We are looking at getting an inground pool within the next year, started talking to a few local companies but I don’t really know much about them to begin with. We are up in the air trying to decide between gunite, fiberglass or vinyl.
Right now I’m looking at 16’x32’ oasis shape and leaning toward gunite but have heard some negatives about gunite, but this has come from companies who only install inground vinyl…so I kind of expected that. I know vinyl would be the cheapest but they look kind of blank and cheap to me, especially when dropping that amount of money. I know pools are not an “investment” and not expecting to ever recoup all of my costs. We just moved into our brand new house 2 yrs ago and plan on staying here for 20+ years.
Looking for anyone to provide good/bad company feedback related to any inground installs, and follow-up service. Also, what type of pool do you have (gunite, fiberglass or vinyl) and why did you go with it? If anyone has a hookup or knows someone in the business that would be greatly appreciated as well. :tup:
Any other info about ingrounds related to the negatives/postives between the different types would be appreciated…and please hold the “don’t waste your money” comments.
My indoor in ground is gunite. It was a little rough at first. We drained the pool due to no one using it. I guess you can’t let them dry or they start to crack. I started seeing hairline cracks so I filled it again. The down fall is that the little cleaning bug thing you toss in and leave in the pool goes to the deep end and gets stuck down there and wont climb any walls. IDK wtf the probelm is but I’ve use 3 diferent ones and they all do the same thing.
Don’t get a sand filter either. Vinyl is slippery and easy to puncture, but easy to patch.
I’ve got a 12x24 oval vinyl inground with a 6’ deep end. It came with the house and I replaced the liner myself a couple years after moving in. Only advice I have is don’t go too big. I listen to the amount of money some of my friends with huge pools put into them and I’m glad mine is pretty small.
Yes, we weren’t too sure what size to go with. The average irregular shaped are around 16’X32’ and we went to look at a couple in showrooms and they looked like the right size for us.
It seems with vinyl you have to replace the liner and there are limitations on shelves/benches/features. Fiberglass offers great designs and built in benches or beach entry, but I’ve heard the gelcoats begin to spider and fade after 8-10 years. From what I understand gunite pools need to be resurfaