Buried Pool Halls & Basement Pools
I. Why Should they be considered?
1. They are a lot cheaper to operate because the reduction in heat loss is so dramatic.
2. They do not ruin the appearance of your garden or obstruct existing views.
3. Buried pool halls do not cost as much to build because high quality external finishes are required for luxury pool hall buildings.
II. Basement Pools
The first two reasons apply equally to all Basement Pools but the third does not when a basement pool is going to be installed under an existing building - whether or not is has a basement.
Installing a Basement pool under an existing building
This is always very awkward to design and costly because:-
- The existing building invariably has to be underpinned before the basement pool can be installed.
- It is very difficult to determine what the ground conditions are under the original building and many services like sewers and water pipes have to be located and diverted.
- The excavation has to be carried out by very small machines and it is always difficult to get the spoil out of the basement to cart it away to the tip.
- Waterproofing of the new basement is very difficult to design and install because of the proximity of the underpinning to the original structure.
- The shape and size of the new pool is highly constrained by the internal walls of the original structure that also need to be supported.
III. Buried pool halls are a better option
Considering the afore mentioned, it is probably better to consider having a buried pool hall in your back garden.
It might look something like this:
Please click on the image for a larger picture
Construction Costs
If you have an access of 2m or more to your back garden and especially if you have somewhere on site to dispose of the excavation arisings it is surprising just how quickly and cheaply a pool like this can be built.
The cost of the pool hall will probably lie somewhere between 200 and 300 £'s or €'s per square metre of the pool hall - exclusive of the pool cost itself.
The real cost can only be determined after a site investigation and some preliminary design work has been carried out.
Operating costs
The heating and energy costs involved in running a small indoor pool can easily amount to 50 or 60 £'s or €'s per week. With a buried pool hall, especially one built in polybloks with an insulated roof, the heat loss into the surrounding air is eliminated and so the buried pool hall:-
- Costs virtually nothing to heat
- Is always at a comfortable temperature
Build a Garage or Gym at the same time?
This will of course increase the cost a little but it can kill two birds with one stone - especially if you would like a gym or even a snooker table in your garden!