Pool shells: why gunite, not a poured wall
A pool shell has curved walls and a floor that must hold water without a separate tank. Sprayed concrete fits that shape well: the gunite mix is placed against the excavation and the steel cage, compacted by the spray itself, with no formwork on the earth face.
Water tightness comes from density and from cover to the reinforcement, so the mix is kept stiff and the nozzle operator builds it in layers. Curing a fresh shell in the summer sun matters as much as the mix, keep it wet or covered until the finisher takes over.
Extension footings next to an existing house
An extension sits on new footings beside old ones. Differential settlement between the two is the risk, which is why the engineer sizes the new pads and ground beams carefully. We supply blinding first to give a clean, level base, then the substructure mix for footings and ground beams.
The ground in Arabian Ranches is inland desert sand, so salt attack is rarely the governing issue, but follow the exposure class on your drawings rather than our general view.
Ground beams between the new footings and the existing house are often where the engineer asks for dowels into the old structure. Pour them after the dowels are fixed and inspected, in one continuous lift per beam, so the joint to the old work is the only one.
Getting a truck to the plot
The community manages access, delivery hours and the routes trucks may take, so check with the community before booking a pour. A 12 m³ mixer is heavy on interlock paving; if the plot is tight, a pump with a 43 m boom placed on the street often saves the driveway. Our plant is roughly 9 km away, reached via Al Qudra Road or Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road.
Questions from Arabian Ranches sites
- Can you deliver a small quantity for a garden extension?
- Tell us the volume and the element and we will plan the load. Small pours are common here and we schedule them like any other.
- What do you use under the floor tiles of a new room?
- A screed mix laid over the structural slab gives the level and falls the tiler needs. It is not a structural layer, so it does not replace the slab.
- How long should a new pool shell cure before tiling?
- Follow the pool contractor's specification. The shell must stay wet or covered in the first days, because a gunite shell that dries early cracks and leaks.