Direct answer
Before construction starts, a new pool project should have settled its use requirements, size and depth profile, shell type, equipment room location, plumbing layout, equipment package, cover preplanning, electrical provisions and a complete drawing set — because every one of these is cheap to decide on paper and expensive to change in concrete.
Key takeaways
- Decisions flow downhill — use requirements size the pool, the pool sizes the equipment, the equipment sizes the room.
- The equipment room and an automatic cover are the two items most often planned too late.
- A complete drawing set before excavation is the strongest predictor of a project without dispute.
- Use the checklist to structure conversations with designers and contractors, not to replace them.
Most pool project problems are planning problems that surfaced late. This checklist orders the decisions so each one feeds the next, and flags the two that projects most often defer past the point of cheap correction: the equipment room and the cover.
Stage 1 — Requirements
- Who uses the pool, how often, in which seasons?
- Swimming style: laps, family recreation, entertaining, therapy?
- Target water temperature and season length (drives heating and cover decisions);
- Budget range including equipment, deck and safety systems — not just the shell;
- Site constraints: access, slopes, utilities, setbacks, local code requirements.
Stage 2 — Size, shape and structure
- Length, width and depth profile from the requirements (not from a brochure);
- Rectangular vs freeform — remembering that shape constrains automatic cover options;
- Shell type: shotcrete/concrete, fiberglass or vinyl-liner, chosen against soil and climate;
- Deck material, drainage falls and coping details.
Stage 3 — Equipment and hydraulics
- Turnover target and design flow rate;
- Equipment package: pump, filter, heating, sanitization, automation — sized together as described in the pool equipment system overview;
- Pipe sizes and routes from the pump sizing logic, not from habit;
- Equipment room: location, dimensions, ventilation, drainage and service access — the full brief is in pool equipment room design.
Stage 4 — Cover and safety preplanning
- Decide on an automatic cover now: housing pit, track channels and conduits must be on the structural drawings (new pool vs retrofit shows what late deciding costs);
- Barriers, gates and alarms per local code and CPSC guidance;
- Compliant drain covers and entrapment protection.
Stage 5 — Documentation before excavation
- General arrangement drawing;
- Structural details including any cover housing and track channels;
- Hydraulic schematic with pipe sizes and equipment schedule;
- Electrical plan: loads, RCD/GFCI protection, bonding, conduit runs;
- Written scope per contractor, with exclusions stated;
- Drawing set and bill of materials issued together — see the drawings and BOM checklist;
- Supplier documentation requirements — data sheets, manuals, warranties — agreed up front, as structured in the pool equipment RFQ guide.
Using the checklist
Work top to bottom; when a later stage forces a change upstream (the chosen heater needs a bigger room; the cover needs parallel walls), make the change on paper. The Pool Planning & Construction hub collects the supporting guides for each stage.
Frequently asked questions
When should the equipment supplier get involved in a new pool project?
During design development — equipment room dimensions, plumbing sizes and cover provisions all depend on the selected package, and the drawings should reflect real equipment, not placeholders.
What belongs in the drawing set before construction?
At minimum a general arrangement drawing, structural details, a hydraulic schematic with pipe sizes, an electrical plan, an equipment schedule and, if a cover is planned, its housing and track details.
Sources
- Model Aquatic Health Code — U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Accessed August 22, 2026.
- Pool Safely campaign resources — U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission Accessed August 22, 2026.
