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+ Use the professionals
+ Pool designs
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Overview
Swimming
Pools are not new, remains of pools from 5000 years ago are still
visible in the Far East, yet never before have so many people in
the UK enjoyed the benefits and pleasures of their own pools.
Whether
you are seeking recreation, exercise or entertainment or a combination
of these, a glance at this website will give you an insight to whet
your appetite for acquiring your own pool.
Your
own private pool is always accessible day and night, without burning
petrol and fighting traffic. You can use your own “leisure
centre” that provides healthy, enjoyable exercise and fun.
And
the expense of owning your own pool, an appreciating investment,
is in the long run, competitive with the expense of owning a boat,
a luxury car or a two week holiday.
Since
owning your own pool is a very much a permanent structure, you’ll
want to give a great deal of thought to the pool and what you are
looking to achieve.
One
of the first things you need to consider is how you will use your
pool. You may want a spot where you and even your children can relax
and entertain or you may see a pool as a healthy exercise centre
for your own rear garden. For your children, a pool will be a playground
or perhaps even a training centre for aspiring swimming and diving
champions.
Each
use has a certain requirement and defining the uses now will help
you choose the best location for your pool and acquire the style
of pool to match your dreams.
Use the professionals
Oxford
Pools are the professional market leaders in the domestic swimming
pool industry. We make it our business to know everything under
the sun about how you can make the most of your pool or hot tub. Established
over 30 years ago, our wealth of specialist knowledge and experience
in both indoor and outdoor pools is without doubt the best you will
find anywhere, and in recognition of this we have been recipients
of numerous Swimming Pool and Allied Trade Association and National
Swimming Pool Institute gold awards over the years.
As
we specialise in design and build, we will be delighted to visit
your premises, survey the site and discuss your proposals in more
detail without obligation. With an outdoor pool a quotation for
the complete project can be obtained in a few days from the outset.
Indoor pools are more involved as architects, structural engineers
etc will need to be used for their specialist work in design, special
needs, planning, and project managing. However, we have the experience
and knowledge of the right people for the right job and we like
to get involved in detailed discussions from the outset with these
specialists making sure everything runs as smoothly as possible for
you, the client, and that you are completely satisfied with the
finished results, making your dream come true.
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Pool Designs
Our picture gallery of
pool
installations are
without
a doubt, the most
impressive you will find anywhere. Click here
From
small outdoor liner pools to grand luxury indoor pools of complex
designs, (even one on top of a factory roof!), all have been completed
to our clients complete satisfaction. Many of which with our clients permission,
can be viewed to help you see the possibilities.
Liner
and tiled pools
Liner
pools have been successfully built for some 35 years, and are usually
rectangular in shape for easy construction and ‘swimability’,
semi-circular roman ends or square stairs can be added for variation
and as a practical measure to give easy access for children or the
elderly.
Liner
pools are normally constructed out of solid concrete blocks which
are then rendered smooth. The liner is then stretched and fixed
into place.
Liners
come in several different colours or mixtures and a white liner
pool with sophisticated mosaic tileband is easily mistaken for its
concrete counterpart. Correctly designed and installed, liners are
crease and wrinkle free and are available in a range of different
qualities and attractive finishes.
Any
apprehension about the longevity of the liners is disproved by the
facts, and when it’s time for a change, replacement costs
are actually very reasonable.
Concrete
pools can be fashioned into virtually any shape and there is no
limit to the luxury of the interior finish chosen. Constructed out
of reinforced vibrated concrete or reinforced sprayed concrete (Gunite),
any shape or design can be achieved.
A
luxurious finish can be achieved by applying mosaic tiles to the
interior of the pool. Being so versatile, you can choose from the
many different designs and colours available and create a completely
individual pattern, which will look its best for countless years
to come.
Our
range of pools and hot tubs include:
- High quality environmentally controlled indoor pools, either tiled
or liner.
- Deck level pools a specialty, indoor or outdoor.
- Tiled hot tubs, indoor or outdoor.
- Saunas, panelled and log construction.
- Steam rooms, acrylic or tiled/marble.
