Swimming Pool Construction in Dhahran – Villa Lap Pools & Water-Curtain Waterfalls

Swimming pool construction in Dhahran usually means, in the requests we receive, a long reinforced-concrete pool in a villa garden that is built for real swimming rather than for sitting beside the water: enough length for continuous strokes, a fairly even depth along most of the basin, dark lane lines on the floor, and sometimes a wall at the far end with a smooth curtain of water falling from it. Our Dammam-based crews at Aemar Al-Maryam General Contracting take this kind of pool from the first bucket of excavation to the first fill. Our smallest concrete pool is priced from SAR 12,900, SAR 29,500 for a lap pool roughly nine metres long and four wide, SAR 38,800 for one of ten and a half metres, and SAR 3,700 for the smallest wall waterfall; each figure is firmed up after we have seen the garden. Call or message 0547879578.

This page focuses on what sets Dhahran pools apart: how a long lap pool is planned, why we fix the skimmer and return-inlet bodies inside the wall rebar before the pour instead of drilling for them afterwards, and how a water-curtain waterfall is built so that the wall behind it stays dry. Then come prices with a worked example, renovation, permits and the districts we cover. The full guide to every pool type is our swimming pool construction in Dammam page.

Pool construction company in Dhahran: what we build and what the equipment supplier provides

A pool construction company in Dhahran is responsible for everything you stop seeing once the water goes in: the concrete and its steel, the buried pipes, the waterproofing and the tile bed. That is the part our crews carry out themselves, because a single mistake there means breaking things out later. The pump, filter, sanitiser, heater or chiller and lights are finished products, chosen with you by a specialist pool-equipment supplier according to the water volume. We prepare their space, pipework and power supply, then install and commission them in coordination with that supplier.

A long lap pool for a Dhahran villa: planning length and depth

A lap pool in Dhahran is designed the opposite way to a lounging pool: straight length comes first, the width only needs to fit one or two swimmers, and the depth stays fairly even so the rhythm of swimming is not broken by a steep slope. In large villa gardens we see requests for pools of nine metres and more, and we always start with a simple question: who is going to swim in it? An adult training every morning needs a different length and depth from a family with small children.

How long should a home lap pool in Dhahran be?

The garden decides the length first, and the use decides the rest. The sizes we publish starting prices for are a nine-metre basin four metres wide and a ten-and-a-half-metre basin five and a half wide; anything longer is designed and priced at inspection. We keep a clearance between the pool wall, the neighbour’s boundary wall and the villa footings that the engineer sets, and we locate the ground water tank, septic tank and buried pipes before the excavation is marked out.

• ✓Even depth: in a lap pool we keep the floor close to one level over most of its length and place any slope near the steps if children use the pool.
• ✓Dark lane lines: a navy tile line along the centre of each lane helps the swimmer keep straight and ends with a cross mark before the wall.
• ✓Turning wall: the wall swimmers push off from stays flat and fully tiled, with no light or fitting projecting at foot level.
• ✓Skimmer downwind: the skimmer mouth goes at the end where the prevailing wind pushes leaves and dust; long basins may get a second one.
• ✓Steps out of the lane: a corner step or a stainless ladder on the side, so the entry does not cut across a lane.

A commonly used pool-code rule is that a single skimmer serves up to about 74 square metres of water where no other surface-cleaning system is fitted. In theory a 4×9 m pool (36 m²) needs only one, but in a long shape the water furthest from the skimmer moves slowly, so we spread the return inlets along both sides to push the surface towards it.

Pool wall rebar in Dhahran: fixing skimmer and return bodies before the pour

Tying the pool wall rebar in Dhahran is the stage where we are most careful with detail, because whatever is cast cannot be adjusted. The steel is fixed to the structural drawing and held off the timber formwork by small concrete spacers that give it the required cover. Concrete cast against the ground needs at least 75 mm of cover under ACI 318, on which the Saudi concrete code is based, so that soil moisture and salts do not reach the bars.

The photo shows what we mean: the white skimmer body and the return-inlet sleeves are fixed into the mesh itself, at their final levels, before any concrete arrives. The level of the skimmer mouth sets the water level of the whole pool, so we align it with the coping line before the mixer comes. The alternative we find in older pools is to cast first and drill the wall later. That can be done with core drilling during a renovation, as described in core drilling in Dhahran, but in a new pool it opens a path for water around the fitting and cuts steel for no reason.

