Automatic Pool Cover for an Existing Pool in Spain

The question every villa owner asks first

"My pool was built years ago — is it too late to put a cover on it?" It is far and away the most common question we're asked, and the answer is a straightforward no, it isn't too late. The great majority of the covers we manufacture are fitted to pools that already exist: a villa bought last spring, a family pool from the nineties, a rental property being brought up to standard. The part that makes it possible is the choice of roller. An above-water roller — sometimes called a raised or visible roller — carries the slats above the waterline at one end of the pool, and its supports are anchored on the coping stones or on a low bench built alongside them. Nothing is chased into the pool shell. The water stays where it is, the tiling stays where it is, and the pool is usually back in use within a couple of days.

No, your pool does not need rebuilding

The picture most people have in their head is the worst case: the pool drained, the coping lifted, a trench cut along one end and weeks of dust. None of that happens. On an above-water system the roller is held by two supports that are anchored onto the coping stones, or onto a low bench built beside them, and that fixing work is done on the day of installation.

Because nothing structural changes, there is no need to empty the pool, no re-tiling and no concrete to cure before you can swim again. Filtration and cleaning carry on as normal throughout. For owners who are only in Spain for part of the year, that matters: the work fits into a short window rather than writing off half a season.

Every cover we build is motorised and runs on 230 V; there is no manual version in our range. You operate it from a control point beside the pool, the slats unroll across the surface to form a continuous floating platform, and the motor winds them back onto the roller in under a minute when you want to swim.

What actually goes on the poolside

The roller is a stainless steel tube that spans one of the short ends of the pool, carried on a support at each side. Structurally, everything we make is 316L stainless steel — the marine grade — because poolside air in Spain is a punishing mixture of chlorine, salt and sun, and lesser metals show it within a few seasons.

The slats come in PVC or in polycarbonate, either solar or clear, and we talk the difference through at the survey — it depends on whether heat, cleanliness or appearance matters most to you. If a visible roller feels too industrial for a smart terrace, it can be housed in a box finished to suit its surroundings.

Once closed, the deck of slats covers the whole water surface, which is why a slatted cover is treated as a safety element as well as a heat and cleanliness one. Our covers are manufactured to NF P90-308, the French standard that sets out how this type of cover must perform and the reference used across Europe.

Almost any pool qualifies — with one exception

In practice the only real requirement is a free short end. We need enough room at one end of the pool to sit the roller and its supports, which is generally a modest strip along the coping. A surveyor confirms it on site rather than from photographs, and also looks at access for the installation team and where the power supply will come from.

Shape is rarely a problem. Rectangular pools are the simplest, but we make covers for L-shaped pools, pools with Roman end steps and pools well over the usual domestic dimensions, because every cover is manufactured to the measurements taken at your property. Nothing is pulled off a shelf in standard sizes, which is what allows the slats to sit neatly against the real geometry of the pool.

The exception is the submerged roller, the version that disappears completely below the waterline. That one needs a bench built inside the pool shell, which means proper building work, so it belongs to new-build projects or a serious refurbishment. We would rather say that plainly than let you discover it halfway through: on a finished pool, the above-water roller is the honest answer.

From survey to the first press of the button

It starts with a site visit. We take the exact measurements ourselves, look at the coping, the surroundings and the electrics, and advise on the slat that suits how you actually use the pool — a house lived in all year has different priorities from one let out in July and August. You get a written quotation, with no obligation, within 24 working hours.

Your cover is then built at our own factory in Torrijos, near Toledo, in four to six weeks. We have been manufacturing these covers since 2005 and have more than 5,000 installations behind us. Being the manufacturer rather than a reseller means the specification, the quality control and the delivery date sit with one company — and that spare parts for a cover fitted years ago are still ours to supply.

Installation is carried out by our own fitters, normally in one or two days, with no work to the pool shell, and finishes with a proper handover so you know how to run and look after it. If you are not in Spain that week, we are used to working with a keyholder or property manager, and we can send photographs of the finished installation.

Common questions

Can I fit an automatic cover to a pool that is already built?

Yes, and it is the most common situation we deal with. An above-water roller is designed exactly for this: the roller and slats sit above the waterline at one end of the pool, on supports anchored to the coping stones or a low bench beside them. The pool shell is not touched. Most of the covers leaving our factory go onto pools that have been in use for years.

Will the pool have to be drained or broken into?

No. With an above-water roller there is no work inside the pool shell at all. The supports are anchored onto the coping stones or a small bench alongside, and that is done on the day the cover is installed. The water stays in, the tiling is untouched and filtration carries on as usual. Only the submerged roller, which is hidden below the water, requires building work.

Does it work on an L-shaped pool or one with Roman steps?

Yes. Every cover is made to measure from the dimensions our technician takes at your property, so rectangular pools, L-shaped pools, pools with Roman end steps and larger-than-average pools are all catered for. The measuring visit happens before anything is manufactured, which is what allows the slats to follow the real geometry of your pool rather than an approximation of it.

Can the roller be hidden in a pool that already exists?

The fully submerged roller needs a bench built inside the pool shell, so it is specified for new pools or major refurbishments rather than finished ones. If your pool is staying as it is, the above-water roller is the answer — and it does not have to be conspicuous, because the roller and slats can be enclosed in a box finished to match the terrace or the surrounding planting.

How long does it take from ordering to a working cover?

Allow four to six weeks for manufacture once the order is confirmed, then one or two days on site for the installation. Before that, we come out to measure and send a written quotation, with no obligation, within 24 working hours. If you are buying the villa and want the cover ready for your first summer, that timetable is worth working backwards from.

Fitting an automatic cover to an existing pool

The question every villa owner asks first

No, your pool does not need rebuilding

What actually goes on the poolside

Almost any pool qualifies — with one exception

From survey to the first press of the button

Common questions

Can I fit an automatic cover to a pool that is already built?

Will the pool have to be drained or broken into?

Does it work on an L-shaped pool or one with Roman steps?

Can the roller be hidden in a pool that already exists?

How long does it take from ordering to a working cover?

Learn more about our covers

Cover models

Slat types

Pool heating

Ways to cover a pool

Winter pool covers

Repairs and original spare parts

Talk to the people who make and fit your cover

Tell us about your pool