Can You Make an Existing Swimming Pool Smaller?
Yes — an existing swimming pool can be made smaller. This real Johannesburg project shows how a large existing pool was structurally altered, resized and completely transformed.
The existing swimming pool at the beginning of the resizing and renovation project.
Many homeowners assume that once a swimming pool has been built, its size and shape are more or less permanent. Depending on the construction and condition of the existing pool, however, substantial alterations may be possible.
In this project, the original pool was considerably larger than the finished pool. The existing structure was altered, a new section was constructed inside the original pool area, the interior was remodelled and the pool was resurfaced.
The result is a smaller, more practical swimming pool created within the footprint of the original pool.
Why Would You Make a Swimming Pool Smaller?
Bigger is not always better when it comes to swimming pools. Many older homes were built with very large pools, and today some homeowners prefer something more manageable and better suited to the way they use their outdoor space.
A smaller pool can reduce the volume of water that needs to be filled, circulated and treated. It can also form part of a bigger redesign of the garden or entertainment area.
However, reducing the size of an existing pool is not simply a matter of filling in one end. It is a structural swimming pool renovation, and the new construction needs to work properly with the existing pool structure.
Structural work underway inside the existing pool as the resizing project begins.
How Do You Make an Existing Swimming Pool Smaller?
Every swimming pool is different, so there is no single construction method that applies to every resizing project. The existing structure, its condition, the proposed new dimensions and the surrounding area all need to be considered first.
In this project, the pool was emptied and substantial construction work began inside the existing structure. At this stage, the original pool is still clearly visible while the new layout starts to take shape.
This is the point where a pool resizing project becomes much more than a cosmetic renovation. The physical dimensions of the pool are being changed.
Creating the New, Smaller Pool
This stage of the project shows particularly clearly how an existing swimming pool can be made smaller.
A substantial new section was constructed within the original pool area, changing the footprint and dimensions of the swimming pool.
Rather than simply covering or filling part of the old pool, the new construction forms part of the remodelled structure. Once the renovation is complete, the old and new sections need to work together as one finished swimming pool.
The new structural section changes the size and footprint of the original swimming pool.
The resized swimming pool taking shape as the structural renovation nears completion.
The New Pool Starts to Take Shape
Once the major structural work had been completed, the new proportions of the swimming pool became much easier to see.
At this stage, the original oversized pool has already been transformed into a smaller and more compact pool. The new internal layout is also becoming part of the overall design.
This is one of the advantages of a substantial pool remodel. Instead of simply restoring an ageing pool exactly as it was, the renovation may provide an opportunity to create a layout that better suits the space.
Preparing and Resurfacing the Remodelled Pool
Once the structural alterations were complete, the resized pool needed to be prepared and resurfaced so that the original and newly constructed areas would form one continuous finished interior.
The final surface is what visually brings the entire renovation together. By this stage, the extent of the earlier construction work has almost disappeared.
The remodelled swimming pool after the structural alteration, preparation and resurfacing stages.
From Oversized Pool to a Smaller, More Practical Design
Looking at the completed pool, it is difficult to imagine how much structural work took place underneath the finished surface.
The completed swimming pool after being resized, remodelled and renovated.
What began as a large existing pool has been structurally altered and transformed into a smaller swimming pool with a completely different footprint.
Once the construction and resurfacing work are complete, the alteration becomes part of the finished pool rather than something that looks added on.
A successful pool remodel should make the construction disappear into the finished result.