Not having written a blog last Sunday, or last night, I have decided that I would, exceptionally, write a Monday blog because some news can’t wait …
My last blog showed that the telescopic cover we had bought for the pool had been installed which meant the pool area itself could be kept dry in inclement weather and allowed our pool builder to come and complete his work.
The blog also said that we might have a usable pool by the end of July. As things turned out, that was pessimistic and we now have, almost 19 months after starting work, a fully functioning, swimmable pool. And it is definitely a change for the better from what was there before …
Then:
Now:
True to his word our pool builder came back last Monday. Having had the hole dug and most of the actual pool structure completed in late autumn 2023, it was deep with stagnant water and new life forms. The first thing that he had to do was drain it out and allow the concrete to dry a little.
This was helped as we entered a second heat wave which allowed the pool to dry quite quickly especially when covered by the glass shelter. The shelter acts a little like a greenhouse making the space extremely warm which bodes well for non-summer use.
Once dry, the pool was lined with durable, soft foam-like layer to create a protective barrier between the polystyrene structure and the liner.
The choice of liner colour was one that David and I discussed at length as it is such a big decision and key to the ‘look’ of the pool. We wanted a darker liner, which we understand is more contemporary than the traditional pale blue, and more striking than the frequently-used grey.
However, despite being shown in the most recent edition of the pool company’s brochure, our first choice of colour was no longer supplied and the alternatives were, to out mind, pretty limited. We went with what seemed like closest to what we had envisaged and, thankfully, it looks pretty good.
We were fascinated that the liner was manufactured offsite and arrived in what looked like a large barrel. The pool builder had to just lay it in the space and then ensure all the air and creases are removed as the pressure of the water increases when filled.
The pool took the best part of 4 days to fill with water but, reassuringly, there are no evident signs of leaks. A couple of additional days were required to finalise the pipework and filtration system (including me having to create a concrete pad for the heat pump – another story …) and all was done. As of last Wednesday the pool was officially ours and we raised a glass – although fought off the temptation to take our first plunge.
The reason for the delay was that last Thursday I had to give the whole place a thorough clean and empty the pool house of any DIY equipment, fitting out the pool house itself will have to wait until the autumn. Cleaning the glass of the shelter has, unsurprisingly, made a big difference! And we took our first swim last Thursday night. It was brilliant – and beautifully warm with the hot spell raising the pond to over 28 degrees quickly.
On Friday, we had our first guests use the pool so now we can start to advertise that Kergudon Gîtes has an indoor – and outdoor – pool.
One of the things I have long envisaged is being able to swim on a clear, hot summer night under a starlit sky – and we managed that on Saturday. The first, I hope, of many in the years to come. The pool and pool house looks really impressive, almost unreal, when illuminated in the evening. We hope this will only continue to improve when we complete the whole thing!
This has been by far, our largest and most ambitious development for Kergudon Gîtes and, as I’m sure like all building projects, deeply frustrating at times.
While we were amazed at how straightforward, and quick, the planning process was when we went through that in spring and early summer of 2023, we were perhaps naïve, certainly overly optimistic, to think that we would have a pool for summer 2024. It was then hoped I would be able to finish the interior of the pool house so everything would have been complete by the end of 2024. Not so much …
Le first ‘spade in the ground’ was 19 October 2023 and there was fairly rapid progress made in the first couple of weeks even with the inconvenience of Storm Ciáran on 1st November and loss of electricity for 12 days!
In fact, we have felt that the weather has not always been on our side and has caused complications with the build. The spring of 2024 was particularly damp meaning the ground was too wet for the digger to do much of the ground works. Consequently, there was minimal (no) progress between early January and late May. Best part of 4 months wasted.
While some work was done in the late spring / early summer, we had agreed with the builders not to do anything in July and August so as not to disturb our gîte guests. With that agreement, we expected to see our team back the first week of September and they promptly came back on the 18th!
Thankfully, the autumn turned out to be by far the driest part of the year and the pool house build and roof work were able to progress. Unfortunately, the roofer was reluctant to allow the tiler to work on the terrace at the same time, despite the weather being perfect (dry and above 5 degrees required for the adhesive to set) so when she could start the job we had entered the wet and cold winter period!
In total contrast to last year, spring 2025 has been dry and hot, at least since March and ideal to lay a pool terrace. Except by now our tiler had committed herself to other jobs – frustratingly all interior ones that initially she said she would be able to manage to do on wet days and be with us when dry.
The urgency to get the terrace laid was so the company manufacturing the shelter could come and measure and start their bit. They initially said they wouldn’t do that until the entire terrace had been completed. Thankfully, we were able to persuade them to come a little earlier but then their lead time of 4 to 6 weeks between measuring and installing, became 9!
The exceptionally dry and hot spring also worked against us as we had to try and regenerate the lawn between the pool and the gîtes. We had a saga (which you may recall from previous blogs) of having to relay a new trench for the power to the pool) and levelling the ground. But, when we could, David and I put in days of work clearing stones, raking and rolling the ground so we could re-seed. The complete lack of any normal rain meant we couldn’t do this until the first week of June and then have to use the hose to water it in during some of the hotter periods.
However, the lawn is establishing itself and we are able to allow guests to swim and the responsibility for completing the interior and so the entire project, lies with me. That is an autumn / winter job and I’m pretty excited about how it will look. We will continue to show you progress as it is done.
Salut – I’m off for a dip!