Sauna Dekor builds shotcrete (gunite) swimming pools, overflow (deck-level) pools and skimmer pools as a turnkey contractor for hotels, resorts and private villas in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, manufacturing in Istanbul since 1987 — our 40th year — with projects delivered in more than 35 countries. The first decision on a pool is not the finish. It is whether the water sits flush with the surround and spills into an overflow channel feeding a balance tank, or sits below the coping behind skimmers. That single choice sets the shell, the hydraulics, the plant room and the tiling detail, and it is expensive to reverse once the steel is fixed.
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Sizing a Shotcrete Pool: Dimensions, Depth and Freeboard
Open Area Design: Tailor the pool dimensions to fit the designated space, ensuring seamless integration with your surroundings.
Budget Consideration: Set a budget aligned with your project goals, allowing for the use of quality materials and decorative enhancements.
Material Options: Enrich your swimming pool's design by exploring alternative forms and materials, seamlessly blending with your living spaces.
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Shotcrete, Reinforced Concrete and Prefabricated Pool Shells
Sauna Dekor has manufactured spa and wet-area equipment in Istanbul since 1987 and is now in its fortieth year, with projects delivered in more than 35 countries. On the pool side the shell decides the programme: a shotcrete (gunite) shell is sprayed against a steel cage and shaped on site, which suits free-form geometry, deep ends and an infinity edge; a reinforced concrete shell poured against formwork suits rectilinear pools and heavily loaded rooftop or podium structures; a prefabricated shell shortens site time where access allows it. Our comprehensive services span diverse concepts, ensuring aesthetic designs tailored to various models and sizes, turning dreams into realities. Whether for a private residence, holiday resort, hotel, spa center, or luxury villa, Sauna Dekor is your trusted partner in creating swimming pools that elevate lifestyle experiences. Welcome to a world where expertise meets excellence, and dreams take a refreshing dive into reality.
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Stages of a Shotcrete Swimming Pool Build
Site Preparation: Determine the pool area, perform excavation, and correct the ground to lay a strong foundation.
Construction: Pour concrete into the pool area, insulate inner walls, and complete electrical and water systems. Execute steel construction for structural integrity.
Finishing Touches: Apply screed, plaster, and ceramic flooring, or opt for a pool lining to infuse your pool with vibrant color.
Completion: Fill the pool with water, install lighting elements, and conduct necessary controls for a fully functional swimming pool.
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Overflow Channel, Balance Tank and Pool Hydraulics
On a deck-level (overflow) pool the channel grating, the balance tank volume and the surge capacity are sized together with the circulation rate; on a skimmer pool the water sits below the coping and the skimmers do the surface work, which is simpler to build but leaves a waterline that has to be tiled and cleaned. Our commitment to excellence extends to every facet of your project, ensuring enduring beauty and functionality. By employing the highest quality materials and a keen focus on application intricacies like ceramics and joints, we work for long-term user comfort and the longevity of your pool. Entrust your vision to our seasoned and dedicated team, where expertise meets artistry, resulting in a pool that stands as a testament to luxury, sophistication, and enduring quality for years to come. Your dream pool, our unwavering commitment to perfection.
Explore More Pool Types
Discover our indoor, outdoor, Olympic, and infinity pool designs. Complete your space with a custom sauna.
Shotcrete, overflow and skimmer pools for hotels, resorts and villas in the UAE and the GCC
Sauna Dekor designs, builds and services swimming pools for hotels, resorts, wellness centres and private villas in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. We have manufactured spa and wet-area equipment in our own facility in Istanbul since 1987 — our fortieth year — and have delivered projects in more than 35 countries. Pools reach us the way they reach a building: attached to a sauna, a steam room, a hammam or a cold plunge, with one set of drawings and one MEP interface. That is the practical argument for keeping design, construction and after-sales inside one company.
What the pool contractor is responsible for: shell, hydraulics and plant
- Design against the site, the brief and the approval regime — not a catalogue shape dropped into a garden
- Drawings, calculations and authority submissions
- Excavation, ground correction and the structural shell
- Waterproofing, which is the single detail that decides whether the pool is still sound in ten years
- Circulation, filtration, disinfection, heating and chilling
- Electrical works, underwater lighting and control
- Interior finish, coping and the surround
- Filling, water balancing, commissioning and handover documentation
- Service, maintenance and warranty afterwards
Shotcrete, reinforced concrete, fibreglass and prefabricated shells compared
| Type | Strengths | Limits | Belongs in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reinforced concrete, tiled or mosaic | Any geometry and depth, longest structural life, integrates with architecture, repairable in place | Longest programme; waterproofing and grout detailing must be right first time | Hotel, resort and villa pools, and anything with a vanishing edge or a level change |
| Prefabricated fibreglass shell | Fast to install, monolithic with no joints to leak, low maintenance surface | Geometry fixed at order; access route has to take the shell | Villas and compact plots where programme matters more than shape |
| Vinyl liner | Lowest installed cost, quick, forgiving of ground movement | The liner is a consumable and is replaced periodically | Temporary or budget-led residential installations |
| Stainless steel | Thin structure, precise edges, hygienic, ideal where structure is being added above an existing slab | Highest material cost; fabrication tolerance is unforgiving | Rooftop and retrofit pools, and wellness pools inside buildings |
Format is a separate question from construction type. We build indoor, outdoor, Olympic, infinity, prefabricated and ornamental and landscape pools.
