Construction, desired dimensions and the filter technology features are among the most important factors when it comes to swimming pond costs. Careful calculations in collaboration with a specialist company can prevent what appears to be cheap from becoming far too expensive in the end.
How much do swimming ponds cost on average?
Swimming pond costs vary depending on size, equipment and personal contribution. For a specialist company, the price per square meter is between 300 and 500 euros. By doing your own work, the costs can be reduced to 150 to 250 euros/m2. Additional factors such as excavation, pond liner, planting, technology and design influence the overall price.
One of the most difficult challenges, especially in the construction industry, is to research binding prices for craft services and materials. This has relatively little to do with secrecy, but is due to the fact that an on-site inspection is usually essential for a real cost analysis of planned construction projects. Nevertheless, we have tried the swimming pond costs, so that as a future natural pool owner you will at least get to know a few guidelines that can be used to carry out rough planning.
What does an expert say about the swimming pond price
If a specialist company is brought on board for the outdoor pool in the garden, prices per square meter can be between 300 and 500 euros, depending on the equipment and size. By doing your own work, the costs for the swimming pond can be reduced to between 150 and 250 euros per m2. In collaboration with a gardening and landscaping company, a joint concept is ideally prepared that contains all suitable activities that can be carried out on the property owner's own initiative without overtaxing him technically or physically.
Digging yourself can reduce swimming pond costs
Anyone who rents a mini excavator cheaply to prepare the excavation pit for the natural pool will be able to leave a four-digit euro amount in their account, depending on the size of their project. It is important to clarify beforehand what will happen to the excavated earth. With a pond area of 100 m2, around 107 m2 of earth easily moves, which corresponds to a mass of 240 tons. However, for the 2,000 trips with a well-filled wheelbarrow that are at least necessary for this, an excellent physical constitution is important. Renting an excavator (daily price from approx. 80 euros) is certainly less strenuous in this case.
Possible savings potential when doing your own work
The majority of specialist companies argue a little more cautiously regarding a muscle mortgage for future swimming pond owners when it comes to the savings mentioned above. They are of the opinion that many builders are clearly overestimating themselves, especially when it comes to the main cost factors. But which invoice items actually drive the price of a swimming pond? In the mid to high four-digit range it is mainly:
- Earth excavation and removal or distribution on the property;
- Pond liner and its processing (welding);
- Purchasing substrates for green plants;
- Land and aquatic plants for greening in and around the swimming pond;
- technical equipment such as filter and pump technology for water purification;
- Gardening design of the areas near the pond (natural stones, wooden terrace, etc.);
Example of a rough cost calculation
This non-binding example involves a 100 m2 swimming pond that is to be built without a separate brick swimming zone.
| Service type or material | Costs in Euro |
|---|---|
| Rent mini excavator for five days | 425, 00 |
| Rent vibrating rammer for two days | 60, 00 |
| Nonwoven (300 g/m) for 160 m2 (2.00 per m2) | 320, 00 |
| PVC film (1.5 mm) 160 m2 (10.00 per m2) | 1,600, 00 |
| 30 t washed gravel as substrate (two different grain sizes) incl. delivery | 750, 00 |
| Pond technology: simple circulation system with shaft pump, skimmer, particle filter, drainage and hose lines | 1,500, 00 |
| Building materials (sand, cement, stones and small parts) | 300, 00 |
| Aquatic plants basic assortment 75 pieces | 190, 00 |
| Filling water, first filling without wastewater costs | 100, 00 |
| Total costs | 5,245, 00 |
How do garden planners calculate?
Similar to how an architect carries out all the planning work for home builders, garden planners help those interested in building a swimming pond. From the rough draft to on-site advice and support in external tendering processes, experienced specialists take care of the entire organizational preparation and monitor the individual stages of the construction process. This service is not free, but it makes a decisive contribution to ensuring that you are spared from construction defects and can enjoy your new oasis in the countryside for many years to come.
Five types at five different prices
We came across more reliable figures regarding pricing at a garden planning company in Korschenbroich, which also provide a financial planning basis for less experienced swimming pond planners. In addition to the individual cost factors that need to be taken into account for a cash outage, the company also points out the most important reasons why there are so many (supposedly) “cheap” offers, especially online. Cheap information for swimming pond construction projects usually only contains roughly estimated information on excavation, wages, filters, pumps and liner, although in practice other services are often billed later, such as:
- Earthworks (follow-up and removal of soil);
- Planting (substrates and aquatic plants);
- Floor drains and overflows as well as, if desired, additional sewer connections;
- Natural stone design;
- Underwater walls;
- additional pump and filter technology, dephosphating system;
- Design of the environment, restoration of lawns and plants near ponds;
For better transparency, the different types of swimming ponds are divided into five categories, which differ in terms of both pond size and technical equipment.
