Construction, desired dimensions and the filter-technical features are among the most important factors in the swimming pond costs. Careful calculations in cooperation with a specialist company can prevent what is supposedly cheap from becoming far too expensive in the end.

A lot of money can be saved when building a swimming pond by building it yourself and planning it yourself

One of the most difficult challenges, especially in the construction industry, is to research binding prices for trades and materials. This has relatively little to do with keeping secrets, but is due to the fact that an on-site inspection is usually essential for a real cost analysis of planned construction projects. Nevertheless, we tried it with the swimming pond costs, so that you as a future natural pool owner will get to know at least a few guide values with which a rough planning can be done.

What does an expert say about the swimming pond price

If a specialist company is brought on board for the outdoor pool in the garden, prices per square meter of between 300 and 500 euros can be expected, depending on the equipment and size. If you do your own work, the costs for the swimming pond can be reduced to 150 to 250 euros/m2. Ideally, a joint concept is prepared in cooperation with a gardening and landscaping company, which contains all suitable activities that the property owner can take care of himself without overtaxing him technically or physically.

Digging yourself can reduce swimming pond costs

Anyone who rents a cheap mini excavator to prepare the excavation pit for the natural pool will be able to leave a four-digit euro amount in their account, depending on the size of their project. However, it would still be necessary to clarify beforehand what happens to the excavated earth. With a pond area of 100 m2, around 107 m2 of earth is loose, which corresponds to a mass of 240 tons. With the 2,000 trips with a well-filled wheelbarrow, which are at least necessary for this, an excellent physical constitution is important. Renting an excavator (daily price from approx. 80 euros) is certainly less sweaty in this case.

Possible savings potential with own work

The majority of specialist companies argue somewhat more cautiously with regard to a muscle mortgage for future swimming pond owners as far as the savings just mentioned are concerned. They are of the opinion that many builders would clearly overestimate themselves, especially when it comes to the main cost factors. But which invoice items are actually among the price drivers when it comes to the costs of a swimming pond? In the middle to higher four-digit range, these are mainly:

  • Excavation and removal or distribution on the property;
  • pond liner and its processing (welding);
  • Purchase of substrates for green plants;
  • land and water plants for greening in and around the swimming pond;
  • technical equipment such as filter and pump technology for water purification;
  • horticultural design of the areas near the pond (natural stones, wooden terrace, etc.);

Example of a rough cost calculation

This non-binding example is about a 100 m2 swimming pond that is to be built without a separate walled swimming zone.

Type of service or material costs in euros
Rent a mini excavator for five days 425,00
Rent rammers for two days 60,00
Fleece (300 g/m) for 160 m2 (2.00 per m2) 320,00
PVC foil (1.5 mm) 160 m2 (10.00 per m2) 1.600,00
30 t of washed gravel as a substrate (two different grain sizes) including delivery 750,00
Pond technology: simple circulation system with shaft pump, skimmer, particle filter, drainage and hose lines 1.500,00
Building material (sand, cement, stones and small parts) 300,00
Aquatic plants basic assortment 75 pieces 190,00
Filling water, first filling without waste water costs 100,00
total cost 5.245,00

How do garden planners calculate?

Similar to how an architect carries out all the planning work for home builders, garden planners help prospective buyers to build a swimming pond. Experienced specialists take care of the entire organizational preparation and monitor the individual stages of the construction process, from the rough draft to on-site advice and support for external tendering processes. This service is not free of charge, but it makes a decisive contribution to ensuring that you are spared construction defects and that you will be able to enjoy your new oasis in the countryside for many years to come.

Five types at five different prices

At a Korschenbroich garden planning company, we came across more reliable figures regarding pricing, which also provide a financial planning basis for less experienced swimming pond planners. In addition to the individual cost factors that need to be taken into account for a cash register crash, the company also points out the most important reasons why there are so many (supposedly) “cheap” offers, especially on the Internet. Inexpensive information for swimming pond construction projects usually only contains roughly estimated information on excavation, wages, filters, pumps and foil, although in practice other services are often billed later, such as:

  • Earthworks (post-processing and removal of the soil);
  • Planting (substrates and aquatic plants);
  • Floor drains and overflows and, if desired, additional sewer connections;
  • natural stone design;
  • underwater walls;
  • additional pump and filter technology, dephosphating system;
  • landscaping, restoration of lawns and planting near ponds;

For better transparency, the different swimming pond types are divided into five categories, which differ in terms of both the pond size and their technical equipment.

  • Type 1: assumed minimum size 120 m2 at costs between 170 and 250 euros/m2; Total costs are between 20,400 and 30,000 euros; Properties: e.g. with a natural design including little technology, since the cleaning is carried out biologically; no targeted flow through shallow water zones with lush plant growth and tolerance of algae; no mechanical filtration;
  • Type 2: size at least 100 m2 at a price of 350 to 500 euros/m2 and a total price of between 35,000 and 50,000 euros; Features: Standing water with a pump, regeneration zones with pipes, surface currents, etc.;
  • Types 3 to 5: intensively designed systems, in which a lot of pond technology is integrated; with a minimum size of 100 m2, prices per square meter between 500 and 800 euros must be expected with this equipment; Total expenses for the system range between 50,000 and 80,000 euros; Properties: efficient water purification, design with separate flowing water, swimming and regeneration zones as a continuous water area, walls below the water level, the entire water volume is circulated at least once a day; nutrient-poor water (few algae, no biofilm formation!), use of specially colored foils;

Be careful with bargains in swimming pond prices

During our research, almost 70 percent of these offers came to our attention:

  • Complete swimming pond from EUR 1,800;
  • Finished natural pools for 150 euros/m2;
  • Pools & ponds: from EUR 1,000 per square meter of water surface;
  • Your swimming pond without technology: Only this week for a fabulous 90 euros per m2;

Sometimes holes in the garden lined with cheap foil, in which there is an even cheaper submersible pump, are referred to as swimming ponds. We can therefore only urgently recommend that you plan your natural pool or swimming pond roughly in advance based on the garden situation on site and according to your personal needs, and to contact a reputable and experienced provider for a real cost estimate.

Facts that strongly influence swimming pond costs

It is best not only to obtain several offers from different companies, but also to let them show you reference objects that have been in operation for at least two years. The maintenance effort to be expected later should also not be left out of the calculation. How high the investment is ultimately depends on a variety of factors that can only be partially influenced by the client. It mainly concerns:

  • planned depth and size of the swimming zone (from a water depth of 1.50 m, a building permit is required in most federal states!);
  • geographic relief of the property (flat or sloping);
  • Groundwater level (may require lowering during construction);
  • Subsoil conditions (sand, clay, rocks, etc.);
  • Utilization of the excavated earth, taking into account the local landfill costs;
  • Factors of later operating costs (including water / waste water) of the swimming pond;

It is best to break down your overall project "building a swimming pond" into several clear individual parts and first carry out a rough cost calculation yourself, similar to the following scheme (which you can expand):

Performance or material requirements my estimated cost researched costs
site equipment
Removal of shrubs & trees
Excavation of the swimming pond pit
Removal of excavated earth
Rental equipment costs
Costs foundation, base plate, pool walls
Purchasing fleece and pond liners
Foil assembly (welding?)
Pond technology (pumps, skimmer, pipes, filters)
planting and substrate
Accessories (bridges, jetties, wooden deck, lighting, etc.)

Alternative: prefabricated swimming pond?

In most of the offers that we researched online, we found surprisingly specific information on the scope of services and the expected equipment of the ready-to-install sets. Many companies also offer professional advice over the phone, so that prospective buyers with a keen interest in construction who have a correspondingly high amount of time potential for assembly can certainly be in good hands with direct sellers. Whether the final price will ultimately be cheaper cannot be said with certainty due to the very different offers. But also for this a final brief overview of the current market situation of the swimming pond prices for do-it-yourself builders:

  • Standard swimming pond with 240 m2 water surface, 315 m3 water volume and a swimming distance of approx. 17 meters: 4,779.00 euros;
  • Allotment garden swimming pond 160 m2 of water surface, 204 m3 of water content for around EUR 3,710;
  • Mini swimming pond with 96 m2 of water surface, 117 m3 of water volume and a 9 meter long swimming section for just over 2,630 euros;

There are also several equipment variants in these examples. We have listed the cheapest in each case, so that you can mini-pond in the luxury version could definitely come to a total price of almost 11,000 euros. In the overall balance, however, the personnel workload must always be added, including for any helpers, and as already discussed, you will not be able to do the earthwork without renting special equipment for excavation and transport.

tips

Many companies that sell prefabricated swimming ponds and natural pools offer special pond construction seminars for interested parties, where important knowledge is imparted so that your project leads to the desired success.

Category:

Garden design