Unwanted indoor swimming pool - what are our options please?

Glad to help DA. They really are quality and so soft. Being faux leather, means they dunna go all hard with age. (remember the safety word is "Banoffee pie." )

 

Banoffee pie, ma botty.

 

Jeepers - seriously off-topic. Soz Spinball .

We aren't - well, I'm not - suggesting you turn the covered pool into an , er, dungeon. No, not at all.

But, if you do, don't forget to invite us round. I mean, JJ...

 

Spinball, be careful. In fact it may be too late. Emptying a pool and leaving it empty of water for a while can stop the one thing that's keeping it in the ground; the weight of water. You see you have a boat now stuck in the middle of your house and as we all know boats float. The natural action of the water is to push the boat up and that can cause a great deal of damage.

Some yrs ago I was called into a school that was having the pool roof decorated. The contractor had the pool emptied so that his lads could get their towers into the pool and within 3 days extensive cracking was visible around the pool side. What a bloody mess. So be warned.

Drum rooms, Adult dungeons or even plain old storage space are not options. Fill it back up and put a floor over it, no question.

 

Where's the water coming from that is going to float the boat.. are we back on that other subject again... If this principle was a general issue, then it should have failed at some point between building it, letting it dry and filling it with water. The supplied photo shows it being empty now, with no comment regarding cracks.
It would be rather embarrassing being dug out with the gimp mask on all the same!

 

Craig, water is present in the ground. In some areas more than others. Don't tell me this house and corresponding pool are in the Thames Valley, oops, crash too late.

Seriously this guy Spinball wants to be very careful. I'm guessing the original installer will have told their customer about this.

 

Hmmm, that's exactly the type of crack you don't want, a horizontal crack. Get around the top edge of the bath and see if there's any movement there. If there is then get some competent builder/swimming bath installer in and show them this thread.

Hope to God it's not too late.

 

Spinball, if I was near you I'd come and have a look for you. I think you have a need for a visit from a Building Control Officer. Your Local Council employ several and they're professionally qualified. Go down to the County Hall, in person, ask to speak to one, explain the situation and tell them that you think that the situation may be one of building safety.

I am a little concerned that you say your lawn outside the pool is boggy. Did you ever notice a problem keeping water in the pool or was it topped up by a self float valve?

Whatever you do ensure that you see a BCO. It won't cost anything because you employ them through your rates. They are employed to advise and educate just as much as to supervise.

I hope this informs and helps.

 

Hello, Did you find a solution? I am interested because we are in exactly the same predicament. I think I will speak to my local building control officer but wondered how you got on and what the outcome was.

 

Blimey, that would take a lot of sand. Has the shell of the pool deteriorated since February or did you fill it with water again? I am worried about the shell popping out of the ground if we drain it and build a false floor though. My dad thinks that if the pool was built properly in the first place it should withstand the pressure but I don't know if I can risk it seen as we are planning to put a kitchen on top of it!!! I think we will probably go down the demolition route which seems like a shame. We are also not going to do anything until autumn but I think we might have to break up the base, fill with hardcore and concrete over the top. Ball ache and lots of money but I am going to try and do some of the labour ourselves to keep costs down?!

 

Jeepers, gents - what's the worst that could happen? It all comes caving in? C'mon - really? A few wee cracks? Possibly, but surely nothing more than this?

Think of the future - the next owner might well fancy an indoor pool.

Frame it out, put a floor over the top, put a trapdoor in and use it for drums or storage...

But first get a professional surveyor in for an opinion - any of the 'filling' solutions you are proposing would cost a lot more than this...

 

The forces causing cracks are perpendicular to the direction of the crack. So, the horizontal cracks are being caused by vertical forces. Uplift and settlement on a cyclic basis according to water table levels.

Never had the luxury of this problem mesen tha knurrs, but it wouldn't be possible to use now with cracks like that. Okay, yar, wowzers, bloody pools giving it large darling.

 

Yeah, but if it ain't gonna collapse inwards, then just leave well alone. At the moment it's a very useful space (kids would love it...) which can always be repaired to reuse as a pool. Just imagine the cost of filling it in?! And that'll likely be permanent...

 

hello - wondered what happened next with this task..? i ask as i am in an almost identical position and am considering the options. i have an indoor pool of similar size; it's been empty for 8 years; no evidence of cracking or caving in; but want to use the space for something more useful and not bothered about reversibility and for storage i think would not be optimal. what are the current recommendations please?! many thanks...

 

Yet another old post revived.

Shame to fill it in, better to fit a false floor, can use space underneath for wine storage.
Play den for kids,cell for wife, uses are endless

Can easily have lift up hatch & steps going down.

If you come to sell your house, having a pool is becoming a popular addition now, so worth saving it.