What makes us the most experienced infinity pool builder in Cairo
Each line below can be confirmed at our office or in the contract, before any money moves.
- Twenty five years in Egypt. The company was founded in 2001 and has worked under the same name ever since.
- These edges are on our list of pool models. Infinity, overflow, knife-edge, panoramic and horizon pools are each listed by name among the pools we design and build.
- Engineering in house. Structural, hydraulic and MEP engineering is done by engineers on our staff, so the edge, the tank and the electrics are calculated by one company.
- Our own site teams. The people who set the lip and form the channel are our employees, on our payroll.
- Named equipment and waterproofing. Pumps and filters from Hayward, Pentair, AstralPool and Aqua Water Systems. Automation from Schneider Electric. Waterproofing from Sika and BASF Master Builders Solutions.
- A written warranty. On pools we build: 25 years on the structure, 10 on the waterproofing, 5 on the electromechanical works, in writing.
- The same company after handover. We maintain the pools we build, channel and tank included.
An edge pool shows any error in the lip the moment it spills, so the experience that counts is the engineering done before the pour.
Overflow, infinity, knife-edge, panoramic and horizon edges
Every edge in this family brings the water up to the brim, flush with the stone. They differ in where the water goes and what sits behind the wall.
| Edge | Where the water spills | What it needs | Plots it suits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overflow or deck level | The whole perimeter, into a channel | A channel and a balance tank | Level gardens |
| Infinity or vanishing edge | One lowered wall, into a catch basin | A basin, and a fall in the ground or a raised pool | Slopes facing a view |
| Knife-edge | A razor-thin edge, into a hidden slot | A tank, and even less room for error in the level | Modern stone and glass |
| Panoramic and horizon | Toward an open outlook | An edge set on the sightline from the house | Raised plots with a long view |
Overflow and deck-level edges
The water runs over the full perimeter into a channel, usually under a grate, then by gravity to the balance tank and back through the filter. The whole surface is skimmed all the way round, so the waterline stays clean.
Infinity and vanishing edges
One wall is built lower than the rest and becomes the weir. Water falls over it into a hidden catch basin and gets pumped back up, so from the house the surface runs straight into the view. The other sides can be skimmer or overflow, chosen at the design stage.
Knife-edge, panoramic and horizon pools
A knife-edge pool takes the water to a very thin edge, like a mirror laid on the stone. Panoramic and horizon pools are planned around the view. All three run on the same tank, channel and level lip as an overflow or infinity pool.
A lip set level along its full length
Water spills first wherever the lip is lowest, so the lip has to be level from one end to the other for the sheet to run even. Three things decide that, and all three sit with our engineers and our own site teams.
- The structure under the edge wall. The ground beneath the whole edge is part of the structural design, so no stretch settles under the first fill and drags the lip down.
- The setting of the lip and the coping. Done by our own people, to the levels on the drawing.
- The finish on top. Tile, mosaic or stone adds its own thickness, so it goes into the level calculation from the start.
An infinity wall has water on both faces, so it is waterproofed outside as well as inside, with Sika or BASF Master Builders Solutions systems. At commissioning every pump is started and set, and the water runs over the edge before handover.
A balance tank sized for the people who swim
When the pumps start, the channels and pipes fill from the balance tank. Every person who gets in pushes their own volume over the edge, and that goes into the tank too.
So the tank is a calculation, and our hydraulic engineers make it from real numbers:
- the water held in the channels and pipework while the pumps run
- how many people will be in the pool at the same moment
- the reserve the filter needs for a backwash
- headroom between top-ups, so ordinary use never reaches the tank's own overflow
A family pool and a pool that takes thirty guests can hold the same water and need two different tanks, so we ask how the pool will really be used. A tank also needs level controls, an automatic top-up and a hatch big enough to climb through, because everything the edge skims off the surface ends up settling there.
The plant room behind the edge
An edge pool carries more plant than a skimmer pool: circulation pumps, a pump for the spill, filtration, dosing, automation and the electrical board, all around the balance tank.
The plant room has to sit close to the pool and low enough for the water to reach the tank by gravity, with drainage, ventilation and a door wide enough to carry a pump out. So it goes onto the garden drawing at the design stage, before the terraces are drawn around it.
A Schneider Electric panel runs the pumps feeding the edge to a schedule you set. An edge pool moves more water and puts more surface in the sun than a skimmer pool, so it costs more to run, and pumps sized to what the edge needs keep that in proportion.
The pool under the edge, built in five stages
Beneath every edge sits a whole pool, from the excavation and the reinforced concrete shell to the finish. It follows the five stages of a pool build we use for every type, from consultation to commissioning. The edge adds its own design work at the second stage, where the levels, the tank and the plant room get fixed on paper.
Milestone payments, or a deposit and six monthly instalments against post-dated cheques. On milestone terms, each instalment falls due when a construction stage is finished and inspected.
The contract states the build period before work starts.
Villa plots with a slope or a view
If your plot falls away, the drop does the job an infinity edge needs. The catch basin goes on the low side under the weir, and the plant room can sit in the slope below the water line. On the first visit we measure the fall of the ground, the access, and the line of the view from the house.
On a steep plot our structural engineers design the shell, the retaining wall and the terrace as one structure.
