new build in NY- Steel walls vs concrete walls- seeking advice

[steve_NY]

Hi there.
Never had a pool before, and spoke to a couple of pool companies in regard to an inground pool.

Have a few questions, as different companies seem to recommend different types of pools.

Want to point out that we had water table depth tested, and were told there is water at 5 foot 6 inches depth in the backyard. the first 5 foot 6 inches are all sand, after that is clay and bog.
We are planning to only have the pool go down to 5 feet at the deepest part.

First question is what is the difference, and what is considered better of having a pool made of steel wall with concrete vs a pool built with all concrete, built with forms, and made of 10 inches of concrete with rebar? Either pool will have a vinyl liner.

Second - pool floor - being recommended sand bottom, and also being recommended vermiculite bottom- what are thoughts on each?

Third- Warranty- What is typical warranty provided by new pool builders? Seems like proposals are not offering warranties except for manufacturers warranty on the equipment. One stated that if you use the pool, that we agree that it is fully completed satisfactorily.

Fourth- timing of the pool. -We have not picked a builder yet, but have started the permit process. Due to demand, builders seem unwilling to put a start date in writing on any contract. Verbally they are saying late July - Early August estimated start date. They have estimated if we go with all concrete, that the construction of the pool will take 4 weeks, and then an additional 2 weeks for the masonry around the pool.
If I use an August 1 start date as an example, that would get me to a completion date (including masonry), of middle of September.
At that point, being in NY, we would really not get much use of the pool in summer 2020. Is it worth it to even start construction at that point, or just wait until say April 2021.

Any feedback, here, or via message would be appreciated.

Steve

 

[bmoreswim]

First off, welcome to TFP, glad to have you here and great first post!

In the spring, ground is a lot wetter, and more likely to have extended periods of wet weather (i.e. delays). Summer weather is more typically thunderstorms some days with longer stretches of good weather. It’s a vinyl pool, so there is no issue regarding the plaster curing, etc. which is good. With vinyl, when it’s done, you can close the next day (proverbial next day) and have no issues. Meaning if you finish it is September and close a few weeks later, no worries. I’d want to get it done. So many things can change as we’ve seen this year. Get it done and have a great spring next year with no worrying all winter about decisions, weather, etc. And with a heater, you’ll be swimming in May for sure. In the spring you can focus on lanscaping early, say April and summer will be easy breezy.

Regarding wall type, my view is steel is perfectly fine. Most vinyl pools have them. They can rust but usually even after a few liner replacements, the damage is more cosmetic and can be fixed. If however, you want a pool for this house that you can hand down to your kids that will never have any wall issues, go concrete. That said, sandy soil and a high water table might make concrete more appealing than normal. @jimmythegreek is a builder up your way and have some insight on wall and bottom construction types for you.

 

[YippeeSkippy]

CHECK this one out-

New build starting in NJ - pic heavy

Digging has commenced.....

www.troublefreepool.com

maddie

 

[jimmythegreek]

You want to build as soon as possible the late summer amd fall are best times to build. April wont get you a pool til at least june it always takes more time. I build with steel walls and occasionally polymer. I love concrete it's in my blood but not for a liner pool in my area. Get some prices and see where you end up. Ita more the builder than the type really. A PB who knows his style of install is the key not so much the material. If you have sandy soil amd a water table I would go for vermiculite I've never done a sand bottom pool only ripped them out. There has to be local knowledge of ground in any build site to have a good outcome

 

[steve_NY]

Thanks for the feedback.
Still waiting for update on the permit, as well as top choices for pool builders to have more clarity on their schedule.