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After size, shape and location have been decided, the depth of water should be determined. If members of your family con-sider lining to be important, there must be a minimum safe depth of eight feet at a point 19 feet in from the deep end of the pool. This deep water (five or more feet deep) should extend at least 20 feet in from the same deep end of the pool. Then you add to this length an area of shallow water about three feet deep for the non-swimmers and children. Water less than three feet deep is undesirable as your hands touch bottom while swimming. If a great number of small children might be using your pool, a separate small wading pool will keep them safe and happy.
Underwater lighting, heating and filtration equipment should be purchased from responsible suppliers. As the purpose of these items is to add to the usefulness of your pool, they should be of the very best quality. Reputable pool building contractors will provide estimates of equipment cosrs if you decide to build your own pool.
Home building a swimming pool is not a snap, nor is it impossible. Lots of hard work is involved and careful planning is a "must," or else you may end up with a leaky chunk of useless concrete imbedded in the back-yard recreation area.
Materials for building a swimming pool are as varied as the pools themselves. In the early days of Eur6pe and America stone masonry was the most popular material. I.arer, form-poured concrete came into vogue. But even though much cheaper than masonry it restricts the use of contours to reduce water volume. In spite of its drawback, this type of pool construction is excellent for large public installations.
Another method of pool building is known as the "dry-pack" method. After the ground excavation is completed, a wire mesh basin is constructed and plastered with concrete. This method produces an inexpensive contoured pool. Unfortunately, plastered concrete is not usually sufficiently dense to prevent the seepage of water. Concrete blocks have been used with minor success in pool building but they too will pass water out of the pool. In addition. after the first few years of use, the joints become another source of leakage.
The recent invention of pneumatically applied concrete, usually called "gunite," has greatly lowered the cost of pool construction. This method makes it possible to line the pool basin with a wire mesh of any desired shape. No wooden forms are used and the curving walls have many advantages. They are relatively free from earth pressure, reduce the amount of water needed to fill the pool and present a more attractive and natural appearance. After the mesh basin is completed it is sprayed with concrete under high pressure. When the concrete hardens, it forms a seamless. high density tank. Not only is construction cost cut but the absence of sharp corners reduces maintenance cleaning time.
