Our own oasis

Five years ago, we as a family came to the conclusion that high on our joint wish list was to have our own pool on the property, a decision was made that this would happen. Our big problem, however, was that most of the plot consisted only of stone and forest, and we didn't want to build an above-ground pool. We wanted to leave the smaller lawn at the front untouched, the choice then fell on the back. The agreement was also that as far as possible we would do all the work ourselves, it would take as long as the project required. We knew even then that we would have to embark on some work that we ourselves had never done before. This meant that we also had to seek some information and advice from those who were knowledgeable in the field.
Many probably thought we were about to get in over our heads by starting this seemingly impossible project. We realized that the ground work would require a greater effort, the choice was to buy in the work with the ground or to dig ourselves, the choice was a purchase of a 12-ton wheeled excavator. Having the opportunity to drive my own excavator was of course not a minus (I have enjoyed every hour).

Stage 1 For us, it was a matter of course from the very beginning that we would use stone as far as possible, this in order to create as natural and well-planned an "oasis" as we could. After hundreds of hours in the excavator and a little help with blasting the last piece, we had achieved the desired surface for placing the pool. Instead of using ready-made construction kits for the pool, we built our own form of brick that appealed to us. We chose to also cast an insulated bottom plate for the pool, this to get as stable and energy-efficient pool as possible. The fact that it is bricked also means that we can empty it of water without any settling in it, which is a big plus. Another advantage of walling the pool is that, in addition to making it "stable", you can also create the shape you want, even the shape of the stairs was chosen with care.

After we put plaster on the inside of the pool to get a smooth surface, it was time to install the canvas. Since we cast the pool, you also have to weld the canvas in place, in other words it will be tailored. This was of course done by a professional. About 50 dumper loads of stone and other mass had been transported away from the plot, so it was time to fill with gravel, I estimate that it was about 15 trucks, this to get as good drainage around the pool and around the pool area as possible. Many hours were spent packing the gravel. In retrospect, we can see that it has consistently been a great motivation for us to constantly find solutions to achieve the result we wanted and not work according to ready-made templates, at the same time the challenge has been to find these even though we chose to work almost exclusively in stone. When the pool was in place, we realized that there was no curb stone for the pool that was adapted to our own pool shape, the solution to this was to cut a separate radius on each curb stone (the choice here fell on a dark gray granite stone) that we chose, time consuming but again we got exactly the result we wanted. The curbstone was glued with PL400. Finally stage 1 was finished, the pool could be inaugurated, much to the joy of both the family and the neighbours. But a lot of work remained with the pool area itself. Parallel to the pool construction, we had built a veranda of the African wood type Kirai, we chose not to treat this in order to get a graying surface that would blend in with the rest of the surroundings.

Stage 2 During the time that we built the pool, we had been thinking about what kind of stone we should choose for the pool area, the choice fell on slate, this again then to have as natural a transition to nature as possible. We chose to lay slate (roughly 100 square meters) in sand and then cast with cement in the joints, very time-consuming, but the result and durability have been really good in our eyes, this is of course also a result of all the time we spent on the sub-work. We also chose to cast up the outer edges of the pool area to avoid subsidence. Before we started filling up with gravel, we also took a serious look at what we wanted to do around the pool area, where would we draw electricity, material selection, etc., we then also concluded that an outdoor shower with cold and hot water needed to be prepared , said and done. The result in the shower was a transition from plain slate to a mosaic slate with a molded shower support.

Against our garage, we chose to put ready-cast L-supports, this because the level difference here was closer to 1.8m, we also chose to do it in two steps to get a rebate towards the garage. We also built a granite staircase up to the pool area from the back garage. As a pool cover, it became a sliding option that we found most suitable. A secret to success is that you mustn't be in a hurry to choose materials and accessories, sometimes it took weeks/months before we decided on what to choose, if you are in a hurry to complete a space like this, you should probably choose an easier way .

Stage 3 Now the pool and pool area were more or less ready, the question was now how we were going to get a good finish towards the forest. We chose to create a larger flowerbed model as an end, we then of course wanted to build this again with stone, a combination of curbstones and paving stones in granite became the model, as well as to also use a larger stone from the plot that we placed at the edge of the flowerbed, this to get even more of a natural feeling in the flowerbed. Even for the discount, we chose to use a softer shape, this to find harmony with the pool and pool area. Walkways in the flowerbed and a roundabout we chose to lay in paving stones. As a joint to the curb, we used a soft joint (Lithomex easy).

We have always strived to achieve a unity between plot and nature. All the time we have tried to find details that blend into the plot, we placed e.g. a granite sofa next to the flower bed, every detail enhances the impression and this was the feeling we wanted to create and envisioned before starting the project.