New Build Syracuse, NY on budget

[tycalmc]

So we bought a new house and it did not come with a pool and we had one at our old house and my 2 kids lived in it all summer. We are missing and want to put in another pool. We have to put in an inground this time which of course cost more money. Our budget says we have to wait but I dont want to because I want the kids to enjoy it so we are thinking of doing the minimum now and then adding on later.

My question is what upgrades do I do now instead of later because it will cost me more money in the long run.

We are looking at a 16x34 2ft radius rectangle pool. Must have SWG. Here are the options we are having problems with

Heater?
Pool lights or just over head lights?
Safety cover?
extra patio now or later?

Also anyone in Syracuse have recommendation on a builder to go with or not go with.

 

[tcrote5516]

Well the heater is an easy add on down the road just setup plumbing for it now and allow space on the equipment pad.

Pool lights, do it once, do it right and do it at the time of install!

Safety cover can be added later but obviously it's a good idea to do it now especially with kids.

I'd go pavers for the patio for two reasons. 1) Concrete needs to be poured all at once in order to match. 2) Concrete cracks in our climate. Start with a small deck area and expand as budget allows. Installation is the more expensive part of a paver job so order the total sqft you will eventually need upfront. If you try to order it later you may not be able to get them and even if you do find them the chances are the color will be off due to variations in the manufacturing process.

 

[tycalmc]

I have a question should I have the pool built in the fall and do the concrete, fence and landscaping in the spring or should I do all of it in the spring. Now with this in mind I have a black lab who will get all muddy during the construction phase we do have an invisible fence right now and can possibly put it around all of the dirt so he does not get so muddy. Thoughts?

 

[allinspector]

You'll be happier doing it all at once.

The amount of mud that finds a way into the house and the erosion that will happen while waiting is kind of a pain.

With the pool lights, you could plumb for nicheless lights then add them at a later date.

The delayed expense isn't very big so may not be worth waiting on that either.

 

[Nectarologist]

So we bought a new house and it did not come with a pool and we had one at our old house and my 2 kids lived in it all summer. We are missing and want to put in another pool. We have to put in an inground this time which of course cost more money. Our budget says we have to wait but I dont want to because I want the kids to enjoy it so we are thinking of doing the minimum now and then adding on later.

My question is what upgrades do I do now instead of later because it will cost me more money in the long run.

We are looking at a 16x34 2ft radius rectangle pool. Must have SWG. Here are the options we are having problems with

Heater? Like tcrote5516 said just plumb for it now and you can easily add later on pushing off $2k-$2,500 till later for the unit itself.

Pool lights or just over head lights? Get lights in the pool, you won't regret it. If you need to compromise get a standard light instead of an LED set up.

Safety cover? Do you mean a winter cover or one for use during the swimming season?

extra patio now or later? Later. Start with a small patio around the stairs and do grass around the other 3 sides for a couple of seasons. You could have a landscaper lay sod for $500.

Also anyone in Syracuse have recommendation on a builder to go with or not go with.

Make sure you have your electrical outlets that you want done now (or at least the conduit laid). If you want stereo speakers lay the conduit while the yard is dug up (you can do this yourself and save $$). Even the SWG can be added easily in the second year or beyond.

 

[Nectarologist]

I have a question should I have the pool built in the fall and do the concrete, fence and landscaping in the spring or should I do all of it in the spring. Now with this in mind I have a black lab who will get all muddy during the construction phase we do have an invisible fence right now and can possibly put it around all of the dirt so he does not get so muddy. Thoughts?

I would build in fall and finish in spring. With vinyl there is a large over-dig that needs to be backfilled and this will need to settle. I've seen builders fill with gravel and pour a deck right away but that rock costs money and the dirt that was dug out for the pool is available to use for backfill. IMO the perfect time to build a vinyl pool is the fall so you have a winter of rain and especially snow to compact the backfill. Building is a complete mess so the dog will be dirty no matter what. I understand that you would not want to prolong it but unless you use gravel to backfill it's inevitable you'll have that delay.

 

[tycalmc]

I would build in fall and finish in spring. With vinyl there is a large over-dig that needs to be backfilled and this will need to settle. I've seen builders fill with gravel and pour a deck right away but that rock costs money and the dirt that was dug out for the pool is available to use for backfill. IMO the perfect time to build a vinyl pool is the fall so you have a winter of rain and especially snow to compact the backfill. Building is a complete mess so the dog will be dirty no matter what. I understand that you would not want to prolong it but unless you use gravel to backfill it's inevitable you'll have that delay.

So I just went and talked to one builder and he said they hate building in the fall and waiting until spring to do the deck because water get down under the vinyl liner and will make the liner float? and that water will have to be drained. I do not know if he is just saying this to talk another dealer down or not. what do you think?

 

[Nectarologist]

That should not be a problem. They should be laying a concrete base and filing the pool with water, test it and then winterize. Maybe he's thinking that you wouldn't fill the pool with water until the spring? But I would question how he's building it to begin with if he thinks water will get behind the liner, it seems like the pool is not built well if that happens. Though it can certainly happen in cases even when the pool is built properly but it's the exception. You need to let the ground settle if backfilling with dirt so I feel it might as well be over the winter if you can plan that.

 

[DanielJ]

That how my build was done. More by coincidence than by design. The dig started in October and the pool, liner, and backfill was done by mid November. The water goes on the day that the liner is put in place. No concrete patio or equipment installation until Spring. That way, they were able to regrade after a winter's worth of settling. It came out pretty well. We are extremely happy with our pool.