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Installing a swimming pool in your lawn or yard is a thrilling and exciting idea and one of the most significant investments you can make in your outdoor space at home. Aside from being a luxury investment, a swimming pool provides you and your family with excellent recreation and health opportunities.

A well-designed and planned pool can be an excellent oasis to cool your body off during summer or hot days and an ideal place for relaxation with your friends and family. While the idea of building a pool in your backyard can be thrilling, the entire process of making your imagination a reality could be nerve-wracking and stressful.

If not planned correctly and in advance, you could risk investing your money in a swimming pool that appears out of place in an outdoor living space. The best solution to make your dream a reality and avoid unnecessary stress is to work with a reliable pool builder or contractor through every part of the process.

If you want to install a swimming pool in your backyard, this article is yours. Read on for helpful tips on planning and designing your swimming pool.

Crucial Factors to Consider When Planning and Designing Your Swimming Pool

Before signing any binding agreement with any pool builder and paying for materials and supplies needed, it is a wise and brilliant idea to outline essential planning for the swimming pool. Generally speaking, having a concrete plan for the ideal type of pool you want will help you avoid unexpected issues and help you and the pool builder remain in the right direction from the beginning to the end.

Creating and keeping a journal or document that lists all your concepts, budget, and critical dates can help keep everything on schedule during your pool construction process. To that end, below are some helpful factors to consider when designing and planning your swimming pool:

The Cost of the Entire Project

Budgeting and deciding the amount you intend to spend is one of the first factors to consider when planning your swimming pool. Before you begin this critical project, you should be realistic and honest about your budget and consider all the unique features and materials you want in the final design because they will affect your overall expenditure.

You would also want to consider the space you will use because your backyard's shape and size will impact your overall swimming pool construction budget. A small backyard or steep slopes could affect how your pool builder approaches this project to bring your vision to reality and likely make the installation less or more costly, depending on your unique space's specifics.

Generally speaking, according to (BHC) Better Homes and Gardens, above-ground swimming pools are cheaper than in-ground swimming pools. The above-ground swimming pool is more affordable because a builder installs it rather than constructing it. However, if you need an in-ground pool, you should have a well-planned budget because this project will attract additional construction and design expenses.

It is also worth noting that swimming pools have ongoing expenses on top of the one-time installation and design costs. Necessary pool chemicals, regular maintenance expenses, and features for your swimming pool will carry extra costs you should consider when formulating your budget.

The Available Space

When planning your pool, it is critical to consider the size of your backyard or space. While a pool’s size is a personal decision, being realistic about the available space will help ensure you and the pool builder or contractor are in the same direction.

If your backyard is small, you would not want to build a swimming pool that occupies all the space, leaving little room for planting flowers or moving around. On the other hand, if you have a spacious backyard, having the scale right is typically about creating the ideal balance between garden, hardship, and pool.

That is where the professional services of a pool builder and designer come in handy to help you utilize your space well. A well-planned and positioned pool can complement your outdoor space, making your home a comfortable and ideal place to relax.

The Pool's Purpose

How you will use the swimming pool is also critical to remember when determining the best pool design to install in your home. Are you looking to install a pool primarily for exercise or family entertainment? Your pool's intended purpose will determine the design you will go for and how much you will spend on this project.

It is worth noting that pools do not have to be blue-colored. You can install a black, green, or white swimming pool to help complement your home's exterior design.

The Pool's Safety

While swimming pools are beautiful and relaxing, they can pose safety hazards, particularly for young children in your home. Therefore, when designing and planning your swimming pool, keeping safety in mind is a wise idea by incorporating other features like handrails, alarms, and fences into your final design.

Although watching over the swimming pool whenever it is busy or in use is the best way to ensure maximum safety, having these safety features in place can be reassuring and help prevent unnecessary accidents.

The Pool's Shape

Traditionally, rectangular swimming pools were the main option for many homeowners who needed a yard oasis. However, in this modern world, you can choose several pool designs and styles depending on your interests and desires. Below are some of the most common pool designs you can choose from:

• Oval – Oval-shaped swimming pools are ideal for recreational use.
• Rectangular – Rectangular-shaped pools are ideal for narrow, small backyards or lap swimmers.
• Round – A round-shaped pool is a classic and unique shape ideal for entertaining your guests.
• Freeform – As the name suggests, when creating a freeform swimming pool, the builder will create and design it to suit your backyard's shape and size, making it one of the most expensive and popular custom-made pool designs.

Other additional swimming pool styles you could choose include the L-shaped and Grecian pools. Although it helps to have a general idea of the type and design of the pool you want in your backyard, once you consult a reliable pool builder, you will receive additional ideas to help make your vision a reality.

