The most important aspect of pool installation in Toronto is the phase of preparation. It’s at this time that the design will need to be finalized and you will hire a contractor to complete the installation. All of the ideas you have had about your pool, the area around it and how they will be used, will need to be combined into a coherent and practical design. The right contractor can help you a great deal during this phase. The more complex your design is, the more likely you are to need expert help with many aspects of it.

Before You Go Ahead with Your Pool Installation, Ask Yourself These Questions

Toronto is home to some of the most modern and luxurious pool designs and many of the best architects and contractors. It’s likely that before you decide on the exact design you want, you’ll have taken a look at other pools in the area for inspiration. Of course, most pools work well within their own immediate surroundings, but might not necessarily fit well in another location, meaning you’re better off coming up with a unique design rather than trying to copy and paste your pool installation. In order to do that, you’ll have to consider the following questions:

• Why Do You Want a Swimming Pool? – This is the most important question to ask yourself, and you need to be honest about the answer. An ornate, bean-shaped pool with water spouts and a Jacuzzi is of little use if you want to get in some serious lengths before and after work. On the other hand, a straightforward, rectangular pool divided into lanes isn’t going to turn many heads at a summer cocktail party. You may find that you want to combine elements of both.
• Who Is Going to Be Using the Pool? – A pool designed for families and kids, in particular, will be strikingly different in appearance from a pool which is to be enjoyed by consenting adults with a bottle of champagne. Family pools need to have adequate provision for youngsters, including shallow areas and railings. Adults might want space for sun loungers, a table, barbecue and bar areas, and so on. Many young urban professionals in Toronto like to impress their friends with gimmicky features such as underwater speakers, and coordinated underwater lighting. If your pool installation will be quite some way from the main building, you might also need room to build changing areas.
• Where Will the Pool Be Located? – This might be a little bit more complicated than it sounds. You may have a rough idea of where you want to place your pool, which could be ruled out for various reasons as the plan develops. Rocky soil and other ground factors can be problematic for pool construction, as can a high water table. Getting around these problems can be costly. In other cases, the designated site may be just fine, but a lack of access may prevent your plan from going ahead. A pathway of a minimum of 8 feet in width is necessary for the digging machinery to make room for the pool. There will also be restrictions on any decking you have planned, with regard to water runoff.

Once you have come up with a design for your pool installation that is good enough to go ahead with, discuss with your contractor, ways to reduce future maintenance of the pool, and methods of encouraging energy-efficiency, in case these weren’t among your initial priorities. If you’re not familiar with the actual workings of the pool, ask your contractor to make suggestions for variable-speed pumps, skimmers and sanitizers.

Many Toronto homeowners go through a long and painstaking process in deciding when is the right time for pool installation and what is the right style of pool to install. What they don’t often think about is how the pool will affect and be affected by drainage issues in the yard. If they think about it at all they think it’s something for the pool builder to figure out. Technically that’s true, but since this issue may dictate where the pool is located and since many homeowners have definite ideas about exactly where they want their pool to be, it’s useful to broach the topic as early in the planning process as possible.

Make Sure Your Pool Installation Accounts for Drainage

Even if you’re aware that drainage creates issues when it comes to pool installations you may not understand what those issues are. There are in fact 3 main drainage issues that will come to bear on your new pool installation and need to be taken into account. They are:

Issue 1: Surface Runoff – Every yard has its own way of dealing with rainwater and snow melt. Some yards have a dramatic slope and it’s easy to see where the excess water is going. Many yards however incorporate a subtle slope or slopes that may not be readily apparent. An ideal pool installation will feature the pool on the highest point in the yard with the ground dropping away on all sides (except the house side). Why?

1. To keep runoff out of the pool.
2. To prevent water from accumulating on the decking around the pool.
3. To prevent erosion from undermining the pool structure the way it can undermine the foundation of the house.

Issue 2: Runoff from the Roof: Any installation that doesn’t account for runoff from downspouts is asking for trouble in the long run. The amount of water that drains from your roof during a rainstorm can be quite extraordinary. If this water is allowed to runoff in the direction of the pool you’ll have serious erosion problems.

Issue 3: Groundwater: It may be necessary to install catch basins and drains on the deck around the pool to move surface water to another part of the yard where it will be safe for it to join other groundwater. Even so there may be more water around the pool during heavy rain events than the drains can handle so it may be necessary to install a culvert as well.

If the culvert is constantly full of stagnant water it might be necessary to install a pump inside the culvert itself to ensure proper drainage. The pump can be linked to a float control that will allow the pump to turn itself on when the water level in the culvert gets too high.

Remember: Water Can Destroy Your New Pool!

It’s more than a little ironic that your new pool installation needs to be thoroughly protected from water, but if it’s not you’re sure to come face to face with:

• Erosion that causes the pool area to destabilize.
• Dirty runoff draining into the pool making it unswimmable.
• Subsidence in the area surrounding the pool.
• Undermining of the deck area.
• A slew of expensive rectification projects.

