrete paving around it against movement or settlement caused by subsidence or water pressure.
• Insulated walls that maintain high water temperatures - If you add insulation to the pool floor your pool can become a solar heater in its own right!
• Large liner covered Roman Steps - Not narrow, cheap and nasty fibreglass steps that are very susceptible to leakage along their long vulnerable joints and likely to show osmosis blisters in 7 or 8 years!
• The best pool equipment available on the French Market - Supplied by Procopi - the biggest and longest established French pool equipment manufacturer
• An automatic water top-up and over-flow system - This ensures that the pool filtration system through the skimmers can work properly even after heavy rainfall when the water level rises and during warm periods when the water level drops following evaporation. Most pool builders in France will look at you in amazement if you ask for an automatic water top up system and overflow system. But if you do not have one your filtration system will only work properly for a very short period after the pool water level has been adjusted because the flow through the skimmers will be too much or too little!
• Being able to contact either Luke or Will Witt -  For consultation by phone or Email during normal office hours.
• A pool operation and maintenance manual and a complete pool maintenance kit.
• Permanent telephone or Email access - During normal working hours, to either of us in the event that the installation is problematic from pool completion until you sell or move from the property.
• We will respond to any of your concerns - Whatever the problem or wherever your property is located, near or far from our base in Jonzac and this particularly applies to dealing with highly adverse ground conditions and / or a high water table that could cause failure when the pool needs to be drained down for some reason or other.
• We will make sure that your new swimming pool does not leak? - water is very expensive in France - and did you know that a pin sized leak in the pressure piping can leak enough water in a year to refill it many times over - and at the same time undermine both your and your neighbours house foundations!!
• AND THE GUARANTEES LISTED BELOW!!

The Guarantees

There is no other swimming pool installer in France that provides guarantees like these - just take a look!

• All our Pool Installers guarantee the pool structure and concrete paving against any movement or settlement caused by ground subsidence or water pressure. If you tell us there is a major problem we will arrive on site to inspect the problem within 7 days and will then ensure that the Pool Installer undertake the remedial works within 90 days if the structural components are defective in any way whatsoever.
• All our Pool Installers guarantee to put all pool equipment faults right free of charge within one year of pool commissioning, within 20 working days.
• All our Pool Installers guarantee to provide a water treatment system that will filter the whole volume of the water in the pool in 6 to 8 hours (depending on the system settings) and by keeping the water level constant ensure that your pool water is healthy and safe to swim in at all times.

Case studies and testimonials

Case Studies from 2005, 2006 and 2007

If you want to see some of the pools that we have built in 2005, 2006 and 2007 please click on the link on "Bluepools Case Studies".

Testimonials from Other Clients

We can provide a testimonial from every client that we have had. We admit that while most of the projects went very well and the clients were delighted, we did have quite a few problems in 2007 caused primarily by the very wet spring and summer that severely delayed our pool construction programme. But even the clients that were badly effected were understanding and were satisfied that we did everything in our power to overcome the difficulties.

Sixth year of business in south west France

We are both very passionate about the pool business here and are determined to ensure that Bluepools is regarded as the best swimming pool designer and installer in France. With this aim in mind we do everything in our power to ensure that Bluepools delivers the same high level of product quality and customer service to every single client.

We will both be heavily involved in your pool and every pool that we build!

We both look forward to hearing from you

PS - If you fill in the form above or at the top of this page you can immediately download the 76 page Free Ebook on Pool Buying in France as well as the Bluepools Estimate Tool and the Bluepools Kit Estimate Tool. These are simple to use to calculate the exact price of your swimming pool - AND IF THERE ARE NO PARTICULAR ISSUES ABOUT YOUR SITE THAT INCREASE COSTS WE WILL BUILD IT FOR THE AMOUNT THAT YOU CALCULATE!!!!!!!

(ARConWAll is a trade name owned by Bluepools SARL)