Decisions, decisions...

[foxbody]

I have a big decision to make. I suppose it's a personal decision but I'd appreciate any and all feedback from those that have either in ground or above ground pools. I want a nice pool but I don't want to break the bank. I'm finishing year 3 on my temporary 18' pool. I've faced problems with leveling, algae in the bottom, electricity (extension cord) plus it's just not high enough water (waist deep maybe). The leveling problem causes me to pump out the water in the fall, try to re level in spring, refill. We have about a 3 month summer season here, but we use our pool frequently.

My choices from cheapest to most expensive are:

~ $300 - Try again myself. Maybe rent a tamp device / plate compactor. Maybe exchange the stone dust for sand?
$2,000 - Hire a company to professionally re level area and try again.
$10,000 - Round or oval pool from pool store - Pools - Budget Pools - Peabody & Massachusetts
$35,000 - Gibraltar pool - Gibraltar Pools & Spas
$100,000 - In ground pool (any good builder, something like Abramo Pool and Spa Store in Burlington, MA)

If I try again, I will probably end up buying these temp pools every 2-3 years as they rust out, warp, etc.
If I buy a pool from pool store, I would like to have stairs and a small deck built to the tune of $12,000+.
If I buy a Gibraltar pool, I would need to finance at rates of 7-10% ouch. But the deck is much bigger and the pool is more sturdy. It will last a lifetime.
And def finance the inground pool. It would be the pool of my dreams.

If you had to do it all over again, would you make a different decision? Thanks for any input

 

[ajw22]

How long will you be in the house?

Over 10+ years you will have bought that inground pool in spending on the above ground pool replacements.

 

[DrewLG]

If you had to do it all over again, would you make a different decision?

The way I've done it, every time I've had a pool since 1998, is I buy a house that already has an inground pool. They depreciate really fast -- sometimes all the way past $0 to negative value -- so it's possible for a used inground to be cheaper than any other kind of pool.

I admit that this isn't necessarily useful information for you, unless you're not very attached to your current house and there happens to be a nearby home with a pool for sale...

 

[foxbody]

How long will you be in the house?

Over 10+ years you will have bought that inground pool in spending on the above ground pool replacements.

Lifetime. Never moving unless unable to get up stairs when I'm old. So 30+ years.
I thought AGP's are supposed to last 10-20 years?

 

[foxbody]

The way I've done it, every time I've had a pool since 1998, is I buy a house that already has an inground pool. They depreciate really fast -- sometimes all the way past $0 to negative value -- so it's possible for a used inground to be cheaper than any other kind of pool.

I admit that this isn't necessarily useful information for you, unless you're not very attached to your current house and there happens to be a nearby home with a pool for sale...

Gotcha. Yeah, we aren't moving anytime soon. But I like your strategy.

I grew up with an inground pool. It was awesome. Pops filled it in after he spent a lot of money diagnosing an underground leak and couldn't fix it. I offered to help pay for it and chemicals but he was done.

 

[BDY]

Showing my naivete about northern pools - which one is easier to winterize? And to deal with winter and freeze caused issues?

 

[foxbody]

Showing my naivete about northern pools - which one is easier to winterize? And to deal with winter and freeze caused issues?

I'd have to assume the Gibraltar pool. Rep indicated they do not need to be winterized, as the lines were built with materials that tolerate winter freezing, etc. I'm also wondering how long the pool store pool will actually last. They claimed they knew of owners with 20 year old pools but my buddy who has a 2 year old pool said he already has indentations in the floor of the pool and that's where he expects problems to start?

 

[kellyfair]

If you want a pool but don’t want to spend multiple thousands, get a better AGP (all resin will never rust) and pay an installer to level and install. If you want to do most yourself, pay someone to level - it is totally worth it.

An all resin pool, 18’ by 54”, is less than $4,000 right now.

18'x54

The 18'X54" Saltwater Aurora round pool introduces elegant greys with a subtle resin wall pattern that will make this pool look beautiful in any backyard.

www.thepoolfactory.com

 

[foxbody]

If you want a pool but don’t want to spend multiple thousands, get a better AGP (all resin will never rust) and pay an installer to level and install. If you want to do most yourself, pay someone to level - it is totally worth it.

An all resin pool, 18’ by 54”, is less than $4,000 right now.

18'x54

The 18'X54" Saltwater Aurora round pool introduces elegant greys with a subtle resin wall pattern that will make this pool look beautiful in any backyard.

www.thepoolfactory.com

You're talking online retailers? I'm considering buying from my local pool store but their prices are much higher. But their installers will also level the whole area, I think they use sand, put together the whole pool, connect all lines, etc. 24' round was around $7,800 + $1,200 install. Oval is 15x 30 for $9,999 + $1800 install. Is the extra money worth it to avoid future headaches?

 

[foxbody]

$8,799 for a 15x26.5'
$10,899 for 18x33

 

[Newdude]

15x30 and 18x33 are typical inground sizes. Both are ginormous for above grounds, and worth the upgrade IMO.

 

[kellyfair]

You're talking online retailers? I'm considering buying from my local pool store but their prices are much higher. But their installers will also level the whole area, I think they use sand, put together the whole pool, connect all lines, etc. 24' round was around $7,800 + $1,200 install. Oval is 15x 30 for $9,999 + $1800 install. Is the extra money worth it to avoid future headaches?

I bought mine from Pool Warehouse (same pool I linked above) and paid a local installer $600 to level and install. Did my own plumbing using the same pump/filter I used with my old Intex, although the installer would have done it without charging me more. So, I spent less than $5,000.

The only thing I buy from my pool store is liquid chlorine. Except, I also bought an expensive float (I had a $20 coupon for it).

 

[drsipe]

Whatever you decide, the one piece of advice I will give you is this. Get the most you can afford, no one ever complains that thier pool is too big, a lot of people complain their pool is too small.

If you are planning on staying in your house for 30+ years, I would probably go with the inground pool and as big as I can afford.

My pool is inground vinyl with steel walls, the original liner lasted 16 years, and next year it will be 20 years old. To this day, I still tell people it was the best investment in my happiness. I also built muti-levels of patio and deck, it's truly an oasis, and we use it every day the sun is shining, my neighbor's call it the resort. If I had to do it all over again, I wouldn't change a thing,,,,, unless I won the lottery, then I would go bigger.

 

[Pauls234]

Those prices for above ground + install do seem a bit on the high side.

I needed to replace my pool before last season and I was planning to go the same route as @kellyfair and purchase from The Pool Factory and hire a local installer. I ended up purchasing locally because American Sale happened to have a resin pool that I liked better aestethically than others I had looked at.

Can't recall exact price, but it was under $6k (and maybe closer to $5k) all in for a 30' resin pool installed.

They didn't need to do any leveling, and I already had a pump, filter, and heater so perhaps that explains some of the difference. Guess we'd have to look at the specifics of what's included (or not), but just know your replacement in maybe 15 years(?) will be cheaper.

Big cost of a pretty cool AGP set up is a nice big deck as you've noted.

As others have said, go as big as you can. At family gatherings there are regularly 15-20 people in my pool and it does not feel crowded.

Leveling is brutal work, I'd pay someone for that for sure!