Pool Education, what do I need to know.

JZ67

JZ67

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I am considering an in-ground pool for my backyard and I am a total newb with zero knowledge about pools other than it is a hole filled with water.

Everything over the years is improving in quality and choices are a bit overwhelming. Of course, I could spend countless hours researching online, but it is always interesting to hear from real people and their experiences. So what is the basic info I need?

Concrete or Fibreglass?

Salt Water or traditional chlorine?

What am I looking at in ball park cost for a pool that is about 16' x 30' and 7' deep at one end?

Any companies that I should speak to or avoid?

Thanks for the help.
 
I grew up with a traditional chlorine pool and I would recommend a saltwater one. Many people are having their traditional ones converted.

One thing I do know....get ready to watch your hydro meter spin!
 
JZ67 said:
What am I looking at in ball park cost for a pool that is about 16' x 30' and 7' deep at one end?
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Can't be of much help..other than I looked into it about 5 years ago..and the start cost was about $30k..$50k for something nice with landscaping..
 
invictus43 said:
Can't be of much help..other than I looked into it about 5 years ago..and the start cost was about $30k..$50k for something nice with landscaping..
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I'm just looking at the cost of the pool now. Landscaping can be done over time. Thanks for your help.
 
JZ67 said:
ohh, good point. I should have asked what the average yearly costs to operate would be too.
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This would depend on what you have associate with your pool. My parents never had a heater so it's just the pump. But that alone is a huge electricity draw. If you have kids, it's totally worth it. But as an adult, I'd never have a pool because you just don't get the use out of it to justify the cost.
 
Salt yes, many many benefits. I also highly recommend a heater, it extends the season considerably,
they don't cost that much if put in as part of the installation, and it doesn't need to run during the middle
of the summer when the weather is good. And if it's a crappy summer, can fire it up and still use the pool.
 
JZ67 said:
I'm just looking at the cost of the pool now. Landscaping can be done over time. Thanks for your help.
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Just talking to my buddy..he says the pool companies are having problems with saltwater pools corroding the filtration and pumping components. Also says vinyl liner is probably the best way to go overall. He says you're looking closer to $50k for a half-decent pool.
 
One of the neighbours was all gung-ho for a pool, so he had one installed at the beginning of last summer.
I was speaking with him recently, he was telling me how much he regrets his decision.
Partially because of the cost of products, electricity as well as the constant monitoring and maintenance.
(Don't forget you need a full perimeter locking fence.)
Says he can't justify the cost for the amount it actually gets used.
He would rather have his yard back.
 
AGAVE said:
One of the neighbours was all gung-ho for a pool, so he had one installed at the beginning of last summer.
I was speaking with him recently, he was telling me how much he regrets his decision.
Partially because of the cost of products, electricity as well as the constant monitoring and maintenance.
(Don't forget you need a full perimeter locking fence.)
Says he can't justify the cost for the amount it actually gets used.
He would rather have his yard back.
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I have 3 young kids, usage is not an issue. Fence - got that.
 
JZ67 said:
I have 3 young kids, usage is not an issue. Fence - got that.
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Well start diggin' man!
Diggin_a_hole.gif

You can be done by the end of the month. :D
 
JZ67 said:
$50K for half decent? Mamalooshin'!!!!
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Yeah..that's why I didn't do it!! :-) With 3 kids, I think it's awesome. They'll love it! I figure, if you don't have a cottage, get a pool. What a great way to spend summer.
 
i grew up in the water.
still have one.

immediate thoughts....
Fence - already brought up.
Hydro - already brought up.
Water - you will have to fill the pool semi regularly.
all adding to the cost of a pool not included in the actual purchase of a pool.
not to mention, accessories,water kits, vacuum,skimmers,ect.
overtime you will spend less and less, but because you are a newb you will need the pool guys to come to your pool regularly to check stuff you dont know how to do.
they cost money too.

pools are great, especially when you have young children.
it becomes such an investment that you almost find yourself forcing to go in.
if you dont have a cottage, its a great idea.

also.... take into consideration the size of your property.
you need to account for room of paths, walkways and a shed.

im not sayin dont get one, just bringing up other things (aside for the cost of the pool itself) that might be important to your decision making process.
i love the pool.....but thats because i never had to pay for it. lol
 
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JZ67 said:
$50K for half decent? Mamalooshin'!!!!
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Talk to a few pool builders, they'll ballpark a $ figure for you. Mine was under $20 all said and done, but that was Niagara, and 10 years ago.
 
My parents bought a house with a pool when I was 10. We used the hell out of it on a daily basis for the first 3 or 4 years. Fast forward 20 years and the pool gets used maybe 5 times a summer? And usually by relatives and guests.

I walk over to their house occasionally to use it. Is it worth 30k to build a new one? Helllllll no. Buy yourself a Corvette and take the kids out for drives every sunday instead :lol:
 
16 by 32 should be around $20K for the basic pool. Get some quotes. I have a salt water pool, pretty well all the plumbing and parts are plastic, the rest is stainless. Not concerned about corrosion. Salt and other chemicals will probably be around $200 per year, and you can open and close it yourself fairly easily. It's just a big chemistry set, so once you figure out the salt/generator/pump running time balance, there's really not a lot to do.
Excellent idea if you have kids. And you'll find that your friends will bring beer and food when they come to use the pool, so it's all good.
PM me if you have other questions.
 
one thing you should see a pool as is an investment....unlike a lot of the "renovations" that are done on the house, a pool never brings back its cost to the value of the home.

When we were looking into buying a house, a few of them had pools, and after some research we decided against it, and we found out a lot of people feel this way.

Maintenance and upkeep runs somewhere between 2 and 5K a year....thats alot for something that gets used 4 months out of the year....thats worse bang for the buck than a motorcycle! lol
 
Thanks for all the great information. I won't go a quote spree so I will add this. The idea initially came from really not having a great deal of time to travel so why not do the 'Punta Backyard' thing in the summer months. My kids are at a great stage of their lives now that they will get a lot of use out of it and I already know that the usage will fade over time. I also realize that a pool is a kid magnet and it comes with a load of responsibility and it's own set of aggravation.

I have plenty of room for a pool as my lot is very large, so this really isn't much of an issue too.

I totally understand that if we go ahead with it, it is something we are doing for us and it may be a deterrent if we are to sell in the future. We have no long term plans to sell as we are very content in our home and I can see myself being there well past my kids going off on their own.

I realize this sounds like I have already made the choice, but the fact is no choice has been made. I like to do my homework first and make a rational decision. Spending large amounts of money out of desire is something reserved for motorcycling :)

Thanks again, keep the information coming.
 
Red_Liner740 said:
one thing you should see a pool as is an investment....unlike a lot of the "renovations" that are done on the house, a pool never brings back its cost to the value of the home.

When we were looking into buying a house, a few of them had pools, and after some research we decided against it, and we found out a lot of people feel this way.

Maintenance and upkeep runs somewhere between 2 and 5K a year....thats alot for something that gets used 4 months out of the year....thats worse bang for the buck than a motorcycle! lol
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+1 a pool to many folks is actually a liability when it comes time to sell. A lot of people would rather have their backyard.

If your not planning on moving in the long term, go ahead and do it, but if you are planning on moving to a different house in the next 5 years, dont bother, you wont get any money back for it and it might actually end up hurting resale values.
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