Is There a Best Time of Year to Build a Swimming Pool?
Lots of homeowners ask us whether there is a best or better time to build a swimming pool, and they are always surprised by our answer. Yes, there is a “best time” to build a pool, and it isn’t in the spring! Fall is best time to begin building your in-ground swimming pool, and here’s why:
Time is Money
Most homeowners aren’t thinking about their yard once summer vacation comes to an end, so swimming pool and landscape professionals are much less busy in the fall. This means they can devote more attention and manpower to your job which usually translates to a shorter construction schedule.
Swim Season Won’t Wait
Building in the fall gives you a comfortable buffer before the next swim season. Should anything unexpected come up during construction (i.e. building department delays, design changes, issues with terrain, last minute upgrades, etc.), it can be addressed without jeopardizing your first cannon ball.
It’s Smart Construction
Your backyard isn’t temperature-controlled, especially where we are in the northeast. With each season, the ground behaves differently – swelling, shrinking, freezing, thawing – and just like your home settles overtime, so will your swimming pool.
By building your swimming pool in the fall, the shell of your pool (concrete basin) will experience 3 seasons before you jump in for your first swim. Over that time period, the pool will rest, and your pool builder will be able to identify and correct any issues with settling well before swim season.
You’ll be More Prepared for Spring
Once the swimming pool construction is finished, there is still a fair amount of work to be done to complete your outdoor living space – decking, irrigation, fencing, landscaping, etc. – In the northeast, we’re never quite sure when winter will relax its grip and somehow warm weather days always sneak up on us. Rather than waiting for the ground to thaw to begin pool construction, you’ll be ready to tackle the landscape design elements as soon as spring has sprung, giving you a huge jump on summer.
Swimming pool builders and landscape architects are seasonal trades, but their businesses are active year-round. Working with a swimming pool builder and landscape architect outside of the traditional busy season will save you time, money and the added stress of an impending deadline. Remember to follow us on HOUZZ for unlimited backyard design ideas.