- Type 1: assumed minimum size of 120 m2 with costs between 170 and 250 euros/m2; Total costs are between 20,400 and 30,000 euros; Properties: among others with natural design incl.little technology, as cleaning is carried out biologically; no targeted flow through shallow water zones with lush plant growth and algae tolerance; no mechanical filtration;
- Type 2: Size at least 100 m2 at a price of 350 to 500 euros/m2 and a total price between 35,000 and 50,000 euros; Features: standing water flowing through with pump, regeneration zones with pipes, surface flow, etc.;
- Types 3 to 5: intensively designed systems in which a lot of pond technology is integrated; With a minimum size of 100 m2, expect prices between 500 and 800 euros per square meter for this equipment; Total expenses for the system range between 50,000 and 80,000 euros; Properties: efficient water purification, design with separate flowing water, swimming and regeneration zones as a contiguous water area, walls below the water level, the entire water volume is circulated at least once a day; nutrient-poor water (little algae, no biofilm formation!), use of specially colored foil;
Be careful with bargains on swimming pond prices
During our research, we became aware of almost 70 percent of such offers:
- Complete swimming pond from just 1,800 euros;
- Finished natural pools for 150 euros/m2;
- Pools & ponds: from 1,000 euros per square meter of water surface;
- Your swimming pond without technology: Only this week for an incredible 90 euros per m2;
Sometimes holes in the garden that are lined with cheap foil and contain an even cheaper submersible pump are also referred to as swimming ponds. We can therefore only strongly recommend that you roughly plan your natural pool or swimming pond based on the local garden situation and your personal needs and contact a reputable and experienced provider for a real cost estimate.
Facts that greatly influence swimming pond costs
It's best not only to get several offers from different companies, but also to have them show you reference objects that have been in operation for at least two years. The amount of care that will be expected later should not be left out of the calculation. How high the investment will ultimately be depends on a variety of factors that can only be partially influenced by the builder. These are mainly:
- Planned depth and size of the swimming zone (from a water depth of 1.50 m, a building permit is required in most federal states!);
- geographical relief of the property (flat or hillside);
- Height of groundwater table (may require lowering during construction);
- Subsoil texture (sand, clay, rocks, etc.);
- Recycling of the excavated earth, taking into account the usual local landfill costs;
- Factors of the later operating costs (including water / wastewater) of the swimming pond;
It's best to break down your overall project "Build a swimming pond" into several clear individual parts and first carry out a rough cost calculation yourself, similar to the following scheme (which can be expanded by you):
| Performance or material requirements | my estimated costs | researched costs |
|---|---|---|
| Construction site equipment | ||
| Removal of bushes & trees | ||
| Digging the swimming pond pit | ||
| Removal of excavated earth | ||
| Costs of rental equipment | ||
| Costs of foundation, floor slab, pool walls | ||
| Purchasing fleece and pond liners | ||
| Foil assembly (welding?) | ||
| Pond technology (pumps, skimmers, pipes, filters) | ||
| Planting and substrate | ||
| Accessories (bridges, footbridges, wooden deck, lighting, etc.) |
Alternative: pre-assembled swimming pond?
For most of the offers that we researched online, we found surprisingly specific information about the scope of services and the expected features of the ready-to-assemble sets. Many companies also offer professional advice over the telephone, so that those interested in construction who are somewhat interested in construction and have a correspondingly high amount of time for installation can be in good hands with direct sellers. Whether the final price will actually be cheaper cannot be said with certainty due to the very different offers. But also a final brief overview of the current market situation for swimming pond prices for self-builders:
- Standard swimming pond with 240 m2 water surface, 315 m3 water content and a swimming distance of approx. 17 meters: 4, 779, 00 euros;
- Allotment garden swimming pond 160 m2 water surface, 204 m3 water content for around 3,710 euros;
- Mini swimming pond with 96 m2 of water surface, 117 m3 of water content and a 9 meter long swimming section for just over 2,630 euros;
These examples also have several equipment variants. We have listed the cheapest one in each case, so that you can choose from the above. Mini pond in the luxury version could definitely come to a total price of just under 11,000 euros. However, the personnel workload must always be added to the overall balance, including any helpers, and as already discussed, you will not be able to do the earthworks without renting special equipment for excavation and transport.
Tip
Many companies that sell prefabricated swimming ponds and natural pools offer special pond building seminars for interested parties, where important knowledge is imparted so that your project leads to the desired success.