This is a leading question that many of our clients are very interested in after we have provided a pool installation proposal.

So how can you assess whether the pool that has been offered to you is good value for money?
There is one universal truth that applies in every country in the world - “If the pool is of poor quality it will reduce the value of your property”

How can you assess the quality of a pool proposal from a pool installer?

You need to answer these questions;

1. Is the pool guaranteed for life or is the guarantee for a fixed period and hedged with weasel words like “Manufacturers Guarantee”? (this means that only the pool components are guaranteed - not the pool installation - so if poor soil conditions cause the walls of your pool to collapse do not expect the kit supplier to do anything about it)
2. Is the pool filtration equipment equipped with a sand filter and guaranteed to have the capacity to filter the whole pool in 6 hours or less (This is the minimum required to ensure that the water is not polluted - the filtration equipment for many kit pools will take 12 hours or more)
3. Are you absolutely sure that the pool will not float out of the ground in winter? (Fibreglass and ceramic pools are very prone to this)
4. Does your pool have a heavy structure designed by an engineer - If not and you have a high water table or clay in your garden the pool will possibly collapse the first time that it is emptied
5. Is the pool rectangular in shape? - many people only like the classic lines of rectangular pools
6. Are the pool coping stones attractive and accurately laid with regular joints that line up with the paving that surrounds them?
7. Are you sure that the paving around your pool will not subside (the avoidance of susbsidence needs special precautions that cannot be provided with any panel wall kit)
8. If your pool does not have a liner - are you sure it does not leak? - the pool must be kept full of water to maintain it in good condition and this is very difficult and costly if the pool leaks
9. And last but not least - can the pool installer show you other pools that he has built and introduce you to the owners.

If you can answer yes to the 9 questions above you almost certainly have a proposal for a good quality pool - so let’s move on to other considerations. These factors will all tend to be different depending on the country or area that the pool is being built in.
(i) A quality pool will always add value to an upmarket property but it will be difficult to prove that the whole investment in the pool will be recouped - hence the better the value of the pool is the higher the return.
(ii) Investment buyers for holiday lets view a pool as essential because the rates for holiday lets can normally be increased by between 50% and 100% - but pool heating will also be essential - especially in the UK
(iii) Most private buyers of an upmarket country property want a pool - but they hate the mess and risk involved in getting one built.
(iv) An up market property with a pool will sell faster than one without if the properties are more or less comparable in price
(v) The pool is valued higher if it is seen to be an integral part of the house by being close to it and connected by hard paving - as most can be.

In France where we have been building pools since 2004 it is our experience that the cost of the pool will be recouped on the sale of the property if it is a quality installation in an appropriate property.

The following link seems to prove it

http://www.homemove.co.uk/news/01-04-2008/worthwhile-improvements-for-french-property-owners.html

Will Witt

Luke and I intend to post information on pool topics of interest and the pools that we are building.

Please follow the “About Bluepools” link above to hear more about this.

We have also included some historical archives from our old blog on pool water and water quality from 2005 because these issues are still topical and applicable.
Kind Regards

Will Witt

Buy a kit that not only measures chlorine residual and pH, but also the total alkalinity and calcium hardness of the water. Such measurements are vital to attaining correctly balanced water.

The tests for chlorine residual and pH consist of filling a small tube and adding drops of chemical reagent which react with the chemicals in the water to colour it and compared to colour chart to determine chlorine and pH levels. Always take the reading from at least 12 inches below the water level as substances floating in the top layer of water can give false readings. Judge the colour against a white background and use the same background each time to avoid variances in readings on bright or cloudy days.

Ideal readings:
Free chlorine 1.0 - 3.0 ppm
pH 7.2 - 7.6
Total alkalinity 80 - 120 ppm
Calcium hardness 200 - 1,000 ppm
Cyanauric acid 40 - 50 ppm

With a new pool, you should test for chlorine daily during the first month, then two or three times weekly. Frequent testing and pH adjustments for a new pool are very important