thinking about installing a swimming pool ... any advice? (1 Viewer)

[Colton]

Greg -

Thanks for the info. I think we would rather have a in-ground Therapeutic Spa. This would allow us to use it all year around. We just need to find one that is comfortable and sits at least 8 people.

- Colton

 

[RobertR]

This thread completely validates the decision of me and my wife to stay far away from pools when we were house hunting.

 

[Joe Szott]

Hot tubs and spas are a lot easier than pools to maintain than a large pool IMO. Less water area just equals less to worry about. Wife and I would love to add a spa to our house here in Denver, you leave it hot in the winter and cool in the hot summer, nice year round.

I would second the above ground option as stated above: service is way easier/cheaper, and if you decide we were all fools and hate the thing later it's easy to get rid of it. But darn, are those in ground spas nice when done right!

 

[JoelC]

I have a 15x30 Esther Williams Millenium above ground pool with a big trex deck around it. Cost about $20k when all said and done. I got my moneys worth the first time my three kids went in, seeing how much they enjoyed it. If it was just my wife and I with no kids, no way would I have a pool just for the fact that I do not use it personally that much but the kids are in it all the time....and this is in Vermont where the pool season is two months if we are lucky.

 

[Colton]

I can't seem to find any companies that do in-ground spa/hottub. :frowning:

Don't mean to hijack this thread.

- Colton

 

[Jeff Gatie]

This is the best advice I can give after caring for my parent's pool for 5+ years. That care consisted of throwing the Polaris robot in the water, flipping a switch and then floating on the "SS Budweiser" for 2 hours. Seriously, an automatic vacuum means your pool care time goes from hours a day to minutes a day. It also does a much better job than manual vacuuming. As a bonus, it will find earrings and other jewelry that fall off in the pool, making a nice side profit for the pool care person.

 

[Ted Lee]

thx for the tips guys. i am definitely hearing that the salt systems are the way to go as well.

i've got a few pool contractors lined up in the next couple of weeks. we'll see just how far they want me to bend over.

 

[Colton]

They won't tell you - they'll surprise you! All the way, baby!

- Colton

 

[Scott Dautel]

Hi Ted ... I'm thinking of writing a book "Should I install a pool and what do I need to know before I start"

Problem is, it would be a big book. There are only 2 types of pools I would consider ... in-ground gunite (concrete) and in-ground fiberglass shell. Forget vinyl liners and forget above-ground if you want a real pool of value.

In-ground fiberglass shell - I would look at Viking Pools 1st, maybe San Juan pools 2nd.
ADVANTAGES: cheaper (~25%), construction/install is quick. looks like concrete/plaster, you can customize the coping, decking, just about everythign these days. virtually have a lifetime warantee on the shell.
DISADVANTAGES: Fewer contractors for this. Size & shape limitations ... few are larger than 30' and 6' deep. You can't realy have a deep-end/diving board. You will pay to truck the shell to your home and rent a crane. If water level drops, they can "float" (i.e. pop out of the ground) ... this can be a nightmare.

Concrete (i.e. gunite or shotcrete with plaster surface)
ADVANTAGES: No design limits, lasts a lifetime,
DISADVANTAGES: COST!!!, plaster will probably need resurfacing in 8-10 years (expoect ~$6000), takes months to complete. Trucks will destroy your yard/driveway.

About 6 weeks ago, we opened our brand new 40' in-ground concrete pool (Anthony & Sylvan Pools, the largest in the USA at over 6000 digs/year). The contract was signed 23-Aug-2004 and it took 9 months to complete. The process was torture and I would probably NOT use A&S a 2nd time. Regardless, I don't think we could be any happier with the result. We use it every day and I would do it again (this time knowing all the pitfalls). A few learnings from my experience ....

MYTH: A pool decreases property value and makes a house hard to sell.
MY LEARNING: An modern, in-ground concrete pool that is well landscaped and maintained will return about 80% of the cost when you sell the house. There are buyers that DO NOT want a pool, buy they won't be looking at your house, will they? Note that a good pool contract includes a transferrable lifetime warantee on the pool.

