When a homeowner wants to build an indoor pool (especially in the Northeast), it’s often so that they can enjoy it year-round. And that might be a good reason to do it, especially if the client is a competitive swimmer or training enthusiast.
Other times, it is for health or therapy reasons since swimming offers a low impact and buoyant exercise that is good for the joints. Additionally there are all sorts of different specialized equipment for underwater exercise including treadmills, pull up bars, and swim jets where you swim against a current of water.
Dehumidification
The biggest difference in doing a pool indoors as compared to outdoors is the need for dehumidification systems to “treat” the room. Moisture and interior surface materials (drywall, wood, insulation, etc.) typically don’t interact well!
It is imperative to hire a good HVAC company and designer to ensure that the moisture in the room is being addressed. Windows will need air returned onto them to prevent condensation and fogging, air handling units need to take moisture out of the air, and the heating/cooling system will need to interact with the pool water temperature to make sure that the room itself doesn’t feel like a rainforest.
The contractor that is building the structure around the pool should also help provide guidance on finish materials that are suitable for wet conditions. Because of the complexity created by all of these moving parts, it is important to hire an experienced pool construction firm that is comfortable working with timeframes and schedules of other contractors involved in the project.
Impact on Project Cost and Timeline
The pool will be one of the first things started on the project but, will be the last to finish since adding water to the pool is the final piece. There is typically not a large change in how much the pool will cost compared to an outdoor pool. The big difference is what you will need to spend on the dehumidification system of the room itself.
Don’t skimp on this system! Protect your investment and make sure that your system will keep the room comfortable and your materials protected. Also, indoor pools are generally smaller than outdoor pools. Because of the cost associated with the actual room construction and dehumidification systems required, the room size will dictate the pool size.
Experienced with Indoor Pools
Aquavisions has had the pleasure of completing several indoor pool projects for clients over the years. One of our most recent projects is a small to mid-sized pool as part of a new home construction. The house is located on a unique lot that overlooks a famous Pennsylvania trout stream in the State College area. The slopes and elevations of the terrain, along with the water table elevation required the services of a commercial construction company to build the foundation(s) of the home.
Once the foundations were in place, Aquavisions came in and installed the concrete pool shell within those foundation walls. The end product allows the clients to gaze out of their windows (while swimming in their pool!) and enjoy the view of the tumbling stream beyond. As part of the building process, the home builder had to build a bracing structure within our pool shell and constructed an entire floor OVER our pool so that they could continue to work on the rest of the home. Then we came back, peeled that floor away, and completed the indoor pool project. It was quite a magnificent end product!
If you would like more information about building an indoor pool, or any pool, contact Aquavisions today to start a conversation.