French property buyers are going back to nature

A SWIMMING pool is usually right at the top of the wish list for people who want to buy property in France.

We recently wrote about how a swimming pool can increase the value of your french property by up to 20%.

The rising costs of oil, gas and electricity has forced people to reconsider their energy options as part of any house purchase they are considering.

As a result, more people are researching and enquiring about ways in which they can cut their energy bills.

Up until now the decision to install a conventional swimming pool was the default.

Now more and more people are opting for natural, plant filtered pools.

Natural pools have been around for 25 years in countries like Austria, Switzerland and Germany. The French government and local authorities are soon to make a decision to replace public baths or lidos with natural swimming pools.

They have everything going for them. There are no harmful chemicals. They are low maintenance as nature takes care of filtering the water that is constantly pumped around as it is in conventional pools.

Running costs are half that of  conventional pool. If you choose to heat it using solar energy the running costs are negligible.

Conventional pools can be complex and you can look forward to temperatures of about 26 degrees when heated naturally.

Of course, there are also the obvious environmental advantages. The pools attract wildlfe and birds. They blend in perfectly with the landscape and keen gardeners can potter to their heart's content with the aquatic plants that filter the water.

The cost of a natural pool is about 25% more than that of a conventional pool.

It's also possible to convert a conventional pool. The cost of conversion is about 25% less than the cost of installation of a conventional pool. In other words, for a pool that costs 28,000 euros to install the conversaion is likely to cost 21,000 euros.

For a swimming area of 50m2 (10m x 5m) the natural pool will need an additional area of 30 - 40m2 for the plant filter.

If you're about to install a swimming pool when you buy a property in France, think about the natural option as a cost saving and more environmentally friendly option.

photo: Woodhouse Natural Pools