Tips on Choosing a Reliable Pool Builder for Your Unique Project

Once you decide to invest in a swimming pool, working with a reliable pool builder is the best way to ensure the entire building and installation process is seamless. Here are a few tips to remember as you search for a dependable pool builder for your project:

Remember to Seek Recommendations

It is important to have options before you sign an agreement with any potential pool builder. By seeking recommendations from your colleagues and friends with an admirable swimming pool, you can reduce your options and find a reliable pool builder without hassle.

Seeking recommendations from various people will ensure that you have options before signing an agreement with any prospective pool builder.

Do Your Research

Even though you have an exciting recommendation, doing background research is a brilliant idea to ensure the pool builder will satisfy your unique interests and needs. Visit your prospective pool builder's website and social media profiles, and check their past client comments and reviews about the company's services.

If you detect a pattern of negative comments about the pool builder's services, the chances are the company is unreliable, meaning you cannot trust it with your project. However, if the company's past clients are happy with pool builder services, you should treat that as a green flag, indicating their services are reliable.

Consider the Company's Credentials

Knowing that not every swimming pool builder has the same qualifications and experience you need for your project, you would not want to settle for any company without checking their credentials. Before you hire any pool building company, you should confirm and ensure the company is legally licensed and is willing to provide you with a copy of the license to confirm its legitimacy.

If our prospective company is unlicensed, you should take that as a red flag about their competence and reliability because proper business licensing is a legal requirement. Another critical credential is the pool builder's liability insurance coverage.

Liability insurance coverage will help protect you (the homeowner) and the company's interests when an accident occurs during the pool installation or construction process. A reliable and trustworthy pool-building company will be ready to hand over these crucial credentials to you upon request.

Check Your Prospective Pool Builders Portfolio

It is a brilliant idea to see photos and videos of your prospective pool builder to understand the company's style and quality of services before making any deals with them. Checking your prospective company's portfolio can also give you insight into various aspects of the project and possibly provide you with inspiration or ideas to create your dream swimming pool.

Have a Feel of Your Prospective Pool Builder Customer Service

Before hiring or retaining any pool builder's services, you would want to have a feel of the company's customer service by talking to them. Talking to your prospective pool builder can show the company's reliability and commitment to ensuring their customers receive the best and top-notch services.

If you detect their customer service agents are rude or disrespectful, chances are their services are unreliable, and you cannot trust the company with your swimming pool building project. A reliable company should treat you courteously and give you well-informed options and ideas about your project for proper planning ahead of time.

Know Whether Your Prospective Pool Builders Will Subcontract Work or Use Their Staff

Since you will be allowing strangers into your home compound, you want to know the number of people to expect and whether they work for the company. While some pool-building companies have their staff ready to do all the needed work on any project, others prefer working with other contractors, like plumbers.

If the company will subcontract the work, you would want to ensure all the contractors they will work with are trustworthy since they will have access to your premises during the project's duration.

Consider Your Prospective Pool Buider's Cost of Services

Finally, the company you choose to handle your project must have fair charges or costs of services that fit within your budget. Every company has different rates for their services, depending on various factors, including their experience in the industry.

Ensure the company you will hire for the work has a fair cost of services with no hidden costs. While there are several factors you can consider when searching for a reliable pool builder, the above-explained considerations can significantly lower your options to find a dependable company without time wastage.

Rule of Thumb When Designing and Planning Your Swimming Pool

The above tips will help you design and plan your envisioned swimming pool. However, you can break the rules a bit since it is your pool, and you are paying for it. Listening to your prospective pool builder's ideas and concepts is a wise and brilliant idea, but it is up to you to decide the design and style of pool you want in your backyard.

Staying in touch with the pool builder is also important during your pool construction or installation process. Even if the project is ongoing, you should let the pool construction company know if you have any changes in mind about the pool’s design. Doing this will help everyone stay on the same page and ensure that the finished product is what you had in mind.

While it does not apply to everyone, you should check whether you need a license or insurance coverage to install a pool in your backyard to avoid unnecessary surprises in the future.

Find a Credible Jacksonville Pool Building Company Near Me

With a dependable team of experts in your corner, you can rest assured that every step of the pool installation or construction process will go as planned.

At Oak Wells Aquatics, we have well-experienced and courteous pool builders or contractors you can trust on your unique pool installation and construction project to make your dream a reality. We invite you to call us at 904-619-3281 to discuss your needs and ideal pool vision with our skilled pool builders, wherever you are in Jacksonville.