On a level plot an overflow edge works without any drop at all. An infinity edge there means raising the pool on a podium so the water has somewhere to fall, which is a bigger structural job, and the quotation shows it as one.
If the edge would face a boundary wall, we will say so at the site visit and suggest an overflow edge in its place.
Vanishing and overflow edges for resorts, hotels and compounds
If you are a developer or an architect drawing a vanishing or overflow edge, we work to your architects' and consultants' drawings. Structural, hydraulic and MEP engineering comes back from one company, so the edge detail, the tank calculation and the plant room layout are answered by the same engineers.
A shared pool takes far more people at once, so the tank and the filtration are sized to the real number of swimmers. Larger projects are scheduled individually. Project management and consultancy are on our service list, and our compound, club and hotel pool construction work carries shared pools from the first drawing through to maintenance.
Where in Cairo and beyond the ground suits an edge
Our teams leave the Nasr City office six days a week. The ground decides which edge a plot can carry, so if you are weighing up which swimming pool company Cairo has for an edge like this, start with whether its engineers have read ground like yours.
| Area | The ground | The edge it tends to suit |
|---|---|---|
| Katameya, on the escarpment and the golf estates | Raised escarpment plots, villa gardens between the fairways | Infinity and panoramic edges up high, overflow in level gardens |
| Mokattam and Uptown Cairo, up on the plateau | A limestone plateau, its western edge looking over the city | Infinity edges where the ground falls past the pool |
| New Cairo and the Fifth Settlement | Villa gardens in gated compounds and around Ninety Street | Overflow and knife-edge pools, or a raised infinity edge |
| Ain Sokhna, on the Red Sea | Plots falling toward the sea over rock | Infinity edges where the water line meets the sea |
Heliopolis, Madinaty, Sheikh Zayed, 6th of October and the New Administrative Capital are covered too, and the edge there is settled plot by plot. Work outside Greater Cairo, the North Coast included, is confirmed after a site visit.
Who should build a skimmer pool instead
If your garden is level, has no view, and the lowest figure decides it, build a skimmer pool, and we will say so on the first call. An edge costs more to build and to run, and pays its way only where the plot or the design calls for one.
If you want the edge drawn before anyone has checked the ground and the levels, call another company. Our warranty goes on edges our engineers have calculated.
What sets the price of an edge pool
Six things decide the figure, and none of them can be judged from a photograph.
- Size and volume of water. Length, width and depth.
- The edge. Overflow all round, one infinity wall, a knife-edge, or a mix.
- The ground. The fall of the plot, the rock or fill under it, and any podium or retaining wall.
- The tank and the basin. Their volume, from the calculation above.
- The plant room. Pumps, filters, dosing, heating, lighting and automation.
- Access. How machines and concrete get onto the plot.
A figure given over the phone would only change once the plot is seen, so we see the plot first. You pay nothing for the visit or the consultation, you sign nothing, and the figure is worked out from our own rate book.
Call or WhatsApp +20 102 626 1818 and pick a time for the site visit this week.
Six checks for any infinity or overflow design
Whoever you hire, ask for these on paper before the first payment.
- The tank volume, and the numbers it was worked out from.
- Where the plant room sits on the garden drawing, with its door and drainage.
- How the ground under the edge wall was assessed.
- The waterproofing on both faces of an infinity wall, by brand.
- The warranty, split between structure, waterproofing and equipment, with the years against each.
- Who cleans the channel and the tank after handover, and on what terms.
A contractor that engineers its own edges answers all six at the first meeting.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between an infinity pool and an overflow pool? An overflow pool spills over its whole perimeter into a channel and a balance tank. An infinity pool spills over one lowered wall into a catch basin below it, and its other sides can be skimmer or overflow.
Can my plot take an infinity edge? It depends on the fall of the ground and what the edge would face. We measure both on the free site visit and tell you which edge the plot suits.
Can you change my skimmer pool to an overflow or infinity edge? Often, when the shell is sound and there is room for a tank. It is structural work, priced after the visit, and cheapest during a renovation with the water out.
How long does an infinity pool take to build? That depends on the size, the edge and the ground. The contract states the build period before work starts.
What does an infinity or overflow pool cost? It depends on the size, the edge, the ground, the tank and the plant room. The site visit and the quote are both free.
What warranty comes with it? On pools we build: 25 years on the structure, 10 on the waterproofing, 5 on the electromechanical works, in writing. On a repair to another company's pool, the term is agreed per job and written on the quote.
Do you maintain infinity and overflow pools after handover? Yes. Maintenance on an edge pool covers the channel and the balance tank as well as the water, the filters and the plant room.
Book the site visit and we will tell you which edge the plot carries
Tell us where the plot is and the edge you have in mind. After the site visit you get a written quotation with the edge, the tank and the plant room set out in it. Say no and you owe us nothing.
Call or WhatsApp +20 102 626 1818, email info@arcgroup-eg.com, or ask for the free online quote. The office is at 15 El-Lewaa Mahmoud Samy Basha, Al Mintaqah as Sādisah, Nasr City, Cairo Governorate 10506, Egypt. Office hours are Saturday to Thursday, 9am to 5pm. Closed Friday.