Rooftop pools can make your place appear luxurious and let you swim and enjoy a beautiful view. However, before you jump into the idea of a rooftop pool, you should have a discussion with your pool builder to learn if it’s safe and if is it the right option for you. Here’s what you need to know before building a rooftop swimming pool.
Things To Consider For Installing A Rooftop Pool
Can Your House Support The Weight Of A Pool?
Building a pool in your background has many requirements, but you don’t have to worry about the structure of your house and water seeping into your house’s structure in case of a leak. But in the case of a rooftop pool, you must.
The first question you should ask yourself and the contractor is: can your home even support a rooftop pool? A rooftop pool carries the weight of its structure, but most of the weight of a pool is the weight of the water it’s filled with. People underestimate the weight of water inside a pool which can lead to problems.
If you’re building your house and with it, you also planned a rooftop pool, the contractor will build the house keeping the requirements for a rooftop pool in mind. But if you want to build a rooftop pool on your already-built home’s roof, an inspection is crucial to determine whether it can support a pool.
If it can, you can go ahead with the construction process. In case it doesn’t, you will have another project on your hands before the rooftop pool-building process. It will be the project of structural reinforcement of your house. This will make the whole pool construction process longer and costlier.
Therefore, you should also plan if you can spend the money required for rooftop pool construction in case it requires structural reinforcement of your house. If you have space in your yard and a rooftop pool is only for uniqueness, you can save a lot of money by installing a traditional in-ground pool in your backyard.
Other than the structural strength of the house, the roof of your house should be flat to support the installation of a rooftop pool. If the roof is peaky, the contractor will have to use ways to make the surface flat for the pool which will cost more money.
Lastly, the roof should be large enough to have a pool. Even if you want a smaller pool, it also requires a set size of space. So, have a contractor inspect your place before planning out rooftop pool construction.
Permissions And Permits
Even if your house can support a rooftop pool, if your local laws don’t permit it, you can get in trouble by building a rooftop pool. So, find out if local building codes allow you to build a rooftop pool. Moreover, make sure to check the rules of your HOA if you’re a part of one.
Even when rooftop pools are allowed, you might need to follow some requirements like the location, size, or depth of the pool or the selection of pool materials. So, pay attention to the rules.
Hire An Expert Rooftop Pool Contractor
Any pool construction requires a skilled contractor, but in the case of a rooftop pool, the contractor must absolutely have past experience in building rooftop pools.
This is because there are many things in rooftop pool construction that are meant to do differently and additionally when compared to the construction of a ground-level pool in a backyard. And the only way to make sure all the unique requirements for your rooftop pool are met is to hire an experienced contractor.
Failing to do so can result in problems that can pose a threat to the structure of your house and the people residing in it.
The Climate Of The Region
This part of rooftop planning isn’t technical, but it’s also critical to determine. The climate of your region should be favorable enough for you to enjoy the rooftop pool you will build by spending much money and by probably even structurally reinforcing your house.
If you live in a region that receives a lot of snowfall, think twice before building a rooftop pool. A rooftop pool will force you to have a flat roof and snow doesn’t slide off flat roofs as easily as with a traditional, sloped roof.
Moreover, a snowy climate will also mean less time to enjoy the pool. So, decide if the climate of your house allows you to have a rooftop pool and would it be worth it?
The Pool Material
Whichever material you select, it must be durable so there is less to no risk of leakage. Usually, rooftop pools are built using reinforced concrete mixture.
Even though concrete pools are durable and last long, they are the heaviest pool materials around. As you’re building a rooftop pool that will exert load on your home’s structure, you can also look for a material that is lighter than concrete.
For instance, fiberglass is lighter than concrete and it’s installed more quickly as well. That’s because fiberglass pools are made in facilities and they are shipped as a pool shell that you can put in the hole created for the pool shell.
However, this may bring up how would you bring the fiberglass pool shell to the roof. You can rent a crane for it.
Apart from fiberglass, stainless steel and aluminum pools are also popular when it comes to rooftop pools. The reason is the durability and lightweight of these materials. Stainless less is lighter than concrete whereas aluminum is lighter than stainless steel while both of these materials are extremely durable.
Moreover, bringing stainless steel or aluminum pools to the roof is easier because they are shipped in big pieces instead of a single pool shell.
Whichever material you choose, you must select a double vessel. This means that the original pool shell will be put or built on another pool shell. It’s a critical step for building a rooftop pool to prevent any leakage in the original pool shell to damage the house. That’s because if any leakage ever occurs, it will leak into the secondary shell. This will give you enough time to detect the leak and have it fixed by an expert without risking the stability of your house.
What About The Neighbors?
Another non-technical consideration should be your neighbors. Check how the pool will affect them. If your house is very close to the neighboring houses, the pool may affect them. In that case, you should get approval from them as well.
Noise
Usually, the water pump makes a lot of noise when it runs. It can cause problems for your neighbors or other apartments in the building. Therefore, make sure to install a silent pump that will not bother your neighbors.
Conclusion
Rooftop pools carry some responsibilities and risks that are only unique to them. Moreover, they are much costlier than regular swimming pools. The cost can increase manifold if your house needs structural reinforcement. However, if you can bear the cost, the perks of rooftop pools are many as well. Again, hiring a pool contractor Long Island who has built rooftop pools before is an essential step of the pool-building process.