I do think theres a market for large groups holidaying together, and even in these days of economies being made, I think youll always have people wanting to get away for Family group holidays for Special Anniverseries, Birthdays etc
one pool or three?
How much can is it to DIY your own pool Richard? I have to say I'm only familiar with the paying someone to do it, which isn't that cheap. Are you talking about a concrete in ground pool with a liner, or tiles, or a fibre glass thingy? I was thinking in the region of 10k euros for a pool, plus heating, which is what the cost around here is now for a 8 x 4m pool.Richard D wrote:LV, We do the inground pools ourselves so they're cheap as chips and the sums work out just fine. My family is currently involved in a similar project to Sandie (just two new houses and two pools though). The trick is (on adjoining plots) to put the pool as close as you can to the house so you can maximise the space between the plots and thus the level of privicy. We have about 50m and a hillock between the two pools so there's no way either family would feel overlooked; but the houses are close enough so that two families holidaying together don't have to stagger too far beween them.
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Giddy Goat
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Ours cost £15k but that included building the pool house, upgraded pump and filter, automatic dosing equipment and all the pipe work, digging the hole, landscaping-ish and building the deck as well. The pool itself with its own filter/pump etc was dirt cheap at £2200 but all the rest of it, mostly everything in the pool house cost a fortune! 
Kathy
Waterfront location in Le Faou
"My goal in life is to become as wonderful as my dog thinks I am."
Waterfront location in Le Faou
"My goal in life is to become as wonderful as my dog thinks I am."
Ingredients for a DIY pool:
1. Large hole in the ground (cheap to do if you know a guy with a digger)
2. Lots of concrete
3. Lots of blocks
4. Misc metal, sand, cement etc.
5. Pool tiles, grout, waterproof render etc.
6. Pump, filter, skimmers, sump, pipework etc.
7. Pool surround and deck etc.
8. A walll and gate to go round the lot (basically lots more blocks)
9. Some kind of heating system
My 10x5m tiles pool was done for 50,000FF (about £5000 at the time) but now it would cost nearer double that if you include a solar heating system and a pool alarm to make the whole lot legal.
1. Large hole in the ground (cheap to do if you know a guy with a digger)
2. Lots of concrete
3. Lots of blocks
4. Misc metal, sand, cement etc.
5. Pool tiles, grout, waterproof render etc.
6. Pump, filter, skimmers, sump, pipework etc.
7. Pool surround and deck etc.
8. A walll and gate to go round the lot (basically lots more blocks)
9. Some kind of heating system
My 10x5m tiles pool was done for 50,000FF (about £5000 at the time) but now it would cost nearer double that if you include a solar heating system and a pool alarm to make the whole lot legal.
Pool costs are going up, and depend alot on size. If you go up in size from an 8x4 then getting a proffessional in can cost ALOT of money.
We recently suppervised a pool installtion for someone, and by the time the large terrace and fence had been installed it came to about 45K (for a 12x6).
The other problem with large pools is that they are much more difficult to heat, and putting a cover over is prohibitively expensive.
Even though it is cheaper than buying a complex, I'm still not sure it is the best place to invest, but by keeping the plots entirely seperate you would make re-sale far far easier.
We recently suppervised a pool installtion for someone, and by the time the large terrace and fence had been installed it came to about 45K (for a 12x6).
The other problem with large pools is that they are much more difficult to heat, and putting a cover over is prohibitively expensive.
Even though it is cheaper than buying a complex, I'm still not sure it is the best place to invest, but by keeping the plots entirely seperate you would make re-sale far far easier.
Hi all and thanks for all the discussion! At the moment I would say we are leaning back towards separate properties. We'll still go with a pool in each but I think we'll still go with the 8 x 4 - unless we get some competitive quotes for a 10 x 5.
We had a 10 x 5 installed this summer at our own house and it was 25k including terrace... big name company installed it and we're very happy with it. Our friends house has an 8 x 4 pool and it's still great for their family and I think it would be fine for a 3 bedroom house. But I will ask for quotes on both sizes and see what the cost comparisons are.
The plot is about 5 minutes from our house, and we aren't intending to move. We're settled where we are and our son likes his school and has friends. Not having to move is a bonus for us and I do think we're close enough to be on hand.
I agree with the concerns about investing at this time but we have been very conservative with our fiscal planning. However, I have the capital and this is something I've wanted to do for a long time. I wont start this project if I can get a better return on investment from leaving the cash in the bank. This was the scenario if we bought an existing complex; building from scratch however created a different set of figures.
There is too an investment element in the new-build itself and it is a good time to get a competitive tender. It will be at least a year before we'd be up and running, perhaps 18 months? We're thinking maybe April 2010 but having built property before I know there can be pitfalls... (one we built in the UK was on the site of an old WWII munitions dump and that led to some interesting delays!) In the end I guess none of us knows what 'Le Crunch' will be doing in 2010?
Both myself and hubby have been in business for many years and we have done the sums with regard to costs and return on investment. I guess we're just the kind of people who are happy to take a risk based on sensible figures?
What we don't know and the grey areas for us are things like which bedroom combination works best, would you have three pools or a shared pool, who do you advertise with and get the best results, do you charge in sterling or Euros... the nuts and bolts of it all really... I know what I like on holiday and this will be a good bench mark but you all have years of experience and this site is fantastic for providing this kind of operational information. I am very grateful for all if it!
