Have you recently purchased a house with a concrete swimming pool in the backyard, or you already owned a property with a concrete pool that has turned from useful pool to eyesore.
If yes, this article should be helpful in helping you decide on the next step in your swimming pool journey. The following swimming pool remodeling tips will guide you on how to modify your swimming pool.
Let’s get started!
Swimming Pool Remodel Tips
Though planning pool renovation can be intimidating, it’s a great way to spruce up an existing pool that can also boost the value of your home. If you want to renovate your pool, but aren’t sure where to start, getting suggestions and guidance from experienced professionals could be valuable.
Pointers on Pool Remodel
a) Status
To begin with the planning of pool restoration, you have to evaluate your pool’s condition. Look for any pool damage or problems, or any features or design that you don’t like. This will enable you to make decisions on changes to your remodeling project, and achieve the desired things.
b) Consider Functionality
redesigning your pool, think more than just aesthetics. Think about how you use your pool, and how you live, to make sure your refurbishment will do what you want. If you have an inground pool, which isn’t effective or useful, you won’t appreciate it.
c) Create a Budget
During a restoration job, expenses can rise quickly — so getting off to a strong financial start is very important. Start by thinking about your amenities and design components you want to incorporate into your pool restoration and research those costs. This will help you where you can select a suitable budget so that you can do your job without going above budget.
d) Find a Contractor
The pool contractor you pick will significantly affect how your project turns out and the type of service you’ll receive. For instance as a homeowner with a pool, you should know that one of the maintenance options is to have a pool service person install it easy for you. Choose the contractor is that offers the greatest value for your requirements after studying local contractors over time. Getting different things is a good idea when evaluating your possibilities before going too far.
Swimming Pool Remodel Ideas
It would be best to consider integrating various options while renovating your swimming pool. They may include;
1. Incorporating Fire Features
A gorgeous fire bowl could be a great upgrade to your outdoor space.
Any pool or patio set will look lively with fire elements. The main fire bowls in the market are prefabricated shallow materials of concrete, which can be usually square or circular and in design size ranging from 24 to 48 inches. These fire features use propane or natural gas piping to fire start the bowls.
Image Credits: Pinterest.com
Image Credits: Pinterest.com
We recommend connecting a modern pool with an automation-management system or put at hand a convenient remote control for flame intensity adjustment.
2. Include Water Elements
Water features not only add charm and enjoyment to your outside space, they can also help you achieve a higher price when you sell. There are all sorts of options you can use when building the different types of remodeling ideas for your pool. A few of these features are a bit more popular such as rock waterfalls, cascading falls and deck jets/laminars. Maybe your ideal pool renovation is a beautiful and stunning rock grotto or waterfall.
Image Credits: bluehaven.com
Adding the water element will turn your pool into a pretty oasis of nature kissed stone, whether it’s artificial or natural. The second advantage is that depending on the feature’s size, height and design, you will even hear the lush sound of water falling or pouring. Maybe you envision the eye catching result of curved deck jets or laminar?
Image Credits: marquisgardens.ca
Built into the pool deck or inner walls, these features project thin, arching streams of water onto the pool’s surface that is located below. Another well-liked water feature you should check into is a cascade, or ‘sheer-descent’ waterfall. These elements will be dropped into the wall of your pool, usually on a bond beam, making a “sheet” of falling water.
Image credits: jandy.com
Image Credits: jandy.com
Some styles of water descents are “solid,” smooth and flat, others dissolve into a torrent of raindrops. They can be any size or shape of cascades. One of the features could extend many feet (12 to 18 inches in width). In addition, your pool contractor can install a series of cascades on a high beam (section of pool wall that is typically 18” in height or greater than the pool surface.)
You can also introduce an outdoor shower as an accessory.
Image Credits: archiexpo.com
Alternatively, you may want to install a scupper, a newer tendency for a pool design’s water element. This attachment focuses the descending water into a narrow cascade or in a circular, tube like flow, according to its size and form. You can be sure that any water features you include during pool remodeling will be pleasing.
Image credits: c-m-p.com
3. Constructing a Sunbathing Ledge
Have you ever heard of tanning ledges? When you decide to remodel your pool, you have the option of adding concrete spans called tanning ledges. While fire and water elements may not be as visually stunning, a tanning ledge may still be a worthy addition to your backyard. It is, however, a major coup in terms of usefulness and convenience. Miming broad, shallow steps or benches, you can build them inside the border of the pool.
Depending on size and arrangement, your pool is likely to use several different shapes. We suggest you get a Baja shelf, also called the “sun shelves,” to install in your pool of 4 to 10 feet long, a few feet wide, and that goes up to be 3 to 18 inches deep.
Proportions and modest depth, combined with the ledges, make them the perfect size to recline, directly in the water, without your body fully emerging. 8 feet long tables can accommodate one or more chaise lounge chairs with at least a foot of depth. That is why it is good for you to install solar patio umbrellas for they shade and save energy.
Image Credits: calpool.com
Image Credits: calpool.com
These submerged perches also can make excellent areas of supervised play for young children or your pet dog who will hang out in a few inches of water instead of swimming in the deep end of the pool.
4. Install Decks or Pavers
If you’re looking for a solution to a lovely outdoor update that works with your backyard, then adding a new pool deck or pool pavers will be the answer. A well planned pool needs landscaping to go with it, and a pool deck or patio is right up there with it.
Image Credits: Pinterest.com
Image Credits: Pinterest.com
We tend to spend more time on our deck than in our swimming pools, sunbathing, playing or entertaining our visitors and hence we will find the installation handy. To complete your landscape you need to think about exterior design. Now if you are trying to build your own tropical retreat, natural cave, or contemporary masterpiece, a paver deck will elevate your swimming pool up a level.
You may use any material to build a lovely pool deck using: Stone pavers, wood Decking, tiles or poured concrete.
5. Light up the Outside of Your Home
Beautiful outdoor areas frequently go into the shadows after dusk. During your pool remodel bringing more light to the area can instantly bring out the fineness in the marble and vegetation of your outdoor oasis’s scenery. Lighting is another way of adding new depth and cozy to your outside space.
Image Credits: Pinterest.com
Image Credits: Pinterest.com
Consult an expert on how you can unique lighting ideas to enhance your landscape. We recommend using low voltage lighting to create your night time landscape at night. So garden lights should be safely buried near plants, sculptures, walls or pillars so there’s no risk of them dislodging. Angling your lights and concealing them also gives your lighting your entire surroundings a lovely, beautiful appearance.
Image Credits: alaglaspools.com
6. Insert Waterline Tiles
You would be shocked at how much just installing waterline tiles to your pool can enhance it’s look. But it’s also possible that the cost will be under $1,000, which is on par with pool remodeling. If you already have waterline tiles on your concrete pool which so many concrete pools do, then you can achieve the same effects as above by replacing the tiles.
Image Credits: clayimports.com
Image Credits: clayimports.com
New tiles give the pool deck a brand-new aesthetic, however, if you decide to replace them, it’s a good idea to resurface them. Also, not all the tiles will need better surface and more so, they might require a better surface than yours already, this would mean more expenditure.
7. Install UV Sanitation System
If you’re trying to reduce chemicals, why not go one step further and install a UV system to sanitize your water?
Image Credits: alaglaspools.com
Ultraviolet light’s antibacterial effect is enough to drive most germs out of your pool. This is a good start even if it won’t do away with chemicals. Additionally, the system is held in place so it doesn’t change the look of your pool.
8. Incorporate Sprinklers
A great option for a renovation on a budget, since you can choose to invest as much or as little as you’d like to water features. You’ll invest as little as a few hundred dollars because there are great options at any budget.
Image Credits: Pinterest.com
Image Credits: Pinterest.com
If you spend more money, then you have a lot more possibilities too. Secondly, water features are beneficial as they last even though you can spend any amount of money on their renovations. For instance, an old pool can be resuscitated with a simple cascade of natural stone.
