Building a swimming pool on your property is a serious and complex undertaking. You will be committing a good measure of cash and time to complete the project. For that reason, you must consider hiring professional help to guide you through this process.

The first order of business, then, is to seek out a pool construction contractor that is willing to work with you. Pay the contractor an agreed sum to act as your advisor. The contractor will be knowledgeable about materials and local building codes. He can likely get you price breaks on the cost of materials and supply heavy construction equipment and an operator when needed.

This contractor will save you a good bit of time. Rather than you calling around to buy truckloads of cement and comparing prices, the contractor will already have a list of suppliers on hand that you can call in order to compare prices. By hiring a well-known contractor, the act of simply dropping his name to suppliers can earn you substantial price breaks.

Here, then, are a few matters to consider when building your own swimming pool.

* A 600-square-foot pool will cost north of $10,000 even with you doing the bulk of the work. Add in lighting, landscaping and water features like waterfalls, and you can tack on a few thousand more dollars.

* Concrete is expensive. However, concrete is the most durable material.

* Liners made of vinyl are less expensive, but they need replacement every 10 years or so. This can become expensive over time.

* Most of your day-to-day maintenance cost will center on the filtration pump. For that reason, consider buying a highly efficient pump.

* The latest variable-speed pumps use much less energy than single-speed pumps. A new variable-speed is as much as 80 percent more efficient. These pumps cost about $1,500. Contact your local utility company to see if they offer rebates at pool supply stores.

Pool Heaters

Gas pool heaters are less expensive than electric heaters. Their maintenance cost, though, is higher. Electric pool heaters warm the water by transferring heat from the air. Gas heaters will warm the pool much more quickly. Although electric pool heaters cost less to operate in the past, the cost of gas will continue to fall as new gas rigs tap into fields via franking.

Maintenance for the pool will cost about $600 annually. Property taxes and insurance costs may also rise. A good rule-of-thumb is to spend no more than 10 to 15 percent of the value of your home.

Author Bio

Hayley is freelance blogger writing on behalf of Readymix Concrete.