Hi new here, but used to be in EnglishForum under a different name…
We’re looking to get a pool installed and looking for tips before we get going with it. Anyone have any companies to use/avoid? Any useful info you wish you’d had before you started? We’re in Vaud… wondering if we can use a company from Italy/France/Germany if it’ll be cheaper…
I think we’ll want in-ground, deffo at the cheaper end of the spectrum rather than fancy inox or whatever.
Do we need heated? I guess possibly yes if we want to use it more than just in July/Aug right?
Thanks in advance for any light you can shed on the adventure of installing a pool.
Rather than heating, If you get a solar cover (something like this), you’ll have a much warmer pool for a few months with no heating costs.
Even if you do go down the heating route, a solar cover is still a good idea to reduce heating costs dramatically.
These covers also are a good safety idea as they will take a child’s weight if they slip and fall into the pool with the cover out.
The first thing to do is to check with the commune what authorisations if any are necessary in your area.
It depends on the size and type of pool here as to what is required.
Have you ever kept a pool? I had a magic lagoon pool/spa for 15 years (not in CH), and I did almost all the work (except when I wasn’t there). First thing is to educate yourself on how everything works–chemistry, pump, filter, heater, backflow, cleaning, algae fighting, finish materials and maintenance, filling and draining. You will need to know how to do your own service–cleaning, weekly balancing, troubleshooting–because competent help is not always available. Then there’s the not-inconsiderable cost of draining every fall and starting over in the spring. It’s a big commitment. If something does go wrong, you need to be pretty handy and work quickly to resolve issues. I don’t know if it’s available in CH, but we had an ion (silver/copper) system instead of chlorine…it was like bathwater, with minimal chlorine as a backup. Kind to skin, eyes, and hair.
The works in that particular commune require that they are led by a qualified person, which in practice might mean an architect or a general construction company. Well, they might indeed use a subcontractor or people from abroad but you might not see the savings
Heating with electricity might require a heat pump and/or maybe solar panels to produce electricity from renewable sources to compensate CO2 emission for heating.
Even installing over-the-ground demountable pool above a few m3 usually requires some administrative paperwork, but fortunately no construction permit.
Hopefully you’ve cleared with the architect axcactly what fee they’ll charge for their service, I’ve seen a few thousand bill for two brief visits to discuss a house extension project.
No idea about costs, here they state that the traditional pool construction costs are so high now that it makes financial sense to install an inox one instead and provide some examples. List of things not included in the estimations follows https://www.designo-piscines.ch/prix-piscine-beton/
BTW: every time there is a drought there are voices of politicians in Vaud demanding banning new private pool constructions. I’ve not heard whether they would consider banning the use of the existing ones.
If it’s a pool with a liner then yes, you do need to keep it filled, otherwise the liner may become loose and fall away from the walls, becoming really difficult to reposition when refilling. Extended periods of emptiness risk the liner degrading if it becomes creased, especially if also exposed to the sun.
Edit: by “fall away from the walls” I really mean that it will shrink away from the bottom corners - the water keeps it under tension and pushed all the way down. If you refill it immediately it will normally regain it’s original position, but left for any period of time it will distort and be impossible to get back properly into place.
I can’t really give much, but we had a 80 cu m pool installed at our house in France about 20 years ago, came in at around 25k, but needed considerable groundwork to level up the space before installation. I imagine today, in CH, you’d be looking at something like at least twice that price, but have not investigated.
We had ours hooked up to the house heating, but also a big rolling glass “Abri” - think conservatory - and a surface level cover, such that I only ever run the heating if we’re trying to get it running early season, March or April, and it hasn’t been a sunny spring.
Over winter it doesn’t get anywhere near to freezing - I haven’t monitored it in years, but ISTR minimum temperatures of plus 10-12 Celcius, so that’s not an issue. The major problem we’ve had is that our water there is very alkaline and prone to algae and limescale, not a good combination. This year I’ve been adding shedloads of HCl (like 20 litres or so of 23% acid over the course of the early summer) to neutralise the total alkalinity, whereas previously I was just balancing the Ph, which didn’t reduce limescaling, so I’m hopeful that come next spring it shouldn’t be in such a bad state as in previous years.
If I may suggest one thing - some companies in Vaud can present a ludicrously high quote with a perfectly straight face. Especially some “Swiss” local companies used to take rich expats for a ride. I’ve seen a house construction quote that was easily 50% off the mark (and I’m conservative here) - likes for likes, with no added value, except that sure, everything is mostly fine, but why shouldn’t it if one is overpaying for each part. For smaller jobs I’ve seen even worse examples.
One advice: shop around, ask neighbours for references and opinions, and ask for at least a few quotes.
