« That's it ! The 10th May 2014, the pool is being dug out !
After months of research, I hadn't found any solution which was completely satisfactory in terms of value for money and price / quality ratio amongst all the proposals made by the professionals, large companies or craftsmen ; I was convinced that to create a «simple water hole filtered by a pump » (my definition of a pool), It was not necessary to spend 20 or 30 000 Euros… and to end up with all the different problems that owners have whatever procedure they choose (In the Toulouse area there are any number of them !) ; I know, my definition may appear simplistic, but let's agree that the specifications for the pool are ridiculously low compared to those of a car that costs the same amount of money !
A pool shell seemed to me to be the most pertinent concept in the long list of solutions proposed but when I saw the difference between the basic price of a Spanish pool shell and the final bill ….. well what ? …..... « Playing » lego with concrete blocks for days on end, with a wart of more than 10 tonnes of concrete base below …? The wonky compromise of a mid-range wooden half buried pool with a maximum depth of 1m40… and the concrete paving slab anyway… and the wall ripped open some years later?… Or, a top range pool in exotic wood which will not rot ?… Yes but at the price of a handmade pool.… Lol… The « miracle » kit, a complete well packed kit on a palet lost on a trailer and which has made many a Sunday DIY enthusiast tear his hair out ? « Well never mind, we'll swim next summer… if I've finished… »
To cut a long story short, I was sure that something different existed when one day, tired of not being able to find an example, I came across Daniel's website.....… I fell in love with the concept immediately as it reassured me in my ideas, but because of the simplicity, the clarity and the process ! And never mind the sarcastic comments of those who wanted to put me off.
The pool was begun on the 10th April 2014, and was filled with water on the 21st June 2014 !
A few nights of worry (perfectionnists like Daniel himself will understand !) but at the same time, a sense of jubilation when you carry out such a project… and no bank loan ! And moreover, I learned to « let go » and not want to control everything right from the beginning. The project could be adapted as I went along : I am thinking in particular of the numerous decorations and fittings you can see in the photos (rocks to make the excavation right, concrete slabs, wooden decking etc.).
The most « stressful » and tiring part, at the end of the day, will have been « sculpting » the earth walls during a period of weather which alternated between rain and sun. The earth became crusted and fell off like mortar righting limestone.
At its largest, the pool is about 7.30m by 5.70m with a depth going from 20 cm at the first step to 40 cm for the beach and 1m70 for the large pool ; Only the water fall is missing (we have been waiting to fit for the pipe for a year) because I need to fit it in relation to the tarpaulin rod that I will receive soon.
The amount spent, from the digging to the filling with water is about 3250 euros ! Later, of course, the cost of the rocks, the decking, the concrete and wood beaches will need to be added and should be about 1500 Euros.
There is just one thing I regret. My land didn't allow me to make a 100m2 pool, because one of the virtues of this concept, on the contrary to the usual different methods, is the extra cost which depends mainly on the size of the tarpaulin. For a 100m2 pool : just 700 Euros more, 100 Euros of geotextile, a skimmer, an extra outlet nozzle… under these conditions, why do without ? Perhaps in a next life, on a new plot…
To finish off, I can never thank Daniel enough for his availability, his kindness and his contagious enthusiasm which clear the clouds of worry that might surprise us with a pencil, shovel, scissors or glue in hand ! »
