New Pool Upstate NY -- need contractor

[josephny]

I'm ready to proceed with a new inground pool and am thinking about a 20x40.

But fiberglass seems to be all the rage.

Can anyone recommend a good quality, reliable pool installation contractor for the Eastern Sullivan county, NY, area (close to the Ulster county border)?

I'm a big DIY'er, and I've maintained my 24' round above ground for many years (with the great help of this board), but installing a new inground is way above my pay grade.

Thank you!

 

[JoyfulNoise]

BUMP

Hopefully someone from Upstate will chime in. I will say this, get lots of references from any PB that submits a bid to you and try to get both new references (work from this season) and ones that are a few years out. You want to not only know if the PB is going to treat you right during the build but also know how they treat customers years after the checks stop flowing.

Also, we've had a few posts this year from FG pool owners about cracks in the FG shell, poor installation jobs and the lousy warranty restrictions. See this thread in particular - Viking Pool Crack . A quick search of the forum shows a number of folks complaining about Viking FG pool shells. So definitely do a thorough job checking out the warranty, heck, get a lawyer to read it if you're not sure. From the complaints on here it seems that both the FG manufacturers and the installers don't like to honor warranty claims. All the more reason to really scrutinize any promises that "you're completely covered"...

 

[Kmaz]

I will say this... If your interested in a vinyl liner pool it truly is a great diy project. Aside from digging and concrete everything else is doable ( ofcoarse depending on electrical and plumbing skills). I thoroughly enjoyed it, but truth be told I saved a lot but not as much as you'd think. They work hard for there money. I really don't think they make a ton of money on the pool itself.
Disclosure ... My experience was with a vinyl liner pool only.and a simple one at that.

 

[josephny]

JoyfullNoise and Kmaz -- thank you both very much for the responses.

You (and others here) probably already know how much misinformation there is out there.

I've been told so many completely contradictory, mutually exclusive things.

The fiberglass company told me that FG flexes and can "give" 12 inches and never, ever cracks and that the vinyl used in pool liners today is far far far inferior than what was used 30 years ago because of EPA-related stuff.

The vinyl company told me the exact opposite on both the flex and the vinyl strength.

I'm heavily leaning towards a 20x40 vinyl, but there's about a $5,000 difference between steel wall and concrete wall (steel being cheaper).

And boy oh boy is the web full of apocalyptic stories of people having installed pools with each type.

My soil is incredibly rocky and my frost line is 4'. Lots of movement during freezes and thaws.

I've been quote $50-$55,000 for a 20x40 vinyl, SWG, heat pump, 6' concrete walkway, etc.

Any suggestions or recommendations would sure be appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[cdchris1]

We were in a similar situation last year. We are just outside of Chicago, so we have comparable climates as well. We ended up with a fiberglass pool by Leisure Pools, primary due to the style, but also due to their warranty. Our PB installs only fiberglass, but from various manufacturers. Even before we chose one, they commented that Leisure Pools have much fewer warranty claims compared to the others and that they were very easy to deal with when they did. One of the PB's we talked to brought out pieces from different pools where he had cut out the skimmers that we could compare. There was definitely a difference between manufacturers. We spoke to many others who have pools (both vinyl and fiberglass), and most seemed to have very few problems with freeze/thaw. The ones that did, had problems from the very beginning, so a lot has to do with the installation. Our pool is only 5 months old, so I cannot comment first hand on anything yet, but so far we are happy with our decision. Our maintenance does seem to be easier compared to our fiends that have a liner though.

I did see you mentioned 20x40. All of the fiberglass pools we were looking had a width of 15'-16' due to transportation issues. If you want to go that wide, you may have to rule out fiberglass. You should be happy anyway you go as long as you do manage to find a good PB.