Fiberglass IG Pool Quote Review - Am I Crazy?

[bmoreswim]

All you can do is get several quotes to make sure you are in the right ballpark and then make your choice. Seems a bit high but the market is what it is. That is a BIG fiberglass pool. I love the design of it.

Unless you've had an autocover it's hard to appreciate the benefits (and costs). Open early, close late with no concern for pollen, oak tassles, fall leaves, etc. Complete pool access piece of mind. Lower FC usage and lower pump run time. Heat retention. Overall cleanliness. But yes, at a cost.

Echoing others, skip the deck jets, get a VS pump. Plenty of lights.

 

[smracing]

Just my opinion, but I wouldn't spend that kind of money on anything but a gunite pool.

 

[dunginhawk]

Thats entirely your opinion, but I wouldnt touch a gunite pool with a 10 foot pole. Obviously each option has its own advantages and disadvantages or people wouldnt buy them. There are tons of reasons why fiberglass makes a ton of sense. Oh and they can be installed in like 3 days.

 

[PoolGate]

Thats entirely your opinion, but I wouldnt touch a gunite pool with a 10 foot pole. Obviously each option has its own advantages and disadvantages or people wouldnt buy them. There are tons of reasons why fiberglass makes a ton of sense. Oh and they can be installed in like 3 days.

Better of course is a very subjective thing. In order of price, it is liner, fiberglass, then gunite. Many of us equate higher price = better. Fiberglass certainly is easier and typically not much cheaper than gunite in the grand scheme of things. Gunite allows for any design one wants along with any depth. Fiberglass tends to be shallower which for us would have been a deal killer (9 ft deep end). But if our needs could be met with a fiberglass pool it would be a hard decision to make. After only 1 and 1/2 seasons our plaster is already showing some pitting. And plaster is a long-term consumable for a gunite pool. 15 years would be about what you can expect before shelling out another $10k plus to have the pool re-plastered. I am actually not sure how long a fiberglass pool lasts.

 

[jimmythegreek]

The beauty of concrete is you can shape anything you want at any depth and you can alter that down the road if you choose. Fiberglass you cannot, but the finish lasts longer on glass. Eventually the gel coat fades on glass pools and you are gonna spend big money there too. They all have their place and pros and cons. Vinyl is the cheapest up front cost and has come a long way. You can do just about anything nowadays with a liner pool

 

[dunginhawk]

Yep,,, each have their benefits. Fiberglass pools essentially last forever... SHouldnt have to do any refinishing on them if you maintain them properly... Perhaps FG pools from decades ago werent made as well (or the same). All valid points about shapes and sizes and what you want etc..

 

[sktn77a]

Fiberglass pools essentially last forever.

I don't think so. Gelcoat surfaces under the water blister and crack, color fades, stress cracks in the surface are very common. While gelcoat can be resurfaced, it's never anywhere near as good as the original finish. And most fiberglass pool warranties are worthless (25 year pro-rated warranty that the pool will "hold water").

 

[borjis]

My immediate thought is the same as PoolGate. For that kind of money, I would go with a concrete / plaster pool.

Fiberglass pools don't last forever. In fact I've read of so many issues some have had with them that I would probably
never have one if I had a choice.

 

[dunginhawk]

Some do blister... Some (the good ones) come with a blister warranty for 25 years or some are lifetime... If you pick the right vendor you get better coverage... Dont go with cheap anything I always say ... Even so, if even the decent pools get 20-25 years without major issues, or blistering, i think most would be ok with that.

 

[Noah382]

I am in the same area as you (roughly) and that price seems outrageous to me. Is that Bowen or Browning? For $100k I would for sure be getting Gunite. And always plan on more than the contract we were around $20k over contract price. Does that price even include automation? And where is the filter? I would also lose the auto-cover.

Thanks for the reply. I think we are sold on fiberglass as we aren't looking to have any special shape and would like to have the auto cover built into the side walls. Can you please elaborate on how your project went $20k over your budget?

 

[Noah382]

you may want to give Inground Fiberglass Pools in Virginia | River Pools

they did out fiberglass pool and they are pretty local to you - check out website

I had actually talked to them over the phone. Problem was they wanted $500 to even come out and look at the project. They reluctantly gave me some rough prices over the phone and a similar shaped pool was base priced around $80k-$90k (base with current PB is $54k) which he said we then need to add add-ons like salt generator, etc... I was like WHAT. So I stopped talking to them just based on that. I may actually reach out to them and pay the $500 fee just to get some other opinions on our options. I would love to get away from all the retaining wall requirements but just not sure how.

 

[jimmythegreek]

If you can, take a pic from the other side of fence looking back at your house. Looking at your deck the only good space is the area by shallow end and spa. 10ft in front of a door isn't really enough for table would be seating only. If you moved pool over to wider area and trimmed the pool to 8ft off house and no decking on backside you may be able to just slope with excess dirt down to the fence with no wall. Not easy with a fiberglass pool but would be no issue with a concrete pool. You definitely need to get some more prices and if you really want to keep the cost down be open to at least getting a bid from a liner pool. 100k is alot of coin for that style of pool and your yard. There is very little excavation and dirt would be brought in. My concern would be the prep on the backside of pool. It would be sitting on fill material the compaction is crucial on a glass pool in your situation and that's probably what's driving the cost up. If I was installing I would set the whole pool on stone or select fill

 

[Noah382]

