Pool dreaming

[Angiepriss]

Trying to convince hubby to let me get a pool. We just moved back from Europe and into a new house in Virginia. The home has 3 acres of land, but lots of stuff underground. Septic, 2 drain fields, well, propane, etc. Next Friday having a PB come out and tell me if we can build one here. Just starting to do my research and interview companies. And advice all around? How do I estimate monthly costs beforehand?

 

[Texas Splash]

Best thing to do once you receive an initial evaluation from the contractor would be to start a new thread in the Under Construction sub-forum. Then you can list build details, equipment, etc, and our members can reply all in one place. Monthly costs depend on the accessories and power requirements you chose, so once we see your proposal, we can try to help you with that as well. Good luck!

 

[Angiepriss]

Spoke with town and country pools over the phone. She said any concrete pool in northern Virginia will run us 100k plus. She said any pool company that tells me they can put in a concrete/gunite pool for less than that is misleading us into signing a contract and the contract is worded in such a way that there’s flexibility for them to increase costs. She said before you know it you have a hole in the ground with future projections equaling 100K or more.

has anyone else experienced this?

 

[Newdude]

Unfortunately some areas are insanely high cost for pool work. Either due to a lack of crews to do the work, a lack of PBs to direct them, or it’s just supply/demand and that is what your neighbors are willing to pay for a pool.

I would research the concrete/plaster crews that they are subbing. Most areas only have 2 or 3 and you can get a quote from them directly as an Owner Build. It might be worth your time and headache to be your own general contractor and hire the crews yourself individually.

 

[bmoreswim]

That number doesn't seem unreasonable. Certainly easy to get there. All in we did. Balt. metro, no spa, but big pool, big deck, retaining wall and autocover and pavillion. 7 years ago. But you could also have high permit costs - we didn't. I seem to recall that is a thing in your region. @PoolGate is in MD but closer to you than me. He managed to get by on a more reasonable budget. So he may be a better one to speak to. But recent prices of NOVA builds would be best. Hopefully someone can provide user insight. But in the end, PB's will vary, but you have one data point already at 100K+ and the going price is whatever they offer and you agree to pay. I wouldn't get your hopes up on substantially less. Unless you go OB (owner builder) as mentioned above. But that includes risks, headaches and even more time. Normally I say that people spend the same as the original PB quotes when going OB, but get a better pool. Because they upgrade above the original builder spec pool. But the PB you spoke with gave you more like a realistic price for probably a well-built pool. So you may be able to come in a bit below that because you will probably build the same level of pool but save the GC cost (10-20%). Round numbers.

All that said, COVID has created a bit of a home improvement boom with folks staying home this year. I don't see many bargains for folks building pools happening. Yes, reduced income for many, but not as much for those looking to spend on a in ground pool.

 

[PoolGate]

Yeah you are coming in the height of the "pool boom". We built in 2017 and our contract price was something like $63k but when all was said and done we were around $80k. It is a builder's market for sure. Take your time and interview every pool builder you can find as you really have no chance at all of swimming this year so your goal would be to have the pool ready for next season.

We have septic as well with 2 drain fields but had no issues with that. Even our line from our house to the septic tank came out on the side of the house and was not in the way of any of the pool. It costs us an additional $600 to have the septic line scoped out and marked by a plumber using a radio transceiver. The only thing of note on our build was we had a sprinkler system main water line and control line go directly across where the pool went. We never used it so didn't care and just cut and capped off the system on one side of the pool and abandoned the other half (losing about 7 zones).

We got 5 quotes and saw almost no difference between fiberglass and gunite but about $10k cheaper for a liner pool. A spa would have added $8k to our build. Get a quote from every builder you can find. Post the quotes on here for comments.

 

[PoolGate]

Here is a calculator I found for pool costs....

Learn how much it costs to Install an Inground Pool.

HomeAdvisor's Inground Pool Cost Guide gives average prices to install a backyard, underground swimming pool by size (small, 18x36) or type (saltwater, gunite, built-in, vinyl, beach entry, lagoon). Use our inground pool cost estimator to find cheap ones.

www.homeadvisor.com

 

[LoneWolfArcher]

You may want to contact your insurance company and get an idea on the HO insurance premium increase you may see after adding a pool. Also, I highly recommend a bubble insurance policy for pool owners. I have a $1 million dollar bubble policy and run about $300/year.

 

[Newdude]

Also, I highly recommend a bubble insurance policy for pool owners. I have a $1 million dollar bubble policy and run about $300/year.

they call them umbrella policies here but same thing and 110% agree. My ins co didn’t care I got the pool but strongly advised me that pool injuries can be much worse than what I was covered for under my normal homeowners. The extra cost was about 1 months worth of the regular insurance and it added the $1m after the homeowners policy was exhausted. Worth every penny God forbid.

 

[starman314]

We had a largish (20x50) pool built in Northern VA a few years ago with pebble sheen, autocover, SWG, integrated spa, propane heater, and a couple of water features. It was about $130K all-in. I don't think Town & Country is misleading you. We used Alpine and they were great to work with.

 

[Angiepriss]

Unfortunately some areas are insanely high cost for pool work. Either due to a lack of crews to do the work, a lack of PBs to direct them, or it’s just supply/demand and that is what your neighbors are willing to pay for a pool.

I would research the concrete/plaster crews that they are subbing. Most areas only have 2 or 3 and you can get a quote from them directly as an Owner Build. It might be worth your time and headache to be your own general contractor and hire the crews yourself individually.

I appreciate that, but I am such a novice at this whole thing I feel like I would screw up majorly. I am going to contact other companies and see what the general thought is. I will ask for info regarding subs that’s a good point.

 

[PoolGate]

I appreciate that, but I am such a novice at this whole thing I feel like I would screw up majorly. I am going to contact other companies and see what the general thought is. I will ask for info regarding subs that’s a good point.

There is significant money to be saved by doing an owner build. But you really have to be up on your organizational game. There are a lot of moving parts and scheduling to be done and tracked. Not to mention builders will get priority with job scheduling over owner-builds. Main jobs are the hole, rough plumbing, rebar, gunite, finish plumbing, electric, gas, deck, tile/plaster.

 

[GoldMomVA]

Hi!
We are at the gunite watering stage with our pool in Leesburg. We went with Alpine Pool. We have a 16’ x 44’ pool and a 7x7 spa. There is a steep slope in our back yard, and it took a year to get the plan approved by the county and the HOA. Our price came in at $130k. We have to build a 55’ wide retaining wall, which added a lot to the cost. The contract does not include any pool deck or landscaping. You can DM me if you have any questions.

 

[Angiepriss]

Wow, sounds very nice. Thank you for sharing this information!

 

[LoneWolfArcher]

they call them umbrella policies here but same thing and 110% agree. My ins co didn’t care I got the pool but strongly advised me that pool injuries can be much worse than what I was covered for under my normal homeowners. The extra cost was about 1 months worth of the regular insurance and it added the $1m after the homeowners policy was exhausted. Worth every penny God forbid.

Yes Umbrella, not Bubble! LOL Brain fart.

 

[Newdude]

Yes Umbrella, not Bubble! LOL Brain fart.

Coulda been a local term. Your point was easily understood either way.

 

[mharner6]

We had ours built in 2017 in Manassas. All said and done it was just over $50k and that included the 70' retaining wall (although I built that myself). A friend just signed a contract for the same pool design for around the same price, same builder.