Swimming Pools

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Swimming Pool Enclosures

Swimming Pool Covers and Materials

Swimming Pool Enclosures

Depending on the climate in your region, swimming in an outdoor pool can be uncomfortable during the cold season, even if the pool is heated. An enclosed swimming pool may allow you to extend your swimming season. You can either purchase one of the manufactured canopies, extend your house to include a “pool room,” or improvise an enclosure to fit the swimming pool and its surroundings. You can even have an inside-out-side swimming pool.

In addition to permitting year-round use, the enclosures will control winds, enable you to do more night swimming, lower heating costs, and keep out most insects and debris.

Having a roof over your swimming pool allows moisture to condense, creating “greenhouse”conditions. When the temperature outside begins to drop, a completely closed room can become excessively humid and uncomfortable. In designing an enclosure or including a pool as an extension of the house, be sure to plan for maximum ventilation to control humidity.

Available Swimming Pool Enclosures

A variety of manufactured swimming pool enclosures are available. The most economical are air-inflated canopies, one of which doubles as a pool cover when deflated. These structures are held down either by a rim of water that serves as an anchor or by fasteners in the deck. A blower provides the slight pressure necessary to keep the canopy inflated. If the canopy is ever punctured or torn, the constant injection of air should prevent it from collapsing suddenly and cause it instead to settle slowly to the surface.

Another type of enclosure is constructed of lightweight metal frames paneled with opaque, translucent, or clear fiberglass-reinforced plastic. Some of these enclosures are constructed with roll-back roof and/or side panels to allow hot season ventilation. Most manufacturers recommend a minimum of 1 to 1.5 meter of enclosed deck area around the water.

Other more permanent enclosures of wood, or masonry combined with wood, are also available, but at higher costs.

Extending your house lines to accommodate a swimming pool is usually the most expensive method of sheltering the swimming pool area. Costs will depend on your location and the type of wall and roof coverings you use.

Be sure to check building codes before investing in a swimming pool enclosure. Some cities consider them accessory buildings, which means they are subject to building regulations.