Hi amp. Last May, we had a 32 x 16 Doughboy installed and buried 3 feet with a 7' deep end. The entire purchase/install (less plumbing the waste line to the city piping, which was required) ran us about $10K, which included the price of the best/thickest expandable liner (The install/bury was $3200 of the $10K and well worth it). We only opted for one return and later had to install a 2nd return ourselves, as well as hard-plumb the entire pool, because we didn't like the vacuum-cleaner type hoses. Doughboy allows a full bury (I think 6" must remain above ground) with still a full warranty. We want to do step-up decking around the entire pool, and so just did the 3' bury. The installer stressed to us to not ever, ever drain the pool - the walls will collapse. I'm assuming that we could probably drain just long enough to replace the liner, if necessary, and then refill immediately. I don't know what our water table is, but that plays a role in it. Hope this helps.