Stages of a shotcrete pool build
| Stage | Work | What it settles |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Brief and survey | Site levels, ground conditions, access, services, orientation and shade | Whether the pool the client is imagining can be built where they want it |
| 2. Design and approvals | Layout, depths, edge type, plant room, drawings and authority submission | The programme — approvals, not construction, are usually the long pole |
| 3. Excavation and ground correction | Digging, soil correction, blinding, dewatering where the water table demands it | What the shell is standing on |
| 4. Structure | Steel, shuttering and concrete, or shell placement | Geometry and structural life |
| 5. Waterproofing | Tanking, movement joints, sealed penetrations | Whether the building around the pool stays dry |
| 6. MEP | Circulation, filtration, disinfection, heating and chilling, lighting, automation | Running cost and water quality |
| 7. Finish | Tile, mosaic, plaster or liner; coping, deck and surround | Appearance and slip safety |
| 8. Fill, balance and handover | Water balancing, equipment testing, O&M documents, warranty, service plan | What the operator receives |
Five mistakes clients make when appointing a pool company
- Splitting design, build and service between three companies. Every interface between them becomes the client’s risk.
- Taking the lowest number. On a pool the saving is normally taken out of waterproofing or plant — both invisible until they fail.
- Leaving approvals with the client. Authority requirements differ between emirates and between a villa community and a hotel plot, and they set the programme.
- No written, itemised scope. Most pool disputes are scope disputes.
- Ignoring what happens after handover. Water balancing, filter service and equipment life are the real cost of ownership, and they should be priced before the contract, not after.
For the Gulf version of this decision — ground conditions, evaporation, approvals and plant sizing — see our guides to swimming pool construction in Dubai and indoor pools in Dubai. Where the pool is part of a wellness programme rather than a leisure one, see hydrotherapy pools and what hydrotherapy actually is.
Frequently asked questions
What is the pool contractor responsible for on a shotcrete pool?
A pool company is responsible for the whole chain, not the excavation alone: design against the site and the brief, drawings and approvals, excavation and ground correction, the structural shell, waterproofing, circulation and filtration, heating and chilling, lighting and electrical, the interior finish, the surround and coping, commissioning and water balancing, then handover documentation and after-sales service. Where those responsibilities are split between companies is where pool projects usually fail.
Reinforced concrete, fibreglass or vinyl liner — which pool construction type should I choose?
Reinforced concrete takes any geometry and lasts longest, which is why hotel and villa pools are built that way. A prefabricated fibreglass shell is faster and lower maintenance but fixes the shape at order. A vinyl liner is the cheapest to install and the liner is a consumable. On Gulf projects the decision is usually made by geometry, ground conditions and how the pool has to meet the architecture, not by the headline construction cost.
How long does it take to build a swimming pool?
A straightforward residential pool runs roughly 8–14 weeks on site once approvals are in hand. Approvals, ground conditions and any structural work below the shell are what move the programme, not the tiling. Pools that form part of a wellness scheme — with a plunge, a hydrotherapy pool or a spa floor above — run longer because the MEP coordination is shared.
Do I need permits to build a swimming pool in the UAE?
Yes. A pool needs authority approval covering structure, electrical works, water supply and drainage, and safety provisions, and the requirements differ between emirates and between a villa community and a hotel plot. We prepare and submit the drawings and carry the approval process as part of the scope rather than leaving it with the client.
What should I check before appointing a pool company?
Ask who holds the design, who holds the approvals, and who returns for service — if those are three different companies, the interfaces are the client’s problem. Ask for delivered projects of comparable type and climate. Ask what the warranty covers and for how long. Insist on a written, itemised scope, because most pool disputes are scope disputes. And treat the lowest number with suspicion: on a pool, the saving is normally taken out of waterproofing or plant, and both are invisible until they fail.
Who builds shotcrete and overflow swimming pools for hotels and villas in the UAE?
Sauna Dekor designs, builds and services swimming pools for hotels, resorts, wellness centres and private villas in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. We have manufactured spa and wet-area equipment in our own facility in Istanbul since 1987 and have delivered projects in more than 35 countries, with pools handled alongside the sauna, steam, hammam and cold-water rooms they usually sit next to.