Don’t take a chance with your pool installation. Enlist the professionals at Seabreeze Pools to manage every aspect of the construction process and make sure drainage won’t be an issue. We’ve installed scores of inground pools for Toronto homeowners and have a proven track record of dealing successfully with every type of terrain. Call us today to learn more.

While the size and shape of your new pool may be the biggest factors in your mind when you start to request quotations from local contractors, sooner or later you will also need to consider the material you want to use for the decking around your pool. To help make your choice a little easier, we have made a list of the most popular choices for Toronto homeowners below, along with our thoughts on the pros and cons associated with each option. Have a good think about how you want your new pool installation to look, how much money you are prepared to spend on the decking, and how much time and effort you are prepared to devote to its maintenance, before you make your final decision.

Choosing the Best Decking Material for Your New Pool Installation

As mentioned above, cost, ease of maintenance, and aesthetics are the main factors to focus on when selecting your pool decking.

• Poured Concrete – This is one of the cheapest options, making it popular with homeowners who want to keep the cost of their new pool to a minimum, but it is not the most attractive as far as most people are concerned. The fact that it is prone to cracking in cold weather may concern Toronto residents but repairs are relatively easy to perform so if you are looking for a low cost option that requires little in the way of maintenance, concrete is well worth considering.
• Precast Concrete Pavers – Another low cost option, concrete pavers move with the ground when it contracts and expands, so there is no need to worry about cracking if you choose this option for your new pool installation.
• Stone Paving – Large flagstones laid on top of a compact aggregate bed, rather than on top of poured concrete, will avoid issues with cracking and because flagstones are available in a wide variety of colours and materials, you are sure to be able to find some that suit your tastes perfectly. The main disadvantage of this particular choice is the fact that it is one of the most expensive. You will also have to invest a little more time in maintenance, weeding in between the flagstones and keeping them clean.
• Wood – Timber decking is one of the most attractive options for a new pool installation as far as many people are concerned. It may be relatively expensive when compared to poured concrete or concrete pavers but it certainly looks good when properly installed. However, it will need to be refinished on a regular basis so be prepared for higher maintenance costs in the long term.
• Spray-On Coatings – There are a number of low maintenance coatings that can be sprayed on to poured concrete to produce a more attractive finish, and one that is cooler to the touch in hot weather. Although these coatings offer budget-conscious homeowners a low cost option with a wide choice of colours, they won’t negate concerns with cracking in cold weather.
• Brick – Smooth brick decking looks really good with older period properties and is somewhere in the middle of the range as far as cost is concerned. If you go for this option it is worth shopping around to make sure that the bricks you purchase are a good match for your property.

For more information on the various different types of decking available, please call or email us whenever you have a moment to spare. Our experienced team will be happy to help you with your new pool installation in any way they can.

Almost every homeowner in Toronto would like to have a pool in their back yard but is it really possible for everybody to go ahead and install one? This is a question to which many local property owners would like to know the answer and one that we will attempt to answer to your satisfaction in this short article. There are no hard and fast rules but there are certain factors that may be enough to make you reconsider your decision to have a pool installed or at least to choose a different site to the one you originally had in mind.

Factors to Consider Before Going Ahead with a New Pool Installation

Think about the following points when you are still at the planning stage and you might save yourself a lot of time and money in the long run. At the very least, you will avoid wasting time considering options that really aren’t practical for your home.

• Space – This is the number one consideration when planning a new pool installation: is there enough space for the type of pool you have in mind? Generally speaking, if you have a very small backyard, a typical rectangular pool may not be the best choice. The main reason for this is that it might leave too little room for decking. You may think that maximizing water volume should be the main aim when choosing a pool for a small yard but you will almost certainly spend more time sitting around your new pool than swimming in it. For this reason, a free-form pool, with plenty of space for decking, could be a better choice in a small yard.
• Ground Type – Most homeowners have no idea what is lying hidden several feet under the top soil in their back yard and to be perfectly honest, in most cases, whatever it is, it is unlikely to cause a problem with your pool installation. However, in the event you already know there is hard rock under the surface, you may wish to rethink your plan to install a pool, or at least choose a different site in your yard.
• Gradient – A back yard with a steep gradient is obviously not an ideal site for any type of pool installation but if you are prepared to pay a little more to have the ground levelled, it should not be an insurmountable barrier. If you are not sure whether your yard is too steep to make installing a pool a practical course of action, you can always call us and ask for advice. We have worked on a number of installations in the past that required a little more preparation work.
• Security – Perhaps not a factor that immediately occurs to you when considering the practicalities of installing a new pool in your back yard but one that merits consideration nonetheless. Before you install a swimming pool, you should make sure that your back yard is completely secure. This will minimize the chances of unwanted guests using your pool when you are not there. In most Toronto neighbourhoods this is not a major concern but it should be addressed before you make a final decision.

Although some of the above factors may give you pause for thought, most can be overcome quite easily if you really want a pool in your back yard. To discuss details and to request a quotation for a new pool installation, please feel free to call us at any time. We have completed numerous installations in the city and surrounding area, and would be delighted to be of service to you.