Is a Pool Installation Messy?
YES! While a fiberglass pool installation is LESS messy than vinyl or concrete pool installations and, generally, speaking much faster – YOUR YARD WILL BE A MESS! Why?
Well, we use heavy equipment to excavate tons of sand, dirt and, depending on your area, clay to install your beautiful new swimming pool by Southern Scapes Pools and Landscape Design.
PLEASE REMEMBER, none of the damage is permanent. Fiberglass pool projects have the shortest installation time of any type of pool – typically 3-6 weeks from the excavation. Liners often take 4-8 weeks, while concrete takes the longest weighing in at 3-6 months.
Sometimes, people are surprised by how their yards look during and after an installation, but rest assured, it is worth it! While the best time to install any pool is during the construction phase before you have an established yard and a driveway, we know this usually is not the case. We, at Southern Scapes Pools and Landscape Design, make every effort to protect your existing lawn and driveway. Just be prepared that your yard will need a makeover once we are finished!
What to expect when you are installing a pool:
- Ruined grass/landscaping
- Torn-up access lanes to the installation site
- Dirt/clay piles (we usually spread this around during grading process, unless our clients want it hauled away)
- Muddy tracks from heavy equipment/machinery
- Possible cracks on the sides of an asphalt or concrete driveway or blemishes from heavy equipment
- Possible additional expense relocating lines (electrical, power, gas, irrigation, drainage) as this is NOT the responsibility of Southern Scapes Pools and Landscape Design
What will mess up your lawn during the pool installation process?
- Excavator – You will have excavator tracks EVERYWHERE around the pool site. It has to run from one end to the other all the way around the pool to excavate and set your pool.
- Skid Steer Loader – Used to carry sand, gravel and other materials necessary for your installation
- Dump Trucks – Used to haul in materials such as gravel or sand necessary to set your pool and/or to haul out materials (i.e. vegetation, trees, stumps, clay, excess dirt, etc)
- Concrete Trucks – used to deliver the concrete material to the jobsite (Note: Sometimes you may need to have your concrete pumped at an additional fee, or you may also request it be pumped as well.)
- Large flatbed trailers – Used to deliver your fiberglass pool and to haul heavy equipment needed for your fiberglass pool installation
- Cranes – We utilize cranes to lift your fiberglass pool shell off the trailer at delivery and set it into the excavated hole. Sometimes we use small cranes that will sit adjacent to the excavation site. Other times, when access is limited, we have to use a large crane and lift it over or around your home.
- Trenchers – We often use a trencher to run electrical lines, conduit, plumbing, etc. It is a small skid steer, which will leave tracks as well.
- Trucks – Used by crew or subcontractors
You definitely want to say goodbye to your grass as between machinery and piles of dirt, your lawn will need to be replenished in areas outside of your fiberglass pool and access areas. You will have ruts and tracks during the installation process. We will utilize existing materials to “rough grade” your property. If you wish to have us professionally landscape your property for you, we need to be notified at the time you sign in order to accommodate it in our schedule. If you want to bring in additional fill after we have set and backfilled your swimming outside of the amount and scope included in your contract, please bring it to the attention of the project or office manager so we can coordinate it for you. We always do our best to grade out your property using existing excavated and leftover fill materials; however, you may need more fill to create the established grade you desire around your patio, concrete, etc.
Ultimately, your new backyard oasis is worth the mess and will add not only value to your property, but it will provide your family, friends, and others many, many years of enjoyment!