So, thanks again for your advice. I do think we'll go with 3 pools for 3 x 3 bedroom houses. Just having the discussion has clarified in my mind what I want to achieve so thank you very much! Next stop, competitive tenders!
We had a 10 x 5 installed this summer at our own house and it was 25k including terrace... big name company installed it and we're very happy with it. Our friends house has an 8 x 4 pool and it's still great for their family and I think it would be fine for a 3 bedroom house. But I will ask for quotes on both sizes and see what the cost comparisons are.
The plot is about 5 minutes from our house, and we aren't intending to move. We're settled where we are and our son likes his school and has friends. Not having to move is a bonus for us and I do think we're close enough to be on hand.
I agree with the concerns about investing at this time but we have been very conservative with our fiscal planning. However, I have the capital and this is something I've wanted to do for a long time. I wont start this project if I can get a better return on investment from leaving the cash in the bank. This was the scenario if we bought an existing complex; building from scratch however created a different set of figures.
There is too an investment element in the new-build itself and it is a good time to get a competitive tender. It will be at least a year before we'd be up and running, perhaps 18 months? We're thinking maybe April 2010 but having built property before I know there can be pitfalls... (one we built in the UK was on the site of an old WWII munitions dump and that led to some interesting delays!) In the end I guess none of us knows what 'Le Crunch' will be doing in 2010?
Both myself and hubby have been in business for many years and we have done the sums with regard to costs and return on investment. I guess we're just the kind of people who are happy to take a risk based on sensible figures?
What we don't know and the grey areas for us are things like which bedroom combination works best, would you have three pools or a shared pool, who do you advertise with and get the best results, do you charge in sterling or Euros... the nuts and bolts of it all really... I know what I like on holiday and this will be a good bench mark but you all have years of experience and this site is fantastic for providing this kind of operational information. I am very grateful for all if it!
So, thanks again for your advice. I do think we'll go with 3 pools for 3 x 3 bedroom houses. Just having the discussion has clarified in my mind what I want to achieve so thank you very much! Next stop, competitive tenders!
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Rocket Rab
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Go for it, Sandie! Sounds like you and OH have already done a lot of long, hard thinking, and have decided this is deffo for you. I wish you the best of luck, and look forward to hearing how you get on. Love to know whether you're closer to St. Emilion or Sarlat, as I'm not a million miles from you....sandie wrote: Both myself and hubby have been in business for many years and we have done the sums with regard to costs and return on investment. I guess we're just the kind of people who are happy to take a risk based on sensible figures?
Thank you RR!
Just had a look at your site and your property looks amazing! Looked at your bookings too, you're clearly doing the right thing! Coming from the SW coast in the UK the one this I miss is the sea so I envy your location; but I love it here too and I suppose you can;t have it all can you.
We're at neither location really, we're above Bergerac, towards Perigueux, about halfway between Vergt and St Alvere.
Just had a look at your site and your property looks amazing! Looked at your bookings too, you're clearly doing the right thing! Coming from the SW coast in the UK the one this I miss is the sea so I envy your location; but I love it here too and I suppose you can;t have it all can you.
We're at neither location really, we're above Bergerac, towards Perigueux, about halfway between Vergt and St Alvere.
Hi Sandie,
I can truly answer your question from first hand experience and say retrospectively, we wish we had put a second pool in for our two villas.
Our clients nearly always ask, if booking one villa, "Is the pool for our sole use only?" and as a result, we end up having to close the second villa and thus lose income.
We only lease them separately out of high season and nearly always try to take double bookings in the shoulder seasons if we can.
Please check my site and you will understand what I mean about the pool. It's ideal for the two villas, if they are all the same party but my guests won't share if they don't know each other, so we have given up with that route altogether.
They won't share the jacuzzi either for that matter.
I know it works for some here ie. those with very large pools and houses spread far apart or those using community pools as their shared pool, but it doesn't work for me at all.
Hope this is of help as another perspective to your question.
I can truly answer your question from first hand experience and say retrospectively, we wish we had put a second pool in for our two villas.
Our clients nearly always ask, if booking one villa, "Is the pool for our sole use only?" and as a result, we end up having to close the second villa and thus lose income.
We only lease them separately out of high season and nearly always try to take double bookings in the shoulder seasons if we can.
Please check my site and you will understand what I mean about the pool. It's ideal for the two villas, if they are all the same party but my guests won't share if they don't know each other, so we have given up with that route altogether.
They won't share the jacuzzi either for that matter.
I know it works for some here ie. those with very large pools and houses spread far apart or those using community pools as their shared pool, but it doesn't work for me at all.
Hope this is of help as another perspective to your question.
You've obviously put alot of thought into this!
I just thought I'd add a third option for you, and one which I would do if in your situation.
1 x 3bed with seperate 8x4 pool
and
1 x 5 or 6 bed property built in such a way that it could also make 2 seperate properties. With a 10 x 5 pool.
This way for the peak season you can have a big house with private pool, but for the harder to let shoulder seasons you would have two smaller properties. But you still have one 3 bed with private pool all the time.
I just thought I'd add a third option for you, and one which I would do if in your situation.
1 x 3bed with seperate 8x4 pool
and
1 x 5 or 6 bed property built in such a way that it could also make 2 seperate properties. With a 10 x 5 pool.
This way for the peak season you can have a big house with private pool, but for the harder to let shoulder seasons you would have two smaller properties. But you still have one 3 bed with private pool all the time.