Frequently Asked Questions
Below, we’ve listed some of the questions we’re often asked about building a pool. If they don’t cover what you need, please, don’t hesitate to call us:
Why is a concrete swimming pool the best for my family?
Concrete swimming pools are the premier product available in the swimming pool construction industry. They offer your family a fantastic range of benefits, the most important of which are:
- Complete freedom and flexibility of shape and design. We build your pool to suit your needs and requirements. You’re not “locked in” to a tired range of standard shapes and designs and depths.
- Quality of finish. Concrete swimming pools are the pool of choice in quality homes throughout Australia. Nothing can beat the outstanding finish of a quality concrete pool. They just look like they are meant to be there. Remember, this is always reflected in re sale values for homes. People don’t want to buy problems, and concrete pools represent peace of mind.
- Construction superiority. A Freestyle Pools concrete pool is fully engineered and constructed to Australian standards. They are designed and built to last for decades. A concrete pool is fully self retaining ie, if we lifted the pool out of the hole and sat in on the ground, it would remain as strong and functional as ever. Most other types of manufactured pools , would simply collapse. A concrete pool, also allows you to turn tricky and inclined surfaces, into a work of art.
- Cost. Concrete swimming pools represent fantastic value. There is very little difference between the cost of a installing a concrete swimming pool and it’s fibreglass alternative. The main difference however, is the benefit, both in your enjoyment, and the resale value of your property, that a concrete swimming pool provides.
But I’ve been told that concrete pools can crack and fibreglass can’t:
A respected civil engineer recently made the very appropriate response to this proposition “They aren’t building the Gateway Bridge out of fibreglass, it’s all steel and concrete”.
This is an idea put forward by fibreglass pool salesmen, in an effort to discredit concrete swimming pools. It is simply and deliberately misleading and has been for a long time. Modern concrete pools are engineered to a strict Australian Standard. Freestyle Pools are all inspected by the engineer, prior to concreting.
In addition to having a 150mm thick 25MPA concrete walls, concrete pools contain 9 lineal meters of 12mm reinforcing bar per square meter, which equates to an enormous stress load capability. These heavily engineered pool shells can easily cope with ground movement, in a similar way in which the Gold Coast Q1 tower is able to sway 4 meters form side to side under heavy weather conditions.
Perhaps there may have been pools installed 20 or 30 years ago, that were not engineered and built correctly (just as there have been problems with older fibreglass pools), but the reality is very different now. Concrete pools are built to last a very long time.
What if we do actually have a crack in a concrete pool?
This is incredibly unlikely.
However, a crack in a concrete structure is in fact very easy to fix with modern technology. Xypex Australia (amongst other manufacturers) make a crystalline concrete growth product, that when injected into any crack in concrete, will amazingly, grow into that space and seal it on a molecular level, that is actually superior to concrete. It is also in fact much stronger than concrete when fully cured.
Can Freestyle Pools build the swimming pool that I want?
We’ve built pools of all shape and sizes, from small plunge pools in tiny spaces, to large indoor commercial pools. From pools in the mud on the Brisbane River, to Freeform pools in rural areas. Even pools 10 storeys up. Nearly everything is possible, so if you are unsure, please give us a call and we’ll help you to get organised. Also, have a look at the about design page, and it will give you a start.
We’re worried. We’ve heard bad stories about pools not being finished and owners being left out of pocket:
We operate only under the Qld Master Builders pool contract terms and conditions.
This means that you don’t pay for any stage of the pool construction, until it is completed. There is also a practical completion payment that you do not pay until everything has been finalised. The only payment you are required to pay up front, is a 5% deposit, which covers the cost of your engineering and certification.
The bottom line is, that you can’t be left out of pocket, because you don’t pay for anything, until it is finished.
What about insurance?
Your pool is fully covered during the construction period by HIA (Housing Industry Association) building and construction insurance. This covers all construction and public liability issues. Additionally, we provide a 10 year warranty on your pool shell, your equipment warranty is provided for up to five years (depending on which equipment you install) by the equipment manufacturers, and internal finishes have a 5 year warranty.
What about SPASA?
Like many builders, we have chosen not to join SPASA. We belong to the HIA and Master Builders, Australia's largest construction industry associations.
SPASA is not, as is a commonly held view, a Goverment appointed body and it has no regulatory or statuatory authority. SPASA is in industry association, which, amongst other things, combines its resources to market it's products, such as it's "Watertite" Insurance product. SPASA still relies on the BSA (QLD BUILDING SERVCES AUTHORITY) to resolve disputes between it's builders and owners, and has no authority to make BSA work orders or directions.
Freestyle Pools has never had a dispute raised with the BSA by any customer (certainly, no work order ever issued. This can be checked on the BSA website), nor any claim on our insurance.
It is our opinion, that the Watertite insurance offered by the SPASA organisation, is no longer necessary.
As we explained above, under the terms of the Master Builders contract, an owner does not pay for any work until completed. The Watertite contract, is in theory, designed to protect an owner, in the event that a builder goes bankrupt, however, if you haven’t paid for the work yet, how is it protecting you. Bear in mind also, that this insurance, still requires the BSA to be involved in an administrative capacity, so the bottom line is, if your SPASA builder went bankrupt, and you wanted to claim under the policy, it could take a very long time to finish the pool.
Frankly, we prefer to let our record, rather than a SPASA logo, speak for our good standing in the industry. A history of no insurance claims or BSA involvement, high level construction industry insurance and a family partnership, that doesn’t hide behind a PTY LTD company structure, we hope speak for themselves.
We want to get a quote on a new pool, what do we do?
Just give us a call Northside/Redcliffe 3885 3388 or Gold Coast 5529 8244. We’ll organise a time to meet you on site, talk about what you need, and come back to you with a fixed price in writing.
