HYBRID DIY BUILD OPTION

Although most of our clients choose the route of doing the pool themselves and just buying the pool kit from us, we do understand that there are instances where the clients may be too busy to do it all by themselves but have the capability and the time to manage the project.

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The full-service or turnkey pool building process for residential properties is to award a blanket contract to a pool contractor who then sub-contracts out the bulky & messy work like excavation, concrete, and in some cases even the finishing of the pool, adding a percentage to each item and ending up with an inflated bill for the client.

The main expertise of pool companies is the installation of the filtration & heating equipment and to some extent the electrical works associated with fitting underwater lights and dosing systems etc. What we are doing here is using a step-by-step swimming pool design process that enables the clients to achieve the desired results with at least 25% savings and a lot less risk than the traditional process. 

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You employ the tradesmen directly while we provide detailed working drawings and visit the site at key stages to ensure all work is carried out as per the design, and when the work is finished we commission the pool and hand it over to you. This approach to swimming pool design and construction utilises generic (and local) tradesmen that are employed by the homeowner in a standard way to carry out a majority of the work, and leaving the specialised work to be done by very skilled tradesmen like plumbers & electricians, an approach that you might occasionally see in 'Grand Designs'.

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A few reasons why this approach is an excellent way to construct a pool are:

• You get specialist advice so the pool is designed to suit your property and your style.

• You have complete control over the pool installation process and quality, and you can enjoy the build with a sense of satisfaction as it progresses.

• No massive up-front advance deposits thus eliminating the risk of your losing money if the pool contractor proves to be untrustworthy.

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How are savings of 25% achieved?

Most of the pool companies in the UK employ subcontractors to do at least three major operations of a pool build, excavation, pool structure, and pool finishing. Standard mark-up in the industry on these items is between 50% and 100%, so for a medium size 8m X 3m pool the total invoice from a pool contractor would look like this:

• Pool equipment fully installed: £15,000

• Pool finishes: £15,000 (£10k + 50%)

• Pool shell: £24,000 (£15k + 60%)

• Pool excavation: £10,000 (£5k + 100%)

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    Total: £64,000

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With us, it is more like this:

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• Pool equipment fully installed: £15,000

• Pool finishes: £10,000

• Pool shell: £15,000 

• Pool excavation: £5,000

• Design fees: £5,000

     Total: £50,000

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( All prices excluding VAT where applicable)

A saving of £14,000, which can be significantly more if the local tradesmen are below the VAT threshold, and quite a few of them are.

The point to note also is that these are the savings for a 'standard' tiled skimmer pool, the pool contractor's mark-ups increase as you go up the options scale like spa, sauna, steam room or the pool design becomes more complex, increasing to almost 100% on items like automatic covers, water features and infinity pools. The savings in some cases can be almost up to 50% of the total cost of building the pool.

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The kits are designed to allow you to put the plant room anywhere within 5 meters of the pool edge and are split into three parts that can be bought separately, so you don’t need to shell out all the cost upfront. To get the total price, choose the pool size then add the first fix (plumbing), second fix (completion) & heating kit prices all together to get the final figure. The kits are made of:

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Pool filtration first fix (plumbing kit)

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The first fix kit includes the required number of skimmers, drains, return inlets, vacuum points, automatic top-up, and LED lights for the size of your pool complete with pipe & fittings and needs to be purchased before you start construction of your pool.

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When you purchase this kit, you get our pool design package bespoke for your pool worth up to £995 free of cost from us.

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After the purchase of this kit, if you feel that you would rather have it professionally installed by our engineers, we can offer to do it for £1,995 fixed price - any size pool.

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Pool filtration second fix (completion kit) prices

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The completion kit includes the pool shell fittings, pool filtration pump, sand filter, filter media, ball valves, and the pool light transformer complete with a control panel. This needs to be purchased after you have finished your pool shell but before you install your pool finish.  

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SMALL POOL up-to 15 square meters (example 6m X 2.5m)  : £3,995

MEDIUM POOL up-to 24 square meters (example 8m X 3m)  : £4,995

LARGE POOL up-to 40 square meters (example 10m X 4m)  : £5,995

EXTRA LARGE POOL up-to 60 square meters (example 12m X 5m)  : £6,995

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When you purchase this kit, you get an off-line chlorine feeder worth £295 free of cost from us.

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After the purchase of this kit, if you feel that you would rather have it professionally installed by our engineers, we can offer to do it for £1,995 fixed price- any size pool.

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Outdoor pool heating kit prices

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The outdoor pool heating kit that finishes your installation includes the latest technology inverter pool heat pump and a by-pass system.

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SMALL POOL up-to 15 square meters (example 6m X 2.5m)  : £3,995

MEDIUM POOL up-to 24 square meters (example 8m X 3m)  : £5,495

LARGE POOL up-to 40 square meters (example 10m X 4m)  : £6,995

EXTRA LARGE POOL up-to 60 square meters (example 12m X 5m)  : £8,995

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When you purchase this final kit, you get a solar pool cover worth up to £895 free of cost from us.