- Plunge pools, tiled or liner.
- Counter current jet pools.
- High quality outdoor tiled/liner pools.
- Automatic safety covers.
- Telescopic pool enclosures.
- Pool domes.
- High quality hot tubs.
- High quality above ground pools.
- Total renovation of existing pools, indoor or outdoor.
- Re-lining of existing liner pools.
We
are proud of our continuing efforts to demonstrate integrity, provide
quality workmanship, place a priority on total customer and employee
satisfaction and take a leadership position in our area and industry.
Thank
you for your interest in Oxford Pools.
We
look forward to being of further assistance.
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Frequently
Asked Questions
1.
Do I need Planning Permission?
As
a general rule the answer for an outdoor pool is no. However, if
the pool is to be installed in the grounds of a listed house, an
area of outstanding natural beauty, a conservation area, in the
front garden or takes up more than 66% of the rear garden, then
local authority building control regulation will need to be obtained
and certain councils may even ask for planning approval.
For indoor pools,
full planning approval will need to be granted, which your architect
will help you apply for.
Air structures
are specifically excluded from building control regulations but
telescopic or fixed pool enclosures comply with the requirements
of building control regulations, in respect of wind and snow loadings.
They are also designed to satisfy the permitted development rules.
However, certain councils may ask for planning approval depending
on which area you live in.
2.
How much will it cost to fill the pool up with water?
A
lot cheaper than you think. Take an average 10m x 5m pool holding
approximately 15,000 gallons, it will cost in the Thames Water area,
£38.00 for the initial fill up. Taking an average summer season,
an outdoor pool will loose approximately 500mm for evaporation,
splashing etc, so therefore it will cost approximately £13.00
to maintain the correct level throughout the season.
3.
Which is the best type of pool – liner or tiled?
Both
pools have their pros and cons, but at the end of the day it really
does come down to budget. There has been a vast increase in the
sales of liner pools over the last 20 years due to the ease and
speed of installation, which makes them cheaper to install and are
considered to be overall best value for money. Every year new designs
of patterns for the liner are available, which from a distance will
fool the expert eye into thinking that its’ a tiled pool.
Tiled pools
are approximately double the cost to that of a liner, and take twice
as long to install, but you can own a truly custom built pool to
your own design and colours.
4.
How long will the liner last in the pool?
Treated
with respect and proper chemical usage, liners last on average 12
to 15 years, and many of the pools we installed some 20 years ago
still have their original liner.
5.
How much will it cost to replace the liner in my pool?
Taking
your average 10m x 5m hopper pool, approximately £3,000 and
3 to 4 days work.
6.
Do I have to pay VAT on new pools?
•
All outdoor pools are subject to the current rate of VAT (17½%)
• Some indoor pools are exempt from VAT, these being;
A new private dwelling under construction with a pool built
within the building.
A new nursing home, retirement home, hospice, student hall,
monastery, nursery and buildings for the armed forces under construction
with a pool built within the building.
An indoor pool for use by a charity.
Any indoor pool built in the course of an alteration of
a listed building, providing that listed building consent has been
given before works begin. We will need to have a copy of the consent
in our offices for records.
Listed building consent does not give an automatic right
of VAT relief, particularly if the pool building is detached from
the main house. However, a covered open air walkway and a single
wall connecting a pool building to the main dwelling, may be enough
for it to count as an extension and therefore by zero rated, so
a court ruled in a VAT case.
7.
Can you offer some help in positioning an outdoor pool?
Yes,
but this particular advice can only be given on-site with you
present to discuss it. But in general terms, a pool wants to be close to
the house for safety reasons and to maximise the house facilities
for toilets, changing and electric, gas, and oil drainage services.
The further away from the property the more costly this will become.
To
maximise the sun, the pool should be south facing with as much east-west
aspect as possible. The wind speed across the pool is the biggest
factor in cooling the water (as well as its’ occupants) and
therefore anything that forms a windbreak to the prevailing wind
will help whether it be trees, a wall or house. Trees on the other
hand can become a nuisance in relation to cleaning the pool particularly
those that overhang it.
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