Hi everyone!
IÂ’m new to TFP but IÂ’ve learned so much over the last couple of days poking around!
I really just started seriously considering a pool this year. IÂ’ve wanted one for as long as I can remember and no matter what I set as a goal it seems something comes up, itÂ’s time for me to take the plunge. I live in Upstate NY so I have a short pool season and an awful sloped, probably rock filled back yard.
IÂ’ve talked to two installers. IÂ’ve tried to reach about 15 and these are the only two that have reached out to schedule a site visit. IÂ’m hoping this is because itÂ’s not typical pool installing season but IÂ’m not sure. Anyways, sorry for getting side tracked - one is a Viking dealer and the other a Leisure dealer.
The Leisure dealer does everything from pool to pavers and fencing. I love the idea of having one guy do everything however, IÂ’m looking for about 30 feet and nothing in the Leisure line IÂ’m in love with. I like the kidney shaped Tuscany but the dealer said you lose so much space and for roughly the same amount of money I should go with the Supreme which is bigger and a little deeper (I started this process convinced I wanted a true deep end). Has anyone installed the Leisure Tuscany? Or a kidney shape in general? Any complaints in size? ItÂ’s really just the shape that if I could specify everything I would be drawn to hands down. I guess I should tell you IÂ’ve chosen fiberglass over vinyl because it seems maintenance wise itÂ’s a good choice and I have two dogs, one is a Newfoundland - so 160lbs of fluff that LOVES to swim. This dealer also told me I should use an area about 20-30ft away from the entrance into my backyard to avoid retaining walls.. this area is sunken down and to the right of the area I was hoping to put it. He has only one bad review online that I can overlook, every other review is 5 Stars, he does you tube videos of his installs and overall IÂ’m very impressed with his work. The downside is price. I do want some lights and deck jets to make it seem like itÂ’s a high end pool I suppose but nothing crazy, no real water features or spa or anything and my quote was $85k. Again, I am in NY so I wasnÂ’t thinking itÂ’s a rip off but $85k is a lot of money.
Now lets go to the Viking dealer. He told me he wouldn’t have a problem putting the pool where the first guy said absolutely not. This guy was concerned with the other’s spot due to it being a low spot and drainage concerns. This guy has been doing Fiberglass pools for 30 years, however his reviews have some more bad experiences. Overall a 3.5 Star. He said there may have to be some building up with dirt to level the yard but I have property and places to steal dirt from that would make this an ok option. I am in love with the Viking Sea Breeze. It’s the kidney shaped pool I want. The only problem is the deep end would be closest to the entrance of the pool (closer to my back door) and the steps would be further down. Has anyone had to do something like this? Would this be something I regret? I don’t see it as a big deal but my dad seemed to be hung up on this point when I said it to him. Another option would be the St Thomas. We can position it “correctly” with the step logically where they should be and I would get a 7 ft deep end! Or he has some pools on the lot that are discounted. One is a Liberty Lincoln (not truly kidney shaped but closer lol) or a Roman that the manufacturer I’m unsure of but it does have a 6 ft deep end. I’m pretty sure I’ll go and look at these discounted options because they’re about $20k less and the original price maybe started to scare me. But, I’m not in love with either at this point. To be fair, I think every pool I’ve ever seen in person is rectangular. The quote for the Sea Breeze with concrete and fencing (not the pool dealer but guys he works with extensively) is $75k. The Sea Breeze is the most expensive so we’ll be conservative.
IÂ’m incredibly torn about what to do. The conflicting site problem is a major concern for me. I also had my bf and dad at both site visits and they are on opposite ends of the spectrum. My bf loved the Leisure guy, my dad the Viking. I am a little concerned about the bad reviews of the Viking dealer but I will say I think people are more likely to say bad than good.. so maybe IÂ’m trying to give him the benefit of the doubt?
I really love the kidney shape as IÂ’m sure you know my now and I love the idea of the 8 ft over a slight slope the whole way. The fact Leisure doesnÂ’t have an option for me in 30ft makes me want to go with the Viking dealer where I have that option. IÂ’ve read a lot about people saying they regret their deep ends but I think this is a nostalgic thing for me. My grandfather had an 8 ft pool and I remember diving into it and thatÂ’s what IÂ’m stuck on. My mom is in the same boat as me on the deep end and IÂ’m sure itÂ’s a nostalgia thing for her as well. I donÂ’t have kids now, IÂ’m 29 and I have my dogs. I imagine one day kids and dogs will be in the pool but for right now itÂ’s mostly going to be me and my bf. I donÂ’t know if this really matters but everyone except for my dad who is average height is 6 feet or over. And thatÂ’s part of the reason I may think I need a deep end.
Other concerns for me is the Leisure guy only does salt water while the Viking guy said salt can be harsh on the concrete. IÂ’m not opposed to chlorine but it seems like a salt water system is so much less maintenance.
Any one think concrete is a bad idea period? I originally had in my head it might not be a good idea because itÂ’ll crack and look bad and then I donÂ’t know what a repair cost will be like.
Any help/suggestions would be great! I really appreciate it. It just seems like such a huge decision and some objective views would be nice. IÂ’d really love to hear from people that have the pools I mentioned, but IÂ’ll take opinions over Viking or Leisure. To me it seems I may have less problems with the Leisure gel coat but the Viking dealer did say he used to do Leisure and had problems with them warranty wise. I know he has an interest in my going Viking but just curious to see if anyone has any experience either way.
Again thank you. And I apologize for the super long post. Just trying to get all of my thoughts out there.
