SPANISH SWIMMING POOL CONSTRUCTION PROBLEMS: A FAILED INFINITY SWIMMING POOL WITH SERIOUS CRACKING
Sadly, not all swimming pools in Spain are constructed well. Indeed, as a surveyor specializing in Spanish property, I see many Spanish swimming pool construction problems – the remedial works for which can sometimes be very expensive.
Unfortunately, even new swimming pools can have serious structural issues and, in recent years, many pools have been built defectively or over insufficient foundations (normally to save money).
Of course, great attention has to be paid to the construction of a swimming pool, the sheer nature of which can cause instability and movement, if the foundations are not extremely good. This is particularly the case when pools are built on a clay or fill substrate. Meanwhile, even those built on rock can suffer from cracking following tremors (or major construction work close by) especially when the wall or base structure is of minimal thickness or reinforcement steels are inadequate or poorly placed.
Meanwhile, on rare occasions I have seen pools that have been ‘faked’: tiled with steps, dolphin mosaic and so on, but laid over a basic block lining only, with no reinforced structure. This has resulted in the walls and base failing, once the pool is filled and the full weight of the water imposed on the structure.
When it comes to older swimming pools, these can often be very well built and are sometimes based on converted water deposits. However, they can contain structural issues, which can be expensive to resolve in the long term. A typical problem is expired galvanised iron pipe work, which eventually decays and leaks and can cause erosion of the supporting substrates and significant further movement.
Of course, not every crack or fault is serious and many swimming pool problems in Spain can be sorted out with relative ease and low cost.
As always with construction problems, you should react quickly when you notice that your swimming pool has a potential defect. Firstly, any remedial works may resolve a problem before it becomes serious and potentially very expensive – not least because any continuous escape of water may undermine the foundations of both the pool and even your house!
INCORRECTLY PLACED STEEL REINFORCEMENT TO SWIMMING POOL BASE
Secondly, you may have a potential claim against your builder, architect or insurers for any defects in your swimming pool. If this is the case then speedy action is necessary, as processing claims can take time and any legal dispute that results is unlikely to be resolved fast.
At Building Defects Spain, we offer a one-stop service for you, if you think you have Spanish swimming pool construction problems. We can not only provide you with a survey of your swimming pool (which may show that there is no defect) but also manage and advise you on any remedial works. Furthermore, our lawyers are ‘on hand’, should you need to make a claim against your builders – and they are specialist building dispute lawyers able to take your case to court should that be unavoidable.
So, if you think you have a construction related problem with your Spanish swimming pool then do contact us. We work throughout Spain and often save clients thousands of Euros through use of our expertise (see our qualifications and experience as bi-lingual and bi-qualified professionals).
Mark Paddon