Bluepools Pool Installation Case Studies for Pools Built in France

Introduction

Pools built between the start of 2005 and the end of 2009

The pools shown on this page are a representative cross-section of the pools built by Bluepools over the past 5 years.

Please click on the thumbnail image for a larger picture. They are big files and may take a while to download.

If you want to look at any of these pools we can probably make the necessary arrangments with the owners, depending on the timing.

Case 1 - Pool near St Jean d'Angely finished in 2005 for Mr and Mrs Coley

We started to use the Cara Terra paving on this pool - It looks so good that we have installed it in every pool since this one - until 2009 when they ceased to be made.

Case 2 - Pool near Nontron finished in 2005 for Mr and Mrs Ramsden

Surprisingly this is the only pool that we have built that just has decking without any paving stones. As you can see this works quite well and can be a sensible alternative when the subsoil is not good enough to support paving as was the case in this instance.

Case 3 - Pool in Argenton-sur-Creuse finished in 2005 for Mr and Mrs Campbell

This pool is in a beautiful park like garden and the combination of part decking and part paving works really well visually.

Case 4 - Pool near Cognac finished early in 2006 for Mr and Mrs Ritson

One of the nightmare pools to build. We knew before we started that we had a potential problem because the water level in the adjacent stream was only about 1 metre below the pool paving level. However we had hoped that the sub-soil would be clay so that the ground would not be too wet.

How wrong we were! The ground was fill and very wet. The first photo shows the sub-pool drainage that was installed. We extended the pipe up to ground level and pumped continuously for a month while we built the pool.

We also had to heavily reinforce the pool wall footings as well as the pool floor.

But the client was pleased with the finished project and it looks good as you can see from the second photograph

Case 5 - Pool Near Gemozac at a Gite Complex - built early 2006 for Kevin and Debbie Mills

This pool was built in very difficult ground. The top 800 mm of soil was very loamy topsoil that was difficult to deal with when wet. Beneath the topsoil was very hard rock. It took over two weeks to excavate the pool and its hopper down to the required finished level. It is a 12 x 6 pool built to DDASS standards

Case 6 - Pool near Montendre - built in Spring 2006 for Mr Peter Butler

This pool was built in a very restricted site as the pictures show. The first was taken before we started and the second during the screeding of the pool floor.

We also installed a fosse and filter bed and the landscaping to the front garden.

Case 7 - Pool near St Jean d'Angely built in Spring 2006 for Mr and Mrs Benn

This small pool was built in delightful location overlooking fields and in a real sun trap. The safety fence spoils the pool appearance but it was necessary for the children that visit the site.

Case 8 - Pool to the south of Bergerac built in summer 2006 for Mr and Mrs Markham

This pool was built on an awkward sloping site as the pictures show.

The first picture was taken on the first day and shows our PC 95 Komatsu digger. When we started in France we were called Bluebird Aventure Anonyme and that's why it says Bluebird on the digger.

This is not a cheap machine to maintain and cart about but it is often needed on steep slopes like this and when the ground is very rocky and hard to dig.

The second picture shows the walls completed and backfilled and the pool ready for the installation of the Roman End.

The third shows the completed pool. It was quite difficult to get the drainage around the pool right and the rain water off the hillside is taken past the pool by a large diamater pipe installed near the end of the house.

Case 9 - Pool near Mirande, Gers built in the summer 2006 for Mr and Mrs Lund-Yates

This pool was one of those that showed us how difficult it is to build and maintain a pool that is nearly 300 km away from our base at Jonzac in Charente-Maritime.

The ground water table was very high after a few storms even though the pool was built in the middle of the summer.

The top picture shows our digger again as well as the Volvo HGV that we need to cart it about from site to site.

The site looks flat but it is on a slight slope with a massive area of land above it that channels water across the site during periods of high rainfall.

You will notice that this pool is only protected by an alarm even though it is in an unfenced garden - but it still complies with the law as it stands at the moment.

Case 10 - Pool built in summer 2006 near Argenton-sur-Creuse in Indre for Mr and Mrs Stobbart

This pool was a large 15 x 5 metres and again built a long way from our Jonzac base. The ground around the pool had to be built up to suit the required level at the end near the pool plant room and so the narrow paved areas in the picture are supported on concrete block piers to avoid subsidence.

Case 11 - Pool built in autumn 2006 near Chasseneuil-sur-Bonnieure in Charente for Mr and Mrs Smith

This pool was built on a very restricted site as can be seen.

Case 12 - Pool built in late 2006 near Saujon, Charente-Maritime for Mr and Mrs D.Timmins.

This was a small pool built in very bad ground conditions - but the weather was quite dry and so it went quite well.