1. 1
   Blinding and floor
   Blinding concrete on compacted ground, floor steel on chairs, and the two main drains in place.
2. 2
   Wall steel
   Starter bars from the floor, then vertical and horizontal mesh tied with wire and spacers at regular intervals.
3. 3
   Cast-in parts
   Skimmer bodies, return inlets, light niches and any waterfall pipes fixed and sealed against concrete entering them.
4. 4
   Check before pouring
   We verify levels, spacing and cover, and pressure-test the pipes before they disappear.
5. 5
   Pour and cure
   Salt-resistant concrete placed at no more than 35 °C, then at least seven days of moist curing.

Summer concreting in detail, from pour timing and chilled water to cube samples, is covered on concrete pouring in Dhahran. A waterstop at the floor-to-wall construction joint is a detail we never skip on any pool.

Pool types and systems in Dhahran: concrete or fibreglass, skimmer or overflow?

In Dhahran we build pools in reinforced concrete, because it takes any length and shape and resists soil and water pressure together. Pools built from blockwork alone are sometimes offered as a cheaper option, but block walls do not resist water pressure the way reinforced concrete does, so we neither recommend nor build them. A fibreglass pool is a factory product with set sizes; if the owner chooses one we can carry out the excavation, base and surround, but making the shell is not our trade.

For a long lap pool a skimmer system is usually the sensible choice. An overflow pool needs a channel along the perimeter and a balance tank built in concrete and waterproofed like the pool itself, which is why it starts from SAR 60,000 with us.

Building a concrete pool in Dhahran: from drawing to water

Pool building in Dhahran always runs in the same sequence, and nothing gets covered until it has been checked:

1. 1
   Garden survey
   We measure, place the pool and plant room, and check machine access, soil, groundwater and buried services.
2. 2
   Drawing and permit
   An engineering office draws the structure and confirms, before any digging, whether a permit is required.
3. 3
   Excavation
   Digging to size and level, pumping out groundwater if it appears, and removing spoil.
4. 4
   Shell
   Blinding, steel, cast-in parts, pour and curing, as described above.
5. 5
   Fill test
   Filling the bare shell and measuring water loss before any waterproofing or tile.
6. 6
   Waterproofing and tiles
   Render or screed, internal waterproofing, then tiles, lane lines, coping and the deck around the pool.
7. 7
   Equipment and start-up
   The supplier and our team fit the pump, filter and sanitiser; the basin is filled in stages, started and its water balanced.

How long does pool construction in Dhahran take?

A medium home pool usually needs four to eight weeks, and a long pool or one with a waterfall takes more. Some of those weeks are deliberate waiting that must not be cut: at least seven days of moist curing, the fill test with its soaking days, and roughly three weeks of tile setting ahead of the first fill.

Fill test and pool waterproofing in Dhahran

Pool waterproofing in Dhahran starts with a test rather than a product. We fill the bare concrete shell before any coating, leave it three days so the concrete saturates, then watch the level for another three days (72 hours). The reference standard for concrete water-retaining structures (ACI 350.1) sets the allowable loss at 0.05% of the stored volume in 24 hours, and evaporation is measured in an open container beside the pool and subtracted. If the shell passes we move on to waterproofing; if it fails we find out why before anything covers it.

Watertightness comes from sound concrete and the coating over it; the tile layer and its grout add none. That is why we never tile over a crack: if we find one, it is treated first, as explained on crack repair in Dhahran. Roof and tank waterproofing has its own page: roof waterproofing and insulation in Dhahran.

Pool tiling in Dhahran: lane lines, mosaic and coping

Pool tiling in Dhahran is not floor tiling. These tiles are permanently under water, so we use low-absorption pool ceramics (ideally below 0.5%) or glass mosaic, an adhesive rated for immersion applied as a full, void-free bed, and epoxy grout where the location calls for it. In a lap pool we set out the lines on the floor before starting: a navy line along the middle of each lane and a cross mark before the turning wall.

• Tiles cure at least three days before grouting, and movement joints are planned where the walls meet the floor.
• Coping stones on the edge are slip-resistant, and the deck falls away from the pool so garden wash-water does not run back into it.
• We do not fill the pool until about three weeks after tiling, and the water then goes in a stage at a time, rising by no more than three-quarters of a metre daily.
• Pool tiling labour starts from SAR 92 per m², glass mosaic supply from SAR 110 per m², and deck tiling labour with falls from SAR 37 per m².

If you would rather pave the paths to the pool with interlock, see interlock paving in Dhahran; indoor villa tiling is on tile installer in Dhahran.

