Swimming Pool Construction Company in Jeddah

How Saudi conditions shape a pool build

A pool is a water-retaining structure that also has to work as a finished surface, and each climate stresses it differently. In Jeddah, heat, humidity and salt-laden air wear the deck, the coping and any exposed metal fittings. In Riyadh the air is drier, dust settles into the water, and the swing between hot afternoons and cool nights makes tiles, coping and deck slabs expand and contract far more than the shell beneath them. Chlorine or salt chlorination puts a chemical load on every surface that stays wet, and on sites with a high groundwater level, water can press against the shell from outside; the site's geotechnical report shows whether that applies. None of this changes the order of work, but it does change which products are specified and where the movement joints go.

Finishes compared

Each finish suits a different part of the pool. These are general comparisons; a real pool's tile, adhesive and grout should follow the consultant's design and the manufacturer's data sheets for immersion.

What good looks like, and what goes wrong

• Leaks at penetrations. Skimmers, return fittings, drains and light niches are the usual weak points, because a pipe passes through the waterproofed shell there. Each needs a proper sleeve, a sealed flange or equivalent detail, and a check before it is covered.
• Lifting tiles. Usual causes are incomplete adhesive coverage, an adhesive not rated for immersion, missing movement joints, or filling the pool before the bedding has cured as the manufacturer requires.
• White staining on joints. Efflorescence is a sign that water is passing through the shell or the tile bed; it is not only a cleaning problem.
• An uneven waterline. Coping or overflow channels set out of level show immediately and are hard to correct once the pool is finished.
• Water ponding on the deck. A deck that falls toward the pool carries dirt into the water; it should fall away from the pool or to the channels the design shows.

Checks before covering up and before filling

1. Shell, before waterproofing: surfaces sound and clean, cracks and honeycombing assessed by the engineer and repaired as directed, and every sleeve in its correct position.
2. Waterproofing, before tile: continuous over floor, walls, steps and every junction, with penetrations sealed, inspected while still visible and protected from damage until tiled.
3. Falls and levels: the floor falls toward the main drain, and coping and overflow lines are level all round, measured rather than judged by eye.
4. Fittings and safety: skimmers, returns, drains and lights fixed and sealed; drain covers and suction arrangements as the designer requires.
5. Tiling: full adhesive coverage, grout and movement joints as specified, and the cure time the manufacturer states before the pool is filled.
6. Fill and observe: fill in a controlled way, record the level and watch for loss, then run the circulation plant and confirm flow, levels and lighting before handover.

Coordination and what to specify

A pool sits between several trades. The plant room, pipework sleeves, earthing and bonding belong to the plumbing and electrical scopes and must be agreed before the shell is cast, because a sleeve is far easier to cast in than to drill later. The shell follows concrete practice and its membrane follows waterproofing. The surrounding deck belongs to hardscaping, and its falls, joints and drainage must line up with the coping. The North Jeddah rest house is an example of a pool, paved terraces and a tensioned canopy delivered as one exterior programme.

• In the BOQ, separate lines for the shell, waterproofing, tile and coping, fittings and circulation plant, so that no scope hides inside another line.
• The waterproofing system named, with its data sheet, rather than waterproofing as required.
• Who carries out the fill test, who signs it off, and at what stage.
• Handover documents: plant manuals, drawings of buried pipework and care guidance for the finishes.