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HOT TOPICS PILINGS: DO WE NEED THEM?Just as a home needs special underground structures on a waterfront lot, so does a swimming pool. Coastal pool projects bring Pilings are 12-16” diameter treated wooden poles driven into the ground by a pile- driver, at designated intervals in and around the area where your pool is to be constructed. Driving piles is advantageous because the soil displaced by driving the piles compresses the surrounding soil, causing greater friction against the sides of the piles, which increases their load-bearing capacity. Another type of pile, H-pile or Helical, serves the same purpose, but is made of steel and installed by auger; twisted rather than pile driven into the ground. The type of pile needed is specific to each project. Your pool professional should advise you if you need this extra level of stability by obtaining a soil sample from the pool site. The soil sample is then reviewed by a state certified Structural Engineer, as to the contents of soil, how well it holds earth and how well it drains water (porosity and permeability). If pilings are deemed necessary, a layout plan is designed by the engineer, pilings are installed, and then the pool construction continues upon that extra layer of stabilized soil.
Getting a soil sample is a relatively inexpensive insurance policy that should absolutely be done if your project is in or around a Coastal environment. It will save time, money and a big headache later!
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with them unique soil conditions and structural issues. Pools built in these areas may require additional structural support systems to maintain the integrity of the pool shell. Friction Pilings and Helical Pilings are often used in conjunction with grade beams as the additional structural supports. 
Although pilings add additional cost to the initial pool construction, the overall value added is priceless; a pool that lasts without shifting, cracking or lifting. 