A water-curtain waterfall at the end of a Dhahran pool

A water curtain in Dhahran is a wall waterfall in which water leaves a horizontal lip at the top of the wall as a clear, smooth sheet and drops into the pool. Its appeal is how even it looks, and that evenness depends on three things: a lip that is perfectly level along its length, a pump that delivers the right flow for the width of the curtain, and a wall that is waterproofed behind its cladding so it does not soak up water.

• ✓Waterproofing behind the cladding: the wall and basin are tanked before the stone goes on, otherwise water creeps into the wall and salts bloom on its face.
• ✓Lip set with a level: the slightest fall makes water gather at one end and vanish from the other.
• ✓Separate pump or valve: we separate the curtain from the filtration cycle so it can be switched off in wind or dust.
• ✓12 V lighting: an underwater light or strip in the basin at low voltage, with the transformer outside the pool zones.

A water curtain costs the same as a wall waterfall: SAR 3,700 to start for one metre wide by one high, SAR 6,450 for two metres wide by one and a half high, and SAR 11,000 once it reaches three metres wide by two high or more. A set of underwater lights opens at SAR 460, and a modern corner waterfall at SAR 5,500. Rockwork waterfalls at ground level, in natural stone, start at SAR 7,400 for owners who prefer a rocky look to a clean sheet.

Swimming pool construction prices in Dhahran

The entry price for a pool in Dhahran is SAR 12,900, which buys our smallest concrete shell, roughly two and a half by four and a half metres. Lap pools open at SAR 29,500 at nine metres and SAR 38,800 at ten and a half. The starting price covers excavation in normal soil, the reinforced shell, internal waterproofing, pool ceramics, tested cast-in pipework and preparation of the plant room; equipment is priced separately once the owner and supplier have picked it.

Figures here become firm only after the site visit and our agreement; they shift with size, depth, system, finish, soil and machine access. Dhahran is within our near zone together with Dammam and Al Khobar, so no travel line is added. Other services are priced on our prices page.

Worked example: a 4×9 m lap pool with a water curtain in Dhahran

An illustrative example, not a contract: a villa garden, a skimmer pool of about 4×9 m with a depth from 0.9 to 1.8 m, a tiled deck one metre wide on every side, and a medium water curtain at the far end.

The example excludes the pump, filter, sanitiser and the pool’s own lighting, the deck tiles themselves and any fence; those are set at inspection. For comparison, the water volume is about 4 × 9 × 1.35 = 48.6 m³, so the allowable loss in the fill test is about 24 litres a day, which is less than 0.7 mm of level over a 36 m² surface.

What changes the price of a pool in Dhahran?

• Length and depth: every extra metre adds excavation, concrete, waterproofing and tiles together.
• System: overflow adds a channel and balance tank; infinity adds engineering and a catch basin.
• Finish: glass mosaic and natural stone cost more than pool ceramics.
• Site: a garden the excavator cannot enter means hand digging or a mini excavator and more days.
• Soil and water: rock or a high water table add items that are priced at inspection.

Electrical work, lighting and safety for Dhahran pools

Pool lighting in Dhahran sits inside the water at 12 V only, fed from a transformer placed beyond the pool zones; metalwork near the water is bonded together and to earth, and a 30 mA residual-current device guards the circuit. These rules come from the international standard for pool zones on which the Saudi electrical code is based, and outdoor circuits are covered on electrician in Dhahran.

• ✓Fence and gate: at least 1.2 m high, gaps narrower than 10 cm, and a self-closing, self-latching gate that opens outward, away from the water.
• ✓Main drains: a pair per pump, spaced 0.9 m or more, each under an anti-entrapment cover, so suction cannot hold hair or a limb.
• ✓Depth markings: clear figures on the edge where depth changes, and a non-slip surface around the pool.
• ✓Supervision: covers and alarms help, but nothing replaces an adult beside children in the water.

Groundwater and salts in Dhahran: what we check before digging

Groundwater in the Eastern Province is generally close to the surface; studies describe it as usually less than 1.5 m deep and salt-laden. We do not assume that for every Dhahran garden, nor do we rule it out; we check it at inspection by looking at nearby excavations and septic tanks and by asking neighbours. If water appears during excavation we pump it out until the pour is finished, use sulfate-resisting concrete, and tank the walls on the outside before backfilling.

Protecting the villa garden while the pool is dug in Dhahran

Pool excavation in Dhahran usually happens in an established garden with lawn, trees, paths and lighting, and no owner wants to gain a pool and lose the garden. So we plan the machine route before it comes in: which gate it uses, where the spoil truck parks, and where steel and timber are stacked. We board over tiled paths, mark the trees that must stay and keep clear of their roots as far as the drawing allows, and disconnect any garden lighting cables and irrigation pipes in the way so they can be reconnected on a new route.