You can see how bad the ground is beneath our small digger the Komatsu PC 27R

Case 13 - Pool built in the spring / summer of 2007 near Monflinquin in Lot-et-Garonne for Mr and Mrs Bull

Well - this is the biggest pool that we have built and it was one big big big problem!

It did not look too bad when we started - you can just see the outline of the pool location on the first picture.

The second two pictures show what the site was really like. We had to install a 50 metre long large diameter drain just to get the site dry enough for the digger to move around the site.

Eventually we got the foundations finished as you can see from the fourth picture.

The pool and walls are built on consolidated fill and so the foundations of both the walls and the pool are highly reinforced.

We also had to build the 2.5 metre high curved retaining wall in reinforced concrete filled hollow concrete blocks. At one end of the wall we built an underground plant room as well as a long flight of suspended concrete steps over 4.5 metres high.

The walls were covered with Orsol concrete facings and the pool was equipped with a floating safety cover that is mounted on submerged motor driven roller.

The project took about 6 months to build and the final contract value was about 120,000 euros HT.

Case 14 - Pool built in the winter / spring 2007 near Ruffec in Charente for Mr and Mrs Roberts.

This pool was built in the very wet weather conditions of spring 2007

Case 15 - Pool built in spring / early summer 2007 at Challignac, near Barbezieux for Mr and Mrs O'Leary

Another of the pools that were hit by the awful weather conditions of 2007.

However the site itself was dry and there were no subsoil or ground water problems.

Case 16 - Pool built in autumn 2007 at Aujac, near Matha for Mr Ian Morris

Another of the pools that were hit by the awful weather conditions of 2007. We were late starting it and it is still not quite finished as you can see from the second picture.

The first picture shows the excavation and the very high ground water levels - this rose immediately after any rain and continuous pumping from an underpool was required during pool construction.

This pool has a square Roman End - they are a 1000 euros cheaper than the semi-circular ones and they provide a lot bigger seating area for those times when you just want to sit in the pool to cool down!

Case 17 - 12 x 6 pool built in 2007 for Mr C Shearing 16150 Chirac

Case 18 - Small pool built in 2007 in a very restricted site for Mr A Patterson 17160, Les Touches de Perigny

Case 19 - 8 x 4 pool built in 2007 in very poor ground conditions for Mr P Robinson at 17160 Matha

Case 20 - Interior Pool liner and plumbing installed in the autumn 2007 near Tarbes in the Pyrenees for Mr Overend

This project only involved the liner and pool plumbing installation

Case 21 - 11 x 5 pool built in 2007 and was eventually fitted with an above ground automatic cover for Mr and Mrs P Stevenson at Paille 17470

Case 22 - 10 x 5 pool built in 2008 in very bad groud conditions for Mr K. Ransome at Belleville 79360

We excavated for the pool just before Xmas in 2007 and returned in Jan 2008 to find the excavation completely full of water.

Case 23 - 12 x 5 pool built in 2008 at Moulidars 16290 for Mr Nigel Parrish

Case 24 - 10 x 5 pool built in 2008 for Mr T. Dodds at 17510 Bois Giffard .

We also constructed a large fosse filter bed and two 4000 litre fosse toutes eaux tanks on this site.

Case 25 - 12 x 6 pool built in 2008 with a large paved area on a very steep difficult site for Mr M. Brooks at 16190 Juignac.

The top illustration shows the one of the sketches of the proposed pool at tender stage and shows just how complex this project was.

The second picture shows how steep the bank was - some of the foundations below the pool are nearly 6 metres deep.

The final photo shows the finished pool. The project took about 4 months from start to finish and cost about 100,000 Euros HT. The client was not charged for any extra apart from those changes that he ordered.

Case 26 - 8 x 4 Pool built in 2008 on the bank of the River Lot for Mr H McKnight at 47130 Clairac

Case 27 - 10 x 5 pool built in 2008 with a Greek End on one long side for Dr Jenkins at 87900 Cheronnac

Case 28 - 10 x 5 pool built in 2008 alongside renovated barn for Mr P Johnson at 86400 St Macoux.

This picture also illustrates how the hopper bottoms are formed in mass concrete.

Case 29 - 13 x 6 m Infinity edge pool built in 2009 for Mr W Cussans at 17150 St Georges des Agouts

The second picture shows the infinity edge in operation.

The third picture shows the pool plant room and gives some idea of the size and complexity of the kit involved.

The paving around this pool was very special and imported from the UK but laid by Bluepools.

Case 30 - 11 x 5 pool with a diving board and above ground automatic cover built in 2009 for Dr D Sharer at 17150 St Sorlin de Conac.