IÂ’m new to TFP but IÂ’ve learned so much over the last couple of days poking around!
I really just started seriously considering a pool this year. IÂ’ve wanted one for as long as I can remember and no matter what I set as a goal it seems something comes up, itÂ’s time for me to take the plunge. I live in Upstate NY so I have a short pool season and an awful sloped, probably rock filled back yard.
IÂ’ve talked to two installers. IÂ’ve tried to reach about 15 and these are the only two that have reached out to schedule a site visit. IÂ’m hoping this is because itÂ’s not typical pool installing season but IÂ’m not sure. Anyways, sorry for getting side tracked - one is a Viking dealer and the other a Leisure dealer.
The Leisure dealer does everything from pool to pavers and fencing. I love the idea of having one guy do everything however, IÂ’m looking for about 30 feet and nothing in the Leisure line IÂ’m in love with. I like the kidney shaped Tuscany but the dealer said you lose so much space and for roughly the same amount of money I should go with the Supreme which is bigger and a little deeper (I started this process convinced I wanted a true deep end). Has anyone installed the Leisure Tuscany? Or a kidney shape in general? Any complaints in size? ItÂ’s really just the shape that if I could specify everything I would be drawn to hands down. I guess I should tell you IÂ’ve chosen fiberglass over vinyl because it seems maintenance wise itÂ’s a good choice and I have two dogs, one is a Newfoundland - so 160lbs of fluff that LOVES to swim. This dealer also told me I should use an area about 20-30ft away from the entrance into my backyard to avoid retaining walls.. this area is sunken down and to the right of the area I was hoping to put it. He has only one bad review online that I can overlook, every other review is 5 Stars, he does you tube videos of his installs and overall IÂ’m very impressed with his work. The downside is price. I do want some lights and deck jets to make it seem like itÂ’s a high end pool I suppose but nothing crazy, no real water features or spa or anything and my quote was $85k. Again, I am in NY so I wasnÂ’t thinking itÂ’s a rip off but $85k is a lot of money.
Now lets go to the Viking dealer. He told me he wouldn’t have a problem putting the pool where the first guy said absolutely not. This guy was concerned with the other’s spot due to it being a low spot and drainage concerns. This guy has been doing Fiberglass pools for 30 years, however his reviews have some more bad experiences. Overall a 3.5 Star. He said there may have to be some building up with dirt to level the yard but I have property and places to steal dirt from that would make this an ok option. I am in love with the Viking Sea Breeze. It’s the kidney shaped pool I want. The only problem is the deep end would be closest to the entrance of the pool (closer to my back door) and the steps would be further down. Has anyone had to do something like this? Would this be something I regret? I don’t see it as a big deal but my dad seemed to be hung up on this point when I said it to him. Another option would be the St Thomas. We can position it “correctly” with the step logically where they should be and I would get a 7 ft deep end! Or he has some pools on the lot that are discounted. One is a Liberty Lincoln (not truly kidney shaped but closer lol) or a Roman that the manufacturer I’m unsure of but it does have a 6 ft deep end. I’m pretty sure I’ll go and look at these discounted options because they’re about $20k less and the original price maybe started to scare me. But, I’m not in love with either at this point. To be fair, I think every pool I’ve ever seen in person is rectangular. The quote for the Sea Breeze with concrete and fencing (not the pool dealer but guys he works with extensively) is $75k. The Sea Breeze is the most expensive so we’ll be conservative.
IÂ’m incredibly torn about what to do. The conflicting site problem is a major concern for me. I also had my bf and dad at both site visits and they are on opposite ends of the spectrum. My bf loved the Leisure guy, my dad the Viking. I am a little concerned about the bad reviews of the Viking dealer but I will say I think people are more likely to say bad than good.. so maybe IÂ’m trying to give him the benefit of the doubt?
I really love the kidney shape as IÂ’m sure you know my now and I love the idea of the 8 ft over a slight slope the whole way. The fact Leisure doesnÂ’t have an option for me in 30ft makes me want to go with the Viking dealer where I have that option. IÂ’ve read a lot about people saying they regret their deep ends but I think this is a nostalgic thing for me. My grandfather had an 8 ft pool and I remember diving into it and thatÂ’s what IÂ’m stuck on. My mom is in the same boat as me on the deep end and IÂ’m sure itÂ’s a nostalgia thing for her as well. I donÂ’t have kids now, IÂ’m 29 and I have my dogs. I imagine one day kids and dogs will be in the pool but for right now itÂ’s mostly going to be me and my bf. I donÂ’t know if this really matters but everyone except for my dad who is average height is 6 feet or over. And thatÂ’s part of the reason I may think I need a deep end.
Other concerns for me is the Leisure guy only does salt water while the Viking guy said salt can be harsh on the concrete. IÂ’m not opposed to chlorine but it seems like a salt water system is so much less maintenance.
Any one think concrete is a bad idea period? I originally had in my head it might not be a good idea because itÂ’ll crack and look bad and then I donÂ’t know what a repair cost will be like.
Any help/suggestions would be great! I really appreciate it. It just seems like such a huge decision and some objective views would be nice. IÂ’d really love to hear from people that have the pools I mentioned, but IÂ’ll take opinions over Viking or Leisure. To me it seems I may have less problems with the Leisure gel coat but the Viking dealer did say he used to do Leisure and had problems with them warranty wise. I know he has an interest in my going Viking but just curious to see if anyone has any experience either way.
Again thank you. And I apologize for the super long post. Just trying to get all of my thoughts out there.