MYTH: Pools are a PIA to maintain:
MY EXPERINECE: Maintaining chemistry is a non-issue. I check the water and add chemicals weekly. It takes about 15 min. Chemical cost is not a big deal. I let the auto vacuum run about 3x/week; I do a manual vacuum occasionally. Next season, I might consider blowing $1000 on an Aquabot robotic vacuum, which are better and quicker than my Ray-Vac.

MYTH: Pools cost a fortune to operate.
MY EXPERIENCE: I figure about $40./month for electricity to run the pump 10 hrs/day. Chlorine, shock and filter media (DE) are running about $75/season. We have a Nature2 system that allows you to maintain chlorine at approx. 0.5 ppm (very low) The Nature2 cartridge is replaced annually and runs $100/season. Dont mess with the salt-conversion chlorinators which are better suited for large, public pools. The big cost is natural gas for heating (optional). We run it minimally, but it could easily cost hundreds per month. We'll see what happens in September. If you use a service company for spring start / fall close, figure $500/year (could be less).

MYTH: Liability insurance for a backyard pool is a killer.
MY EXPERIENCE: No changes to my homeowners ins. cost as long as all state pools codes are met and it passes inspection; (fencing was costly).

MYTH: In-ground concrete Pools cost a small fortune to build and there are many hidden construction costs.
MY EXPERIENCE: NOT a myth ... this is accurate. Landscaping is the hardest part to budget and can equal the cost of the pool (or more).

Bottom Line ... EVERY SINGLE concrete pool owner I spoke with LOVES their pool. Non-pool owners can be critical. It's a personal decision and depends on your lifestyle and budget. Dont skimp and dont take shortcuts. Work hard on the contract BEFORE you sign and choose your contractor with GREAT care. You will likely be paying out $$$ BEFORE work is done and dealing with troublesome sub-contractors, who have little motivation to treat you right or complete on schedule. Realize on day 1 that YOU are the project manager, regardless of what the builder tells you. Resolve problems during construction ... not after, but realize that contractors can and will stop work if you piss them off TOO much; it's a delicate and challenging management project ... but very rewarding.

Scott

 

[Ted Lee]

great info scott ... thank you for your personal insights. i'll certainly be keeping those in mind during my shopping.

 

[Philip Hamm]

Another thing to consider is a solar heating system. They're not that expensive to build and cost almost nothing to operate (pumps), but may require certain things, like your roof has to be more or less facing south, etc. Not sure of the details but I've seen great pictures and read about them in "Home Power" magazine.

Now that's if you need or want heating at at all.

 

[MarkMel]

I talked my wife into getting a pool installed around 5 years ago, we got quotes for vinyl liner and gunite. We saw an ad in the paper for really low price for a gunite pool. I knew this was just to get them in the door. Anyway, we went with this company, they wanted extra cash above the base price for every little option. (I knew this would be the case going in)

We needed a heater because the pool was built with a spa attached to it. They wanted $6,000 for a heater, I told them forget the heater just run the lines, I got a heater 2 steps up on-line for $1,200 and installed it myself.

They wanted lots for electrical, I got that done for free by a friend that's an electrician.

So basically any of the extras they wanted to add I said no to. With the exception of the color changing light and an automatic vacuum. All in all got it at price about equal to a vinyl in-ground.

I opted for a 6' deep end with no diving board. I originally wanted the diving board but when you think about it, when you have a diving board 2/3's of your pool isn't really used. Everyone ends up hanging out in the shallow end. Plus not having one is one less thing to worry about with kids. Great for volleyball.

Originally I had to fight my wife to get one, but now when sitting in the spa she says it's the best thing I forced her to buy. My daughter and I go in almost every night after work. It's gotten to the point that if we get invited to a picnic on a hot day and they don't have a pool we opt to stay home and swim.

Maintenance consists of throwing in the vacuum and shocking it once and a while.

The whole process took longer than I wanted, if you could find a company to start installing it this year, you might be in it next year.

Next on the list is installing an outdoor kitchen by the pool. Just having a gas grill just isn't cutting it.

 

[Ted Lee]

that's a very good point and one we've already considered. wifey actually wants to do a beach entrance ... which i kinda like. another friend recommended that i also add a couple of holes (for umbrella's) in the beach area -- that way you can hang out in the water and still be in the shade. neat idea!