Ready to take the plunge?
Outdoor pool sales are surging during the heatwaves — but do your research before diving in
This summer, it’s not just sales of rosé wine and ice cream that have rocketed during the heatwave. interest in swimming pools has also surged. ‘This sweltering summer has undoubtedly inspired people to install swimming pools,’ says sallie Leslie- Golding of the swimming Pool and Allied Trade Association (SPATA). ‘There are now 270,000 in-ground pools in the UK, with about 65 per cent of them in the southern half of the country.’
There is something incredibly glamorous about a hockney-blue pool. But how does the reality match up to the imagery?
‘it’s been wonderful to be able to take a swim at the end of a long day,’ says Felicity Cooper, 55, who in 2006 installed a 12m x 6m pool outside her country house in Potterne, near Devizes, Wiltshire. ‘it has also been great for the children, Lily and Ryan, who learnt to swim here.’
Felicity stresses the importance of finding the right setting for a new pool. she ensured hers was west-facing to catch the evening sun; then she went to the trouble of digging out a mini-amphitheatre so that the displaced earth formed a windbreak around the pool itself.
‘The pool is the optimum distance from the house, being not so near that it detracts from the garden and not so far away that anyone in trouble would not be heard by those inside.
‘it is far from trees so few leaves blow into the water and, with the children in mind, it has a top quality safety cover. Felicity’s six-bedroom Jacobean stone house standing in 1.7 acres is for sale for £1.95 million ( winkworth.co.uk).
Opinions vary as to whether an outdoor pool helps or hinders a house sale. some think that the hassle of maintenance may be off-putting to buyers. however, the property buying agent, Jonathan harington, disagrees.
‘i have had many clients come to me with a pool on their wishlist of luxuries,’ he says. ‘But i have never had anyone say they wouldn’t buy a house because of the pool. if they felt strongly they could easily fill it in anyway.’
Yet owning a swimming pool is an expensive hobby. An above-ground pool — like a giant paddling pool — costs from £1,500 to £15,000. These pools may not quite cut it in terms of glamour, but their lower water capacity means maintenance costs are more reasonable.
For those looking at a more substantial in-ground pool, one with a liner finish of PVC will cost about £75,000. A concrete pool, finished with mosaic tiles, marbled plaster or paint will be about £125,000.
Larger projects can easily cost hundreds of thousands of pounds. You may opt for an infinity pool — a pool designed with an edge that gives the illusion that the water is overflowing. Those who want to improve their fitness may have a counter current device installed; the equivalent of swimming on a treadmill.
MAnY pool owners are interested in sustainability and heating the pool with solar panels is popular, as are covers that help heat retention. Maintaining an outdoor swimming pool is expensive. The cost of heating and chemicals has increased so buyers should budget for at least £8 to £10 a day, dependent on the weather, according to sPATA.
Anyone fancying a workout in their own home may be interested in ivy Cottage, Grendon, northamptonshire.
Outside, the four-bedroom cottage is a 10m x 5m pool neatly positioned in the north-west corner to catch the sun.
‘After swimming in the pool, you could go running, riding or cycling on the countless trails nearby,’ says ian Denton, of Jackson stops. ‘it’s a lifestyle amenity in your own garden.’ ivy Cottage is for sale for £825,000 (jackson-stops.co.uk).
YOUR front door isn’t there to keep people out, it’s there to welcome them in. along with the windows — those peep-holes into your life — the style and colour tell friends and strangers alike who you are and what they can expect when they set foot inside your home.
‘Windows can make or break a space,’ says luxury interior designer Katharine Pooley. ‘they often don’t quite receive the attention they should, which is a shame as with the right ironmongery and a beautiful finish they instantly upgrade the overall aesthetic.’
and yet we spend twice as long selecting a kitchen worktop than we do choosing windows for our house.
So what options do you have to make them pretty as well as practical?
PLASTIC FANTASTIC?
FIRST off, don’t go for those horrid brilliant white, smooth plastic frames for windows. they often look ugly.
if you have to get uPVC because you’re on a tight budget, then at least get them in offwhite with a woodgrain effect — some brands are pretty convincing nowadays.
KJM ( kjmgroup.co.uk) does a good line — for a double-glazed casement in woodgrain-effect measuring 1,200mm x 630mm, the price is about £275 supply-only.
HEAVY METAL
THE sleek, hip-kid-on-the-block, aluminium-framed windows look up-to-the minute.
and because metal is stronger than wood or uPVC, the frame will be much slimmer, so there’s a larger area for glass.
We’re used to a cool grey colour, but you can have the frames made in any hue you like. So you can have them in forest green, midnight blue or flame red.
the same windows as above in aluminium would be £515.
PICTURE WINDOWS
OH, THE fun you can have with stained glass. Coloured designs are usually banished to little fan-lights at the top of doors in late Victorian houses.
But why not have coloured or picture panels in your front windows. You can have a nautical theme if you live by the sea; or an abstract whirl of shapes and colours.
A window with a bespoke design from Cheam leaded lights ( cheamleadedlights.com) of about 1,200mm x 630mm will cost in the region of £2,500 to £3,000 supply-only.
MODERNIST STYLE
CRITTALL windows or doors feature a sharp art Deco design with slim black steel frames divided into squares. they have had a style renaissance over the past few years, somehow looking both up-todate and classic at the same time.
While the Crittall company still manufactures the official items, you can get them in the same style from a host of other firms.
Crittall’s windows range from £500 to £850 per square metre, including installation (crittall-windows.co.uk).
UPGRADE YOUR GLASS
YOU can get all sorts of special glass these days. if you live by a busy road, acoustic glass will do better for you than standard double glazing.
Double glazing has two panes of glass with a void between them, whereas acoustic glass has two panes sandwiched together with a thin plastic layer in the middle to filter out more sound waves. Polarised glass keeps out the sun’s rays on hot days. and reflective glass turns windows into a one-way mirror so you can look out but passers-by can’t look in. roseview’s ( roseview.co.uk) ultimate rose windows are made from uPVC, but almost indistinguishable from wood.
a 1,200mm x 630mm acoustic glass window costs about £900 supply-only.
SOLID WOOD
WOODEN windows are becoming harder to find as vinyl and fibreglass take over, but they’re durable and can be a charming addition to a home.
Wooden Windows make bespoke timber windows and doors ( woodenwindows.com). it’s worth matching the two; after all, there’s nothing quite like the feel of a solid wood front door thudding into place.
It says that your castle is now secure against all onslaught. they do take some maintaining, though — you will have to repaint every four or five years, and there’s the chance of warping, which could make it more difficult to close or lock.
Old english Doors ( oldenglishdoors.co.uk) do a good line in hand-made Georgian- style, six-panelled solid oak doors from £4,320 supply-only.