Case 31 - 10 x 5 pool built in 2009 for Mr H McDonald 12200 Villefranche de Rouergue
awaiting photos

Case 32 - 10 x 5 pool built in 2009 for Mr P Wood at 79600 Irais
awaiting photos

Case 1 - Pool near St Jean d'Angely finished in 2005 for Mr and Mrs Coley We started to use the Cara Terra paving on this pool - It looks so good that we have installed it in every pool since this one - until 2009 when they ceased to be made.
Case 2 - Pool near Nontron finished in 2005 for Mr and Mrs Ramsden Surprisingly this is the only pool that we have built that just has decking without any paving stones. As you can see this works quite well and can be a sensible alternative when the subsoil is not good enough to support paving as was the case in this instance.
Case 3 - Pool in Argenton-sur-Creuse finished in 2005 for Mr and Mrs Campbell This pool is in a beautiful park like garden and the combination of part decking and part paving works really well visually.
Case 4 - Pool near Cognac finished early in 2006 for Mr and Mrs Ritson One of the nightmare pools to build. We knew before we started that we had a potential problem because the water level in the adjacent stream was only about 1 metre below the pool paving level. However we had hoped that the sub-soil would be clay so that the ground would not be too wet. How wrong we were! The ground was fill and very wet. The first photo shows the sub-pool drainage that was installed. We extended the pipe up to ground level and pumped continuously for a month while we built the pool. We also had to heavily reinforce the pool wall footings as well as the pool floor. But the client was pleased with the finished project and it looks good as you can see from the second photograph
Case 5 - Pool Near Gemozac at a Gite Complex - built early 2006 for Kevin and Debbie Mills This pool was built in very difficult ground. The top 800 mm of soil was very loamy topsoil that was difficult to deal with when wet. Beneath the topsoil was very hard rock. It took over two weeks to excavate the pool and its hopper down to the required finished level. It is a 12 x 6 pool built to DDASS standards
Case 6 - Pool near Montendre - built in Spring 2006 for Mr Peter Butler This pool was built in a very restricted site as the pictures show. The first was taken before we started and the second during the screeding of the pool floor. We also installed a fosse and filter bed and the landscaping to the front garden.
Case 7 - Pool near St Jean d'Angely built in Spring 2006 for Mr and Mrs Benn This small pool was built in delightful location overlooking fields and in a real sun trap. The safety fence spoils the pool appearance but it was necessary for the children that visit the site.
Case 8 - Pool to the south of Bergerac built in summer 2006 for Mr and Mrs Markham This pool was built on an awkward sloping site as the pictures show. The first picture was taken on the first day and shows our PC 95 Komatsu digger. When we started in France we were called Bluebird Aventure Anonyme and that's why it says Bluebird on the digger. This is not a cheap machine to maintain and cart about but it is often needed on steep slopes like this and when the ground is very rocky and hard to dig. The second picture shows the walls completed and backfilled and the pool ready for the installation of the Roman End. The third shows the completed pool. It was quite difficult to get the drainage around the pool right and the rain water off the hillside is taken past the pool by a large diamater pipe installed near the end of the house.
Case 9 - Pool near Mirande, Gers built in the summer 2006 for Mr and Mrs Lund-Yates This pool was one of those that showed us how difficult it is to build and maintain a pool that is nearly 300 km away from our base at Jonzac in Charente-Maritime. The ground water table was very high after a few storms even though the pool was built in the middle of the summer. The top picture shows our digger again as well as the Volvo HGV that we need to cart it about from site to site. The site looks flat but it is on a slight slope with a massive area of land above it that channels water across the site during periods of high rainfall. You will notice that this pool is only protected by an alarm even though it is in an unfenced garden - but it still complies with the law as it stands at the moment.
Case 10 - Pool built in summer 2006 near Argenton-sur-Creuse in Indre for Mr and Mrs Stobbart This pool was a large 15 x 5 metres and again built a long way from our Jonzac base. The ground around the pool had to be built up to suit the required level at the end near the pool plant room and so the narrow paved areas in the picture are supported on concrete block piers to avoid subsidence.
Case 11 - Pool built in autumn 2006 near Chasseneuil-sur-Bonnieure in Charente for Mr and Mrs Smith This pool was built on a very restricted site as can be seen.
Case 12 - Pool built in late 2006 near Saujon, Charente-Maritime for Mr and Mrs D.Timmins. This was a small pool built in very bad ground conditions - but the weather was quite dry and so it went quite well. You can see how bad the ground is beneath our small digger the Komatsu PC 27R