• Spoil does not stay in the garden: we remove soil as we go, because a large heap of sand left on a lawn for days kills it and the wind carries it into the pool and next door.
• A mini excavator when needed: if the gate is narrow we use a small machine, which adds digging days and is stated in the estimate from the start.
• Lighting and irrigation: new cable and pipe routes around the pool are drawn up and run in protective ducts before the deck is tiled.
• Plant room position: close to the pool but away from bedrooms, because a pump running at night is louder than most people expect.

Looking after a pool through a Dhahran summer

Pool care in Dhahran is simple as long as it is regular. The long summer warms the water and speeds up evaporation, so in the hottest months the pool needs topping up almost daily, and a cover reduces both evaporation and dust. For home pools, the US Centers for Disease Control recommend keeping pH within 7.0-7.8 and free chlorine no lower than 1 ppm, or 2 ppm where stabilised chlorine is used, testing twice a day on days the pool is used. A salt system makes chlorine from salt, but it does not replace pH checks, emptying the skimmer baskets and backwashing the filter.

Pool renovation in Dhahran: when is new tile and waterproofing enough?

Pool renovation in Dhahran starts with checking the structure, not with stripping tiles. If the concrete is sound and the shell passes a fill test after safe draining, re-waterproofing, re-tiling and replacing damaged fittings is usually enough. If there is a through crack or settlement, an engineer’s report decides before any finishing. A check-up visit costs from SAR 140, and lifting the old tiling from SAR 14 per square metre.

• Signs worth checking: water loss greater than evaporation, tiles falling or sounding hollow when tapped, eroded grout, and rust around metal fittings.
• Bucket comparison: fill a bucket, set it on the first step, mark the water inside it and the pool level beside it, and look again a day later; a pool that has dropped clearly further than the bucket is leaking somewhere.
• Updating old pools: part of a pool can sometimes be made shallower for a family with children, or a water curtain added to an existing wall, after the structure is assessed.

If the pool is part of a whole-villa refurbishment, start with renovation contractor in Dhahran; if an old pool is to be removed and filled in, breaking out is covered on demolition contractor in Dhahran.

Does a pool in Dhahran need a permit?

A pool is a structural addition to the property, and the safe route is for a licensed engineering office to check whether it needs a permit before digging: within the building permit of a new villa still under construction, or, for an existing villa, via Balady’s service for adding or modifying building components. That service requires a valid building permit and an engineering office, and its stated processing time is one to ten days. We build to the approved drawing and do not start digging until this point is clear.

Dhahran districts where we build pools

We travel to Dhahran from Dammam on the same rounds that cover Al Khobar, and most of our pool and water-feature work there comes from villas in Al Haras Al Watani and Al Qusur, Dana (south and north) and Doha (both parts), though we take requests from any district. Our Dhahran page lists all our services there. For a farm or an older house in Qatif we published swimming pool construction in Qatif, and for compact side-yard pools swimming pool construction in Saihat. To add a majlis or annex beside the pool, see annex and majlis builder in Dhahran.

How to order a pool or water curtain in Dhahran

Put together these details and message them to 0547879578 on WhatsApp; you will get back a first layout, a suggested size and an estimated cost before anyone visits:

1. 1
   Garden photos
   two or more angles of the garden plus the gate an excavator would use.
2. 2
   Rough measurements
   the garden length and width, where you want the pool, and its distance from the boundary wall and villa.
3. 3
   How it will be used
   daily swimming or family and children, and whether you want a water curtain or waterfall.
4. 4
   What is underground
   the location of the water tank, septic tank and any known pipes.
5. 5
   Timing
   when you hope to begin, and whether villa drawings or a permit exist.

Why Dhahran villa owners hand their pools to Aemar Al-Maryam

• ✓Fittings cast in place: skimmers, returns and drains are fixed before the pour, not cut in afterwards.
• ✓Tested before finishing: a fill test on the bare shell, pressure tests on the pipes, and photos of everything that will be hidden.
• ✓Clear responsibilities: what we build and what the equipment specialist supplies is written down from the start.
• ✓Published starting prices: for almost every item, confirmed after inspection and agreement.
• ✓One team for the pool: concrete, waterproofing, tiles, plumbing and electrics under one supervisor; plumbing details are on plumber in Dhahran.