Building A Pool With A New House

When you are building a new home and you know that you want to have an in-ground pool you should keep a few things in mind. First is the placement of the inground pool in the backyard. It’s important that there are no utilities in that area such as electric service, sewer, waterline, and sprinkler mains. The next consideration is going to be elevation. The elevation of the house in relation to the lot height can have a big impact on what may need to happen in the backyard for an in ground pool. If your builder sets the house too high or too low, it may save them money on excavation or grading but could add a lot of unnecessary expense to the swimming pool project.

As far as the electric service goes we simply look for 100 amps of available service capacity. This may seem like a lot to an electrician that has not done a pool hook up, but it is very comfortable when you add everything that may go on your new swimming pool panel. Pump 20A, Lighting 15A, HEAT PUMP heater 50A, auto cover 20A, and electric outlets near the pool 20A, etc. If for some reason the service capacity was tight on the home we could do with less, but knowing you’re going to have an in-ground pool it cost nickels to plan for this up front.

The last consideration is the location of the electric service. The closer the meter is to the swimming pool equipment the better. The less pipe and wire that needs to be run from your panel / electric meter to the swimming pool electric panel and equipment pad the cheaper. In most cases your electrician and builder will locate the meter and other mechanicals, such as air conditioners and heat pumps, in one general area of the home. In most cases this is the area that will make the most sense to put the in-ground pool equipment as well. As long as the pool equipment is within 50’ of the swimming pool we can still maintain good hydraulic efficiency. Your builder may not have control over the meter location for a variety of reasons, from zoning to service provider restrictions, but it's worth having the conversation up front.

As you and your builder are planning for your home and pool project it is best to coordinate the in ground pool installation to go along with the exterior of the home. No matter the material, be it stucco, masonry, or siding... It makes the most sense for the swimming pool to go in during that ‘siding’ phase. This is because in most cases when the siding is going on, the interior of the home is still unfinished making it easier (and cheaper) to run the electric to the pool equipment panel. It is also common for the grade of the lot to only be ‘rough’ during the siding phase, meaning that the builder has not wasted time and money doing grading and dirt work that pool construction would destroy and waste. Once the pool is in we can do the final grade work near the inground pool or your builder can, BUT it has not been done twice and wasted money.

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