Case 13 - Pool built in the spring / summer of 2007 near Monflinquin in Lot-et-Garonne for Mr and Mrs Bull Well - this is the biggest pool that we have built and it was one big big big problem! It did not look too bad when we started - you can just see the outline of the pool location on the first picture. The second two pictures show what the site was really like. We had to install a 50 metre long large diameter drain just to get the site dry enough for the digger to move around the site. Eventually we got the foundations finished as you can see from the fourth picture. The pool and walls are built on consolidated fill and so the foundations of both the walls and the pool are highly reinforced. We also had to build the 2.5 metre high curved retaining wall in reinforced concrete filled hollow concrete blocks. At one end of the wall we built an underground plant room as well as a long flight of suspended concrete steps over 4.5 metres high. The walls were covered with Orsol concrete facings and the pool was equipped with a floating safety cover that is mounted on submerged motor driven roller. The project took about 6 months to build and the final contract value was about 120,000 euros HT.
Case 14 - Pool built in the winter / spring 2007 near Ruffec in Charente for Mr and Mrs Roberts. This pool was built in the very wet weather conditions of spring 2007
Case 15 - Pool built in spring / early summer 2007 at Challignac, near Barbezieux for Mr and Mrs O'Leary Another of the pools that were hit by the awful weather conditions of 2007. However the site itself was dry and there were no subsoil or ground water problems.
Case 16 - Pool built in autumn 2007 at Aujac, near Matha for Mr Ian Morris Another of the pools that were hit by the awful weather conditions of 2007. We were late starting it and it is still not quite finished as you can see from the second picture. The first picture shows the excavation and the very high ground water levels - this rose immediately after any rain and continuous pumping from an underpool was required during pool construction. This pool has a square Roman End - they are a 1000 euros cheaper than the semi-circular ones and they provide a lot bigger seating area for those times when you just want to sit in the pool to cool down!
Case 17 - 12 x 6 pool built in 2007 for Mr C Shearing 16150 Chirac
Case 18 - Small pool built in 2007 in a very restricted site for Mr A Patterson 17160, Les Touches de Perigny
Case 19 - 8 x 4 pool built in 2007 in very poor ground conditions for Mr P Robinson at 17160 Matha
Case 20 - Interior Pool liner and plumbing installed in the autumn 2007 near Tarbes in the Pyrenees for Mr Overend This project only involved the liner and pool plumbing installation
Case 21 - 11 x 5 pool built in 2007 and was eventually fitted with an above ground automatic cover for Mr and Mrs P Stevenson at Paille 17470
Case 22 - 10 x 5 pool built in 2008 in very bad groud conditions for Mr K. Ransome at Belleville 79360 We excavated for the pool just before Xmas in 2007 and returned in Jan 2008 to find the excavation completely full of water.
Case 23 - 12 x 5 pool built in 2008 at Moulidars 16290 for Mr Nigel Parrish
Case 24 - 10 x 5 pool built in 2008 for Mr T. Dodds at 17510 Bois Giffard . We also constructed a large fosse filter bed and two 4000 litre fosse toutes eaux tanks on this site.
Case 25 - 12 x 6 pool built in 2008 with a large paved area on a very steep difficult site for Mr M. Brooks at 16190 Juignac. The top illustration shows the one of the sketches of the proposed pool at tender stage and shows just how complex this project was. The second picture shows how steep the bank was - some of the foundations below the pool are nearly 6 metres deep. The final photo shows the finished pool. The project took about 4 months from start to finish and cost about 100,000 Euros HT. The client was not charged for any extra apart from those changes that he ordered.
Case 26 - 8 x 4 Pool built in 2008 on the bank of the River Lot for Mr H McKnight at 47130 Clairac
Case 27 - 10 x 5 pool built in 2008 with a Greek End on one long side for Dr Jenkins at 87900 Cheronnac
Case 28 - 10 x 5 pool built in 2008 alongside renovated barn for Mr P Johnson at 86400 St Macoux. This picture also illustrates how the hopper bottoms are formed in mass concrete.
Case 29 - 13 x 6 m Infinity edge pool built in 2009 for Mr W Cussans at 17150 St Georges des Agouts The second picture shows the infinity edge in operation. The third picture shows the pool plant room and gives some idea of the size and complexity of the kit involved. The paving around this pool was very special and imported from the UK but laid by Bluepools.
Case 30 - 11 x 5 pool with a diving board and above ground automatic cover built in 2009 for Dr D Sharer at 17150 St Sorlin de Conac.
Case 31 - 10 x 5 pool built in 2009 for Mr H McDonald 12200 Villefranche de Rouergue	awaiting photos
Case 32 - 10 x 5 pool built in 2009 for Mr P Wood at 79600 Irais	awaiting photos