If you’ve ever owned a swimming pool you know it’s a chore, all the cleaning and maintenance, and you know the chlorine can’t be good for you nor the planet. So what to do? Convert your pool to a natural pool. If you have an existing in-ground swimming pool you can now transform it into a natural swimming pool. More on conversion in a bit. And if you’re considering building a pool, consider a natural one – you can eliminate expensive heating and maintenance bills, harmful chemicals, those weekly chores and allergic reactions. There is no need to fear infestations of mosquitoes or an invasion of frogs, a natural swimming pool is nature perfected, all the small creatures live in the plant zone while you relax in the swimming zone. So instead of killing every living thing that comes into contact with your pool, you can now save and encourage wildlife.
How does a conversion work? In sum, the edge of your existing pool gets lowered and a new shallow section gets added for a plant zone. It’s the plant regeneration area that does the natural filtering and cleaning. In two short months an algae-less pool will develop without effort; within the first month suspended algae will disappear and after two the water will be clear. Surprisingly, the installation of new natural pools are price competitive with new swimming pools and the maintenance costs are lower than conventional pools.
Hello,
I would like to get a rough guess on cost comparison between converting an existing conventional swimming pool into a natural swimming pool versus building a natural swimming pool from scratch. In general, does it cost cheaper to convert an existing swimming pool into a natural one? Or, is it the opposite way around to get about the same size as an existing conventional swimming pool would be?
It is mostly cheaper to convert an existing pool.
You would save on excavation and muckaway (~5000) and wall construction (5-10K) if the pool is sturdy. If it is a flimsy delipidated pool shell then you would only save on excavation and muckaway (taking soil off site).
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/house-and-home/gardening/natural-pools-dragonflies-at-the-deep-end-1675771.html