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After the purchase of this kit, if you feel that you would rather have it professionally installed by our engineers, we can offer to do it for £995 fixed price- any size pool. We allow up to 1 day of work for this installation.

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**All prices excluding VAT.

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Indoor pool H&V (heating & ventilation) kit prices

While outdoor pools need just the water to be heated to have comfortable swimming conditions, indoor pools not only need the pool water to be heated but also the pool hall air to be heated and dehumidified to stop condensation on pool room internal surfaces, especially glass windows, doors and skylights. Our kit does all of it without you needing to put radiators in the pool hall, although most clients like to have underfloor heating just for the nice feeling barefoot and to keep the pool surround dry.

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Needless to say, if you are building an indoor pool, this H&V kit will replace the 'Outdoor Pool Heating Kit' mentioned above.

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The indoor pool H&V kit includes a stainless steel heat exchanger for the pool water and a heat recovery dehumidifier that is supplied with ducting and grilles to blow warm dry air on to the glass surfaces. A fresh air module is also offered as an option.

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SMALL POOL up-to 15 square meters (example 6m X 2.5m)  : £7,995

MEDIUM POOL up-to 24 square meters (example 8m X 3m)  : £11,995

LARGE POOL up-to 40 square meters (example 10m X 4m)  : £16,995

EXTRA LARGE POOL up-to 60 square meters (example 12m X 5m)  : £22,995

OPTIONAL HEAT RECOVERY VENTILATOR (for fresh air circulation) : £2,995

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The above prices are supply only, but if you are within 100 miles of Central London, we can offer the installation of all our kits at a nominal charge, if you feel the need for it.

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**All prices excluding VAT.

And if you are also not sure about whether to build the pool yourself or to use a full-service installer, please visit www.aqua-spazio.com to know about our pool construction partners.

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DIY SWIMMING POOL SHELLS

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One thing to note is that when we calculate the pricing for construction projects, we have to consider building materials, plant hire, and labour costs. Now while it is difficult to give a firm price without looking at actual site conditions, the guide prices for good quality concrete pool shells are as below:

LINER POOL SHELLS (prices for finished shell only - choose from equipment packages above to get complete price) : 

£300 materials + £300 labour = £600 per sqm of pool area in plan.

Small Pool 6m X 2.5m = 15 sqm  X £600 per sqm = £9,000

Medium Pool 8m X 3m = 24 sqm  X £600 per sqm = £14,400

Large Pool 10m X 4m = 40 sqm  X £600 per sqm = £24,000

Extra Large Pool 12m X 5m = 60 sqm  X £600 per sqm = £36,000

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The prices above INCLUDE forming the pool base in reinforced concrete, forming pool walls using solid concrete blocks, insulation to the pool floor & walls and standard plain liner.

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The prices above EXCLUDE excavation & taking soil away.

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TILED POOL SHELLS (prices for finished shell only - choose from equipment packages above to get complete price) : 

£350 materials + £400 labour = £750 per sqm of pool area in plan

Small Pool 6m X 2.5m = 15 sqm  X £750 per sqm = £11,250

Medium Pool 8m X 3m = 24 sqm  X £750 per sqm = £18,000

Large Pool 10m X 4m = 40 sqm  X £750 per sqm = £30,000

Extra Large Pool 12m X 5m = 60 sqm  X £750 per sqm = £45,000

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The prices above INCLUDE forming the pool base in reinforced concrete, forming pool walls using poured concrete, insulation to the pool floor, chlorine resistant waterproofing and mosaic tiling.

The prices above EXCLUDE excavation & taking soil away.

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**All prices excluding VAT.

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DIY SWIMMING POOL INSTALLATION PROCESS

After initial client consultation, the first stage of the process is concept design and sketches. Very useful for getting a first hand feel of what can be achieved and knowing what is involved, this includes site surveys, initial design discussions, site layouts, hand sketches, simple renderings and rough cost estimations. 

Concept Design & Sketches are priced from £195 for outdoor pools and £295 for indoor pools, but if you buy the equipment package from us, these are offered free of cost.

Once the concept is frozen, the next step is to make general arrangement plans & sections, technical drawings and finishes schedules. All this information is fed through the 3-D software to make realistic renders and illustrations, and the final package is ready to go out for execution.

Drawings & Illustrations are priced from £495 for outdoor pools and £995 for indoor pools, but again if you buy the equipment package from us, these are offered free of cost.

On commencement of works at site, it is important to monitor the progress and check for quality control. For complex projects, specialist contractors need on-site guidance and so this stage involves project kick-off, site visits, quantity surveys, ongoing project support and sign off on completion.

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Supervision & Commissioning are priced individually for each project but in general will cost you anywhere between £1,995 and £4,995 for a 2 months to 6 months project, although most of our clients who have some experience in DIY don’t need this service.

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Remember, the first consultation is free of cost, no obligation, so if anything is not clear or you are unsure of how big your pool would be, just send an email to selfbuildpools@gmail.com or fill up the form, it only takes 30 seconds.

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