9. Deck Resurfacing
Of all the remodelings you can do, the most striking is probably resurfacing the deck, short of reconfiguring the geometry of your pool. Chances are today you have much more reasonable pool decking options then you did back when you built your deck years ago.
Image Credits: willshapools.com
The easiest alternative for your pocketbook is to resurface your deck with concrete and move on. Embellishments like imprinted or spray overlays can really add some personality to a concrete deck but still not much further than that.
10. Install a Patio or Pergola for Your Outside Living Space
Adding a pergola should be included as part of your pool remodeling ideas. Building a patio to your existing pool gives you more outside time with friends and family, basking in the sunshine and getting fresh air in your outdoor living area.
Image Credits: thepatiocompanyma.com
Adding an outside building like a pergola, gazebo, or pavilion is another option. Whatever you choose will add style, utility and market price to your landscape design. If you want a little shade in your backyard or you want to build the perfect base for your stone fire pit, a covered patio will give you the perfect place to entertain or lounge at home.
11. Integrated Landscape
There are many reasons why changing your landscape design might be beneficial — from gaining more curb appeal, better air quality, to maintaining the cooler feeling of your backyard.
Image Credits: Pinterest.com
Image Credits: Pinterest.com
Every landscape has unique natural beauty. Whether you’re inexperienced at putting in landscaping or have a minor green thumb, you can transform your outside area right into a snug, elegant, multi useful residing house you and your loved ones can benefit from all year long. Lavish pool remodels are lovely, of course, and there is so much as an option. When you have a plan or just have ideas circulating, you should consult your contractor about your pool remodeling project.
Swimming Pool Remodeling Costs
The cost of remodeling varies widely with the job. For example, while whole rehabilitation could cost as much as $150,000 and up, a simple overlay will run you only $70 per linear foot.
a) Costs of Pool Restoration
It may range in price from $120,000 to $250,000+ for a major rehabilitation while a routine exercise like a change of a plastic liner is $1,800 or less, on the average. Moreover, repair work may require several repair jobs at once, such as replacement of the entire tiled floor and erection of a glass barrier. Some of these repairs require a lot of work. Also, the majority of these projects involves a team of swimming pool experts which significantly increases costs.
b) Replacing Pool Steps
Getting a basic metal ladder will run you about $200 so you have a point of access to the pool; while a full wall step could set you back to $5000 or higher. The costs for repairing cracks and fractures in your pool steps range from $50 per linear foot.
Image Credits: lathampool.ca
As of the structural aspect, you can change stairs’ look and design, but it will mean more work and material consumption. It is recommended that the rebuilt deteriorated stairs be made into a beach entry or a zero entry area. Zero-entry pools are built coming into the cabin only several inches, with a gentle slope from the deck or patio to create a shallow area for approach, so it resembles a beach. Including this feature would set you back between $20,000 to $80,000 the same as having your pool’s size or design altered.
c) Coping
It would be good to think about how to cope with a protective lip surrounding pools so they don’t leak water between the walls. Replacing coping costs between $30 and $50 per linear foot, depending on style.
d) Changing the Dimensions
The cost to alter the form for a vinyl pool starts at $25,000, while a concrete (gunite) pool runs somewhere in the neighborhood of $65,000. When you take on this intrusive renovation, you’re going to have to replace the entire pool liner. The total includes the cost of a new pool, installation, earth moving labor, and more.
Image Credits: penguinpool.com
Image Credits: penguinpool.com
e) A Pool Pump or Chlorination System
Installation will run you roughly $650 and a pump will cost you anywhere from $200 to $1000. Usually referred to as automatic chlorination systems, chemical feeders cost about $2,500 each.
f) Converting Chlorine Water to Saltwater
The cost to convert a chlorinated pool to a saltwater pool runs between $500 to $3,000 in average, around $2,000 in most cases.
Image Credits: riverpoolsandspas.com
g) Re-Grouting
Re-grouting tile may make your pool look better and can prevent leaks. And re-grouting tile costs roughly $5 per square foot, but the more expensive your pool the more you can expect to pay for this service.
h) Remodeling the Pool Deck
Pool deck cost varies while ranging from $2,5,00 to $10,000 according to measurements and the features of the deck. If you already have a pool deck, resurfacing is a choice you can exercise. A good example is a 750-square foot pool deck whose basic resurfacing costs between $2,000 to $4,000. Depending on the stamped concrete project, the price range is $5,500 to $15.000, and with the decorative overlay can be anywhere from $5,000 to $9,000.
i) Re-Tiling
The cost for materials to re tile a pool depends on the style of tile you choose, from $5,000 to more than $100,000. But glass tiles will be more expensive than the basic ceramic tiles and will be closer to the top end of that price range. Moreover, you must spend at least $20 per hour for labor.
j) Replacing a Leaf Net or Skimmer
To keep a swimming pool clean you will need pool skimmers. However, replacement of new in ground pool skimmer costs $1,000 to $3,500, whilst you can change the above ground pool skimmer in about $150. For about $60 you can get a portable leaf cleaning net that will capture material both leaf removal skimmers will not get.
k) Installing Pool Lights
Installation of pool lighting costs between $500 and $3,000. This is an intrusive job and you might want to do this in conjunction with other important pool upgrades, so ideally you install your lights when you’re installing everything else.
Image Credits: jandy.com
Costs for standard lighting include:
- Large LED: $400–600
- Small LED: $50–400
- Flamboyant: $30-$70
- Fiber optics: $20 to $55
l) Adding a Slide
Pool slides may cost anywhere from $1,500 and $16,000 to build, depending on how sophisticated the component is.
m) Pool Fence
The cost of fencing a 160 foot enclosure ranges from $2,000 to $20,000, or $10 to $150 a foot. Some states have different laws that govern a homeowner fencing in their pool to keep both neighbors and animals safe. From a safety standpoint it is imperative that we have a protective barrier for families with children or pets.
Typical fence supplies include:
- Glass: $10,000–$20,000
- $1,000 to $3,00 for a mesh screen
- Wood: $5,000–$10,000
- Metal: $5,000
n) Spillover Spa or In-Ground Hot Tub Addition
Installing a hot tub to your already existing pool will cost you as much as building a hot tub from scratch, around $18,000 including labor. This total is primarily comprised of labor costs, as it takes an expert to dig a large wide hole to provide the way for the new liner to be inserted.
o) Water Features
Adding a water feature to your pool typically costs between $450 and $1,900, based on your location’s type of feature, size, and labor.
p) Diving Board
Ensure your pool is deep enough for safe diving before adding a diving board to your pool and check online for quotes; these usually come to $1,000 or less.
Factors to Consider When Remodelling a Swimming Pool
a) Size
If you have a larger pool, you can expect to spend more on a remodeling job because so many pool remodeling jobs are billed per square foot or per liner foot.
b) Liner and Pool Type
In-ground pools are slightly more expensive to remodel certainly compared to above ground pools. In fact, fire pits and water elements cannot be installed on above ground pools, for example. However, pool renovation work for aboveground pools costs between $250 and $4,000, while in ground pools can cost between $5,000 and $4,000.
Frequently Asked Questions
a) How can a swimming pool be upgraded?
There are lots of ways to update a pool based on your interests. Typical components of contemporary swimming pools include: gas-powered firepits, underwater LED lighting, rockface waterfalls, mosaic tiles. In addition to this, you could also include a waterfront entry into your pool deck, instead of a typically ladder, for a more modern look.
b) Can an old in-ground pool be expanded?
If you want to expand inground pools, you can empty them, empty the old liner, dig out in where the new pool will go, put up new siding and rebuild the entire liner. Vinyl will be $20,000 to $50,000 and gunite will be $80,000.
Image Credits: Pinterest.com
Image Credits: Pinterest.com
c) What pool renovations can you do that use the least energy?
It would help if you resurfaced in a different color so that you reduce evaporation and heating requirements. And also less the demand for heating and evaporation by repainting the surface.
- Install a pump with a variable speed.
- Change to LEDs to save electricity.
- Modernize old plumbing systems.
Featured Image Credits: texaspoolrepair.com
