Walking along the beach in Chelem, I saw several pools being constructed in the last few months.
All of them where constructed with blocks, same kind of blocks commonly used in home construction all over the Yucatan. Shouldn’t be swimming pool made of concrete rather than blocks?

Hi Munaman

There are concrete pools, fiberglass pools, vinyl liner Pools, pools made of stone or blocks, there are lots of different materials with which pool can be constructed.
Definitely, concrete pools are top of the line, but they cost more than other types of pools. Probably most of those properties on the beach in Chelem are to be sold in the near future or their owners don’t want to spend their money on the pool. Interestingly, many pools in Yucatan don’t even have filtration systems and in order to drain it you have to pull the plug, just like in the bath tub.
There is nothing wrong with the pool constructed with masonry blocks, unless it was constructed poorly. And having alternative pool of blocks or no pool at all I would go for blocks. But as the old saying goes, usually, you get what you pay for.

Adam

OK, politically correct answer. So I'm curious how did you guys build your swimming pool and all the other pools in this area. Are they made with cement blocks or concrete?

There is nothing political about it, I am convinced, pool can be made out of any material, what plays here major roll is necessity, cost, quality, general appearance and other factors. There is nothing wrong with pools made with blocks.
All our pools at the beach were constructed with reinforced concrete rather than blocks, but for different reasons. Almost all the pool we constructed on the beach where located between the ocean and the house.
In majority of cases we build what we like and how we like it, we are not restricted by cost or time of construction as some other builders, who work for their clients are. When building a swimming pool on the beach I prefer to have a solid reinforced chunk of concrete acting as a sea wall and protecting the house I am building behind.
Adam

I've never seen a pool made of blocks. Most of them were made of concrete. I've seen some made of fiberglass and I've seen an older one that had a liner in it. I've also seen tile pools but I assume they have concrete underneath the tile. As long as the pool is filtered and refreshing, I don't care what it's made of.

I'm still learning from you, as I'm trying to achieve my goals. I definitely love reading all that is posted on your site.Keep the tips coming. I enjoyed it! wish you all the best

Most of the pools and water containers in Yucatan are made with stone masonry. Old technology with great results, you can see some old water holding tanks and reservoirs next to many old haciendas in the area. Judging by the age of some of those structures it appears to be better material for this purpose than block.