Vivek Mishra, MD & Technical Head, Premium Pools, discusses the company’s all-round solutions and services for swimming pools at residences from designing, building, and maintaining them.
Water features and in-built spas create atmosphere, fluidity and movement to outdoor spaces. The sound and sight of waterfalls, fountains and rain walls delight the senses and soothe the mind. Spas serve a dual feature within a custom pool; they add luxury and comfort but can also be used more functionally to circulate the water and add a patterned finish to an otherwise still pool.
Vanishing edge, and hydrotherapy spa beds have caught the imagination and hence don’t remain exclusive anymore. What’s new and unexplored in the Indian market till now is the Knife Edge swimming pool. The challenge is, it can be executed well only by an experienced pool builder.
The water’s surface looks like a flat sheet of glass or appears to be perfectly contained without walls. The water spills over the knife edge into a slot right at the top inside edge of the coping or decking material collecting into a collection gutter / channel hidden from view. The end result is a very sleek, sophisticated looking pool.
What should one keep in mind while designing a swimming pool?
For a pool at your home, you need to keep in mind the way you would use it. Other than that, the choice of the builder is most important. Because, with a badly done pool, one can’t change much. One would have to incur more cost than one tried to save at the time the pool was being commissioned. Whenever a builder / owner makes a bad choice while finalizing a vendor for a pool, the consideration for lowest quoted cost overrules all concerns for the quality and functionality that might come at a price.
One can’t blame the customers alone for this choice. Sadly, in the unregulated market that we are in, we as consumers are always in a dilemma to choose amongst inexperienced players or mere equipment manufacturers who come disguised as all-rounders claiming to do your pool. A lot of players participate in the construction for only a couple of pools and think they have arrived!
Despite the grim state of affairs, the industry is slated for growth with some players who are serious about making every pool a good investment financially as well as environmentally. Your pool is only as good as the professional you choose. And how do you make sure that your choice of builder is worth the investment? Here are a few points for you to get an idea of the right questions to ask the company professionals while making a final choice:
What completed projects can they show you?
How do they ensure that these pools meet all quality and safety parameters, and are up to the mark in every aspect?
What latest energy- and cost-efficient methods are they equipped with?
How well are they updated on the latest developments in the pool industry abroad?
Can they get you to speak to their clients?
What is the feedback the clients share with you? How often do the clients have to change the water in their pool?
So do consider the pool builder’s credentials in the pool industry – and how are they rated amongst the peers and vendors. All this effort is worth as this is the pool that you are going to live with.
What are the materials recommended for non-slip flooring, walls, water drainage, etc, including underwater lighting?
Decking should always be non slippery. The most popular one is Wood Plastic Composite type of deck that works best with water. However, some people still choose to have real wood deck but they are hard to maintain. For the walls of the pool, since concrete pools are long lasting, it is of course made with tiles in the shell of the pool. One can choose from glass mosaic, crystal glass, handmade, porcelain or ceramic tiles.
For the piping, which is essentially a part of MEP works, it should be PVCu. As far as the water drainage and other fixtures are concerned, a premium grade of plastic called ABS is considered, and also for overflow channels and the inlets, etc. Underwater lighting is available in SS body as well as ABS. Both are equally safe.
What is the approximate construction time and cost?
Having clean water to swim-in at all times, is primarily dependent on a well designed and executed MEP system (Mechanical Electrical and Plumbing works). Once this is tackled, one can add as many features as one wants in a fairly inexpensive and easy manner, including its running maintenance.
The cost difference can be explained with this example: normally, a family pool in the backyard (24x12 ft) accommodating a hydrotherapy system would cost around Rs 6 lakh. People are also asking for a hydrotherapy area with spa beds as a part of the pool itself. Construction of a spa bed would cost around Rs.80,000 each. Such a pool can be completed within 20 days. AMC for this basically includes manpower and chemical cost, which would be around Rs.6000.
What maintenance would be required?
A well-designed and properly constructed pool requires minimum maintenance. In case a landscape designer is involved and plants in the pool periphery are thoughtfully considered, you may not even need to fish out debris like leaves etc. When a pool builder who understands fluid dynamics, thoughtfully chooses the right kind of equipment, keeping in mind the volume of water, one can be sure that there won’t be any need to empty the pool or change the water.
Complicated maintenance procedures are not needed; in fact, it’s fairly inexpensive and easy to maintain a properly done pool. At Premium Pools, we believe that even if you lock up your property that has an open-air pool, for a year and come back to it, all you need to do is switch on the systems of your pool. Within three days, you will have a clean, clear, safe and hygienic pool to swim in. Our clients did not believe us when we first told them this. Now they point it out proudly to their friends and associates.