If you can, take a pic from the other side of fence looking back at your house. Looking at your deck the only good space is the area by shallow end and spa. 10ft in front of a door isn't really enough for table would be seating only. If you moved pool over to wider area and trimmed the pool to 8ft off house and no decking on backside you may be able to just slope with excess dirt down to the fence with no wall. Not easy with a fiberglass pool but would be no issue with a concrete pool. You definitely need to get some more prices and if you really want to keep the cost down be open to at least getting a bid from a liner pool. 100k is alot of coin for that style of pool and your yard. There is very little excavation and dirt would be brought in. My concern would be the prep on the backside of pool. It would be sitting on fill material the compaction is crucial on a glass pool in your situation and that's probably what's driving the cost up. If I was installing I would set the whole pool on stone or select fill

Thanks for the reply. Unfortunately, we have quite a few constraints.

County Code says the pool has to be 10' away from the house
We have a 10' easement coming off of the back fence that we can't build in
HOA states the pool has to be directly behind the house.
The yard slope is pretty extreme.

Attached are some pictures and a link to more pictures: Backyard pictures

 

[kimkats]

That IS quite a slope for sure! It is going to be costly to overcome that.

Kim

 

[PoolGate]

Wow that retaining wall is going to be fairly steep. I see that drop as a danger. How is your neighborhood for pools? Lot? Little? How much do you like your neighborhood? Honestly if it was me, I would be re-thinking the entire pool and perhaps considering moving to another house if you really want a pool. Maybe move to one that already has one!

 

[Noah382]

Wow that retaining wall is going to be fairly steep. I see that drop as a danger. How is your neighborhood for pools? Lot? Little? How much do you like your neighborhood? Honestly if it was me, I would be re-thinking the entire pool and perhaps considering moving to another house if you really want a pool. Maybe move to one that already has one!

The neighborhood is fairly new, new construction in 2016. We built this house and probably aren't moving any time soon. There has only been one other pool installed in the neighborhood and they too needed a retaining wall. We asked them how much their setup cost but they haven't give us a number.

One thing the PB did mention is that we may want to do a 2' retaining wall 10' from the house, cut down to the pool level and then a 3' retaining wall beyond the pool. Essentially dividing the retaining wall into two walls. I'm considering this as the upper area near the house could serve as a jump off area and slide area. We may do gravel up top too with stepping stones to save on deck costs. Not sure yet though

Here's a possibility

 

[jimmythegreek]

That's a tough lot. I honestly wouldnt dream of dropping 100 large on a pool period, and then I would cut that number in half based in your location and 3 to 4 months use. That's just me I'm cheap lol. I see how some ppl in Texas and Florida spend that kind of money they use the pool year round. I'm not sure why your so set on fiberglass but I would let a concrete guy and vinyl guy give you a price and see their build opinions on site. With a concrete pool you could have concrete retaining wall on backside and just fence around the pool or even split it like suggested. The fact you have 100k budget and you cant get all that you want doesn't sit well with me

 

[dunginhawk]

Im in Iowa, I can only use ours (brand new) 4-5 months a year. But im also living here for 20+ years with young kids who can enjoy this for most of their lives. To me you cant put a value on family time, and more importantly time they arent out getting in trouble ...
Also, to me... A pool is only a part of what should be an overall project. I think you need to allow 2x pool cost to do it right. Where I see people go wrong is they spend all their money on pool and concrete and nothing on lighting, landscaping, etc. It makes the yard look sterile and boring. There are plenty that do it right, but so many that dont. A pool, well landscaped and lit is not only a great retreat, but an outdoor living space etc... If you can afford it, and you want it, go for it, but I would budget nearly 2x... Our pool quote was I think 85k... I budgetted about 150k for my project (Fence, Deck (with rain escape), Fireplace Wall, Stone bar, pool house room, tile, built ins, hot tub, list goes on.
Hope it all works out for you.

 

[Pool_Medic]

I will add that the number 1 item most forget to add is a water feature of some sort. It’s amazing how a simple water fall can add ambience as well as allow your ear to refocus on that sound rather than screaming neighbors.

 

[Noah382]

Im in Iowa, I can only use ours (brand new) 4-5 months a year. But im also living here for 20+ years with young kids who can enjoy this for most of their lives. To me you cant put a value on family time, and more importantly time they arent out getting in trouble ...
Also, to me... A pool is only a part of what should be an overall project. I think you need to allow 2x pool cost to do it right. Where I see people go wrong is they spend all their money on pool and concrete and nothing on lighting, landscaping, etc. It makes the yard look sterile and boring. There are plenty that do it right, but so many that dont. A pool, well landscaped and lit is not only a great retreat, but an outdoor living space etc... If you can afford it, and you want it, go for it, but I would budget nearly 2x... Our pool quote was I think 85k... I budgetted about 150k for my project (Fence, Deck (with rain escape), Fireplace Wall, Stone bar, pool house room, tile, built ins, hot tub, list goes on.
Hope it all works out for you.

I completely agree with you that family time is the goal here. The logistics of having to travel to a pool and contend with other people's monsters just kills the mood and the enjoyment. Having a pool available 6-7 months a year is invaluable to us and understand that it's going to cost us.

I would say that we have considered the other things you have said regarding the add-ons to the yard. We are planning to do things in phases as we can financially. We want to get the baseline pool and concrete decking in and continue to build over the next several years. Thanks for the encouragement!