Concrete pool
from$62,000
Sprayed concrete over a steel frame, built to the size and outline drawn for your garden, finished in tile or a smooth render.
- Any length, depth or curve
- Steps, ledges and a shallow beach entry
- Lasts for decades with care
The pool you sketched, built in stages you can see
Bluecrest designs and builds concrete and fibreglass pools for private gardens. Every project starts with a survey of the ground and the way in, so your price is based on your garden, and every stage has a date you agree before the digger arrives.
One surveybefore any price is given
10 to 16 weekson site for most concrete pools
3 to 6 weekson site for a fibreglass shell
- Soil and access surveyed first
- Fenced off from the first day of digging
- One crew from dig to handover
- Stage dates agreed in writing
Three ways to put water in the garden
Starting prices for a level garden with room for a small digger. Rock, high groundwater, a long carry for the soil or a steep slope change the figure, which is why the survey comes first.
Fibreglass pool
from$41,000
A one piece shell made in a factory mould, set into a prepared hole on a bed of crushed stone and backfilled around the sides.
- Set shapes and sizes from the mould
- Fewer weeks on site
- Smooth surface that resists algae
Plunge pool
from$29,000
A short, deep pool for cooling off or swimming against a current, in concrete or fibreglass, for courtyards and narrow plots.
- From about 4 metres long
- Quick to heat with a small pump
- Fits where a lap pool cannot
Prices cover design, digging, the shell, standard filtration, coping and a temporary fence during the build. Permanent barriers, heating, covers and landscaping are priced at the survey.
From the survey to the first swim
Each stage ends with a check you are welcome to attend. Payments follow the stages and never run ahead of them.
Survey and design
We walk the garden, test the soil, measure the way in and draw the pool with you, then send a written quote.
Approvals
We explain which approvals usually apply where you live, prepare the drawings and wait for your go ahead.
Dig and frame
The site is fenced, the hole dug and the soil carried away, then the steel cage or the stone bed goes in.
Shell and pipes
Concrete is sprayed or the fibreglass shell is set, and pipes run to the equipment housing.
Finishes
Coping, tiles, paving and the permanent safety barrier are fitted around the water.
Fill and handover
We fill and balance the water, run the equipment with you and hand over the manuals and the care sheet.
How long each stage takes, honestly
Typical time on site once approvals are in place. Weather, rock and late deliveries can add weeks, and we tell you the day a date moves.
| Stage | Concrete pool | Fibreglass pool | What can push it back |
|---|---|---|---|
| Survey to written quote | 2 to 3 weeks | 2 to 3 weeks | Soil tests, drawings for unusual outlines |
| Approvals | Varies by place | Varies by place | Local rules, neighbour consultation, a busy office |
| Dig and frame | 1 to 2 weeks | 3 to 5 days | Rock, groundwater, a long carry for the soil |
| Shell and pipes | 2 to 3 weeks plus curing | About 1 week | Rain on spray days, the delivery slot for the shell |
| Coping, tiles and barrier | 3 to 5 weeks | 2 to 3 weeks | Stone deliveries, the tile you choose, frost |
| Fill and handover | About 1 week | About 1 week | Low water pressure in the street |
Concrete has to cure before it is tiled, so a concrete pool has quiet weeks in the middle when nobody is on site. That is normal, and your plan shows them.
A barrier around the water before anyone swims
A pool is a drowning risk for young children and pets from the day the hole is dug. We fence the site through the build and fit the permanent barrier before the pool is filled, never after.
Rules on barrier height, gates and alarms differ from country to country and often between councils, so we check what applies to your address and build to it. Your local authority has the final word.
- Temporary fencing round the dig, locked every evening
- Gates that close and latch on their own, out of a child's reach
- Glass, metal or timber barriers to suit the garden
- Safety covers and alarms discussed at the survey
Heating, covers and the care plan
Chosen at the survey or added later. We fit only equipment our own crew can service.
Heat pump
Sized to the volume of the pool and the length of season you want, with the unit placed away from bedroom windows.
Fittedfrom $5,400
Safety cover
A slatted or solid cover on a track that closes the whole pool off, opened and shut with a key switch.
Fittedfrom $9,800
Underwater lights
Low voltage lights set into the walls while the shell is built, on a timer in the equipment housing.
Pairfrom $1,900
Filtration upgrade
Larger filters, a variable speed pump or a salt cell, chosen for the number of swimmers you expect.
Upgradefrom $2,300
Paving and coping
Stone or porcelain coping and a paved surround laid to fall away from the water.
Square metrefrom $140
Care plan
Monthly visits through the swimming season, plus the spring opening and autumn closing, by the crew who built it.
Monthlyfrom $160
Care plans begin after handover and can be stopped with a month's notice.
One pool, six stages
Photos from this year's builds, from the first bucket of soil to the evening we handed over the controls.
From families who swim in them (example reviews)
The survey found clay two spades down, and they changed the plan before anything was signed. The pool went in a fortnight later than first drawn, but every date after that was kept.
Our side passage was too narrow for a normal digger, so they brought a smaller one and a conveyor for the soil. The fence went up on day one, which mattered with toddlers next door.
Handover took a whole afternoon: the filter, the heat pump and how to test the water. The same crew came back in spring to open it up again.
Before you sign for a pool
Do we need permission to build a pool?
Often, and the answer turns on your address. In some places a garden pool counts as permitted work, while others ask for planning approval, a building permit or both, and barrier rules apply almost everywhere. We explain what usually applies at the survey and prepare the drawings, and the decision rests with your local authority.
Concrete or fibreglass for our garden?
Concrete suits unusual outlines, long lap lanes and awkward slopes. Fibreglass needs fewer weeks on site and feels very smooth underfoot, but the shell travels by road and is lifted in, so access and the sizes of the moulds decide a lot. The survey usually makes the choice clear.
Where does all the soil go?
A typical pool fills several lorries. We price the removal at the survey, and some clients keep part of it to level the lawn or build up a raised bed.
How much of the garden is out of use?
Expect a working area around the pool and a route from the gate to it for the whole build. Lawn along that route usually needs reseeding, which is part of the finishes stage.
How are the payments split?
A deposit when you sign, then one payment at the end of each stage once you have seen it. The last payment falls due at handover, after the water is balanced and the equipment is running.
What happens after handover?
You get the manuals, a water care sheet and a first visit four weeks later. The monthly care plan is optional and stops with a month's notice.
Book a site survey
Describe the garden and the pool you picture. Within two working days we call to fix a visit of about ninety minutes, and the written quote follows within three weeks.
- The survey costs $180, taken off the build if you go ahead
- Quotes are written, itemised and valid for 60 days
- Weekday calls: +44 20 7946 0205
Talk to the build office
The office plans surveys and stage dates. Once your build starts, the crew lead gives you a direct number as well.
Office hours
| Monday to Friday | 08:00 to 17:30 |
| Saturday | 09:00 to 13:00, surveys only |
| Sunday | Closed |
Where we build
Private gardens within about 90 minutes of our yard. Further away, we can still survey, and the travel cost is listed on its own before you agree to anything.