Setting Your Swimming Pool Site Location

One of the most important decisions that you will be called upon to make when purchasing your swimming pool is its location.

Your swimming pool representative will assist you with valuable advice in terms of an aesthetic setting, as well as keeping in mind the economical factors.

Thanks to modern construction techniques, swimming pools can be installed just about anywhere.

There are two schools of thought when it comes to general locations of swimming pools in a suburban backyard. You can either have it close to the house and designed to fit into a terrace or associated hard landscaping features, where it will be visible throughout the year, or you may prefer it to be sited away from the home - perhaps screened by a combination of land contours and plantings, or even hidden behind a wall. Either way, you need to think of the design of the pool, the landscaping and how to best utilise the site to its greatest advantage.

Keep in mind that although your swimming pool can be located in either the backyard, at the side of your home or even in the front, you must first obtain council permission. Other important factors that you may need to consider involve the overall orientation of your site:

• Does the sun reach the intended area? Choosing the correct site for your swimming pool is vital - most swimming pool designs take into account the sun's aspect and how this will affect the swimming pool's overall usage. In many cases, the swimming pool is located in the area that receives the largest amount of direct sunshine during swimming season.
  
  
• Will there be shady spots where you can escape from the sun when it becomes too hot?
  
  
• Does the wind blow hard or swirl in the proposed area -will a windbreak be necessary?
  
  
• Are there trees and shrubs close to the proposed pool area - overhanging trees are likely to shed leaves and insects into the pool.
  
  
• Can the swimming pool be easily supervised from the house?
  
  
• Is the site suitable for a swimming pool?
  
  
• Consider the placement of services such as water pipes, sewerage lines, electricity cables.
  
  
• When designing your swimming pool take time out to, not only think about it, but also to physically peg it out in the garden in order to see how it relates to everything else. This method will assist you in determining the correct placement, as well as giving you a true indication of the appropriate size in relation to the surroundings.
  

Selecting the correct position for your swimming pool will enable you to utilise every available area of your backyard.

Big is not necessarily better. Consider both your lifestyle and the size of your block before installing a swimming pool. During summer, a swimming pool is a great asset, but if the swimming pool takes up all of the space, where are the kids going to play when they are not swimming?

The size of the swimming pool should also be determined by your planned use.

You need to ascertain whether there will be many people using the swimming pool regularly. If you are going to swim laps in the swimming pool, remember that you will need at least one metre of water underneath you.