Brisbane Pool Shells Builder
At Cityscapes we are also a specialist Subcontractor to the swimming Pool and building industry, doing pool shells only. We offer complete pools from start to finish. For the Builder or budget conscious we offer concrete pool shells which include all engineering, certification, excavation, reinforcing, concrete and internal plumbing. We offer fixed prices and a three day construction time for the shell in most cases. If you choose the pool shell option we have network of other licensed pool trades available to you.
What are the steps to building a Pool?
The pool building process, A beginners step by step guide to pool construction:
Concrete swimming pools should be designed with function and form to suit your property and lifestyle. When looking at constructing a pool shell be sure to check the inclusions from the builder and the quality behind their work. The materials, trades and equipment used all play an equal part in creating an enjoyable lifestyle feature of the property.
Site inspection
All projects will require an onsite inspection to discuss and understand your outdoor lifestyle desire. Within this inspection, it will give the builder insight to the access, landscape, size and of course designs. It’s a good idea to have key points and inspiration noted to discuss with the builder and ensure all aspects are covered off during the inspection.
Approval process
Once the site inspection is completed the design and scope will be formalized into a proposal. Upon approval and a contract in place, a deposit is required to survey the site and submit all details to the engineer for plans and drawings to acquire approval and a Construction Certificate. This process normally takes 2 – 4 weeks depending on the application. Useful information to assist is the lot number or RP which can be found on any rate notice, and a copy of the site or house plans.
Tip: Ensure any existing site or house plans are available along with any ground services diagrams to assist in surveying and engineering process.
Every new pool in QLD must be approved for construction by a Licensed Certifier. Construction of the pool will either need a Development Application (DA) approval from the council or in some instances it can be processed quicker as complying development.
All pool plans will need to be drafted by a qualified engineer which should be included in the contract. All documentation should be prepared in a way that is easily presentable to the council or private certifier to ensure a streamlined approval process to commence works.
Excavation
Now the relevant approval is confirmed, the pool should be accurately marked out, this can be done by the builder or a surveyor, we strongly advise the use of a surveyor to ensure that the pool is constructed in the right place, as once it is in, there’s no going back!
With the mark out completed, the excavator will proceed to cut and dig the pool in an accurate way to ensure clean, straight lines reducing any sort of additional materials required. If the ground is unstable, sandy, waterlogged or rock, there will be additional requirements to excavate to engineers plans.
Tip: Access to the dig location is critical, ensure any means of access is clear and easy to avoid delays and additional fees
Excavation can range from a single day to 3, again depending on the complexity of the shape, access, ground and weather conditions. All excavated soil is to be removed from site and usually included with the contract, there may be further charges if additional distance is required to remove to an approved site.
Steel Fixing & Pre Plumbing
Completing the excavation, the perimeter of the pool will be set out with timber stakes and markers, these will be used for the next step of building the steel reinforcement cage. These cannot be moved during the process as they set the boundaries and levels required to construct the pool.
A crisscross steel cage will be constructed around the entire pool dig out for the concrete to be sprayed over the top. This reinforced steel cage is critical to the structural integrity of the pool. Each reo bar is precisely laid in place and tied off as per the engineers plans and requirements.
The steel cage will also include, and swim outs, steps or ledges included in the design. There are plastic chairs which elevate the steel from off the ground and walls to allow the shotcrete to encompass the entire steel frame, centering it within the center of the walls and floor.
With steel fixing complete, the pre-plumb with fit all required pipes, lines, lights and skimmer to the pool shell. All lights and internal pool electrical lines will also be laid. Pipes will be capped off to ensure no materials enter the pipes during further construction steps. Pipes will either be run just outside the pool shell or run all the way to the finished equipment location for all equipment to be fitted and connected at a later step.
Concrete
The next process of your pool construction is the application of shotcrete to the steel Cage. Shotcrete is a mixture of sand, rock and cement that will be applied by “shooting” the concrete mix around your pool’s steel reinforcement frame.
Tip: Ensure moisture is kept up to the fresh concrete to avoid surface expansion after the shotcrete has been applied, there is a “care” period that needs to be undertaken enforced to ensure the concrete cures correctly, the structural integrity of the concrete can be reduced if this is not properly followed.
