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Swimming Pool - In-Ground

Pool Overview

The goal of this site is to show you the whole process, and point out potential pit-falls, so that you know what to expect, you get the pool you really want, you save money, and you are able to reduce the frustrations to a minimal level. 

Besides understanding the pool building process, we will help you with the purchase process and dealing with the actual builder.

You are probably going to want to come back several times to review the information. Now is a good time to book mark this page - click the link below.

How This Project Site Works

Each section listed below and in the grey navigation box at the bottom of the page covers one part of the construction process. 

That way you can see each step, pre-plan before it happens, and learn about any issues that could impact the construction or costs. Here is an overview of each section:

Pool Placement - this section will help you determine the best place for your pool and the right size.

Pool Site - this section will show you how the pool is actually dug and the ground prepared.

Pool Frame - this section shows you the construction of the pool frame.

Pool Floor - this section shows you the construction of the pool floor.

Pool Liner - this section shows you how the liner is installed.

Pool Start-Up - once your pool construction is complete, we will show you the steps to get it running

Pool Shopping - this section takes everything you have learned in the other sections and prepares you for the shopping and contracting of your pool.

Guide Points

As you go through this website, following each stage of the pool construction, we will tell you what should happen. And to provide you complete information or suggestions, we will mark info so it stands out using special symbols. 

Below is a list of the symbols that will be used, and their meaning.

When you see this symbol, it means there could be an issue that needs your focus or attention. As you make you own pool plans don't forget to check these issues.

 

When you see this symbol, it means there is a note that has some important additional info.

 

When you see this symbol, it means there is budget item to be considered.

 

When you see this symbol, it means there is an idea you might want to consider.

 

When you see this symbol, it will give you some guidance when dealing with sales people. For example, what to say, or what to ask for.

Our Experience

Last March we decided that we would really like a pool. It had been a hot summer the year before and the predictions were another hot one was on the way. And, it was two years since we moved and last had a pool. 

The original pool we had was built in 1973. It was a standard concrete (gunite) pool with a tile trim around the top. It was a good pool, but toward the end of our 5-years residence, it was starting to need some tile work - I am not sure it had any maintenance in its whole life. 

Our first decision was, do we want a gunite pool (similar to what we were used to) or a liner pool. We decided to see how much of a price difference there was before making a decision. To jump ahead, we found out the costs were, gunite was, at a minimum, two to three times the price of a liner pool. And a good liner pool will come with a 20 or 30 year warranty. 

So we decided on a liner pool. Maybe you are not comfortable with the idea of a liner pool, but I encourage you to keep reading. The liner material is very, very strong and comes with a 20-30 year warranty. 

And if you really only want a gunite pool, you should still keep reading, since you may well learn things that can help you with your pool planning and when dealing with the pool builder. 

We started doing research, first using the net. After doing a basic search we found a number of large companies. And we cross referenced the companies found on the net with the ones listed in the phone book and in the local newspaper. We also asked our friends and neighbors who had pools if they could recommend anyone.

Finally we selected five local companies (within ~45 minutes drive time) and went to visit each one. We had a general idea of what we wanted, but hoped the stores we visited could point us in the right direction.

Well each store had its own sales pitch. and by listening closely you will probably find that none tell you the full story. 

Here is an example: In one pool store they told us they had a 28 mil liner. Very thick, resistant to any kind of abuse or damage. And they said that was the thickest liner available, and anyone selling something thicker was really using two liners together - well we found this not to be true. 

So we went from store to store. One had excellent references, clearly a very professional organization, only they wanted to charge gunite prices for a liner pool. We took them off the list.

In one store, we had to make an effort to find someone to talk to, and then I had to ask the sales person if we could sit and discuss our interest. It was almost like begging to be sold. They told us the earliest they could begin was mid-July. This was in April. We decide to keep looking. We also didn't feel very good about them, since we had to make such an effort to even talk to anyone. We later found out the sales person was the owner's son. We took them off our list.

Our final choice had all the right answers. They offered a real 40mil liner (important since we have dogs and are worried about them falling in). They said they would start in mid-May, dependent on the weather. And we only paid as they progressed.

Before signing the agreement, we checked them out on the Better Business Bureau and asked for references, which we called. There were no  issues on the BBB website, and the references checked out. let me interrupt the story for a minute to make a point. 

You can not trust the schedule you are given by the pool company. Period. I don't want to smear a whole industry, but our experience was the same as a lot of other people, all who used different pool companies.  Every person we spoke to, all the people we emailed, all the people who wrote into complaint websites, and even the contractor who did most of our pool construction said the same thing - the pool company will lie to you about the available start date to get you to sign a contract.  Don't worry - we have a partial solution that we discuss in the Pool Shopping section.

Now don't let the caution note above talk you out of a pool. Once the pool is in and you are swimming, you will forget about all the hassles. The reason you will find notes like the one above are so you have the right expectations, and you can address as many issue upfront as possible.

Back to our story, and the reason you see the note of caution above. We signed the contracts around the first of April. At the signing we were told construction would start around May 15th and would take four to six weeks. We were also told rain delays would cause the date to move further out. Can you guess when they actually started?

We had a great summer with only two days of rain in June and July. So if you guessed August you are right. In fact they started construction at the end of August. We finally were swimming by Labor Day. We will tell you more about this situation as we continue the discussion.

In the next section we will help you decide the best location for your pool and the possible size of your new pool. By the way, you will see actual photos of our pool construction as part of the discussions, so give the images a chance to load.

As you plan for your pool budget, there will probably be a number of payments due after specific events. They are based on the pool equipment and the construction labor. Below is a sample. You need to understand what is due and when. We will remind you as you go through this site. Payment 1: Contract signing - $500 Payment 2: Pool Site stake-out - 25% of labor Payment 3: Pool equipment delivery - 100% of parts costs Payment 4: Pool dig - 50% of labor Payment 5: Liner installed - 20% of labor Payment 6: Concrete deck construction - 5% of labor Confirm with your pool company the timing and amounts of the payments.

In the next section we show you how to determine the best location for your pool.

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