Direct answer
Before excavation, a pool project should have a general arrangement drawing, structural details, a hydraulic schematic with pipe sizes, an electrical plan, an equipment schedule that matches those drawings, and — if a cover is planned — housing and track details. A bill of materials without drawings, or drawings without a BOM, is an incomplete brief.
Key takeaways
- Drawings answer where and how; the BOM answers what and how many. Issue them as one package.
- The equipment schedule must use the same design flow as the hydraulic schematic.
- Cover pits, track channels and conduits are cheap on paper and expensive as change orders.
- Require as-built markups at handover, not only the issued-for-construction set.
This checklist sits between the new pool planning checklist and procurement. If the drawing set and the bill of materials disagree, every later quotation will disagree too.
When to use it
- Before sending an equipment RFQ;
- Before freezing the equipment room;
- At renovation, when old drawings cannot be trusted and must be rebuilt from site measure.
Required drawings
- General arrangement: plan, dimensions, depths, deck falls, access;
- Structural details: shell, beam, any recessed cover housing and tracks;
- Hydraulic schematic: skimmers, drains, pump, filter, heater, sanitizer, returns, pipe sizes;
- Plant-room layout: equipment footprints and service clearances;
- Electrical plan: loads, GFCI/RCD, bonding, conduits to lights and cover;
- Cover measurement backup from the measurement sheet, if a cover is in scope.
Bill of materials
- Equipment schedule that matches the package checklist;
- Shared design flow and head written at the top of the schedule;
- Quantities for fittings, valves, unions and sensors — not only major equipment;
- Finish items that affect the hydraulic edge: inlets, drain covers, lighting niches;
- Spare parts intended for handover.
Coordination checks
- Pump design point matches the schematic, using the pump sizing guide;
- Filter maximum flow is not below design flow;
- Chemical injection is shown after the heater;
- Cover conduits and pit drainage appear on both structural and electrical sheets;
- Commercial projects note code-driven turnover and redundancy from the hotel planning guide when relevant.
Handover set
- As-built markups;
- Final equipment list with serials;
- Manuals, warranties and commissioning records.
Issue this package with the RFQ template. Planning guides are collected in the Pool Planning & Construction hub.
Frequently asked questions
What is the minimum drawing set for a residential pool?
A general arrangement, structural notes for the shell and any cover housing, a hydraulic schematic with pipe sizes, and an electrical plan for bonding, protection and equipment loads. More complex sites add sections and a plant-room layout.
Who owns the bill of materials?
The designer or contractor compiling the package owns the master BOM. Suppliers quote against it; they should not invent a second, undocumented list of “what we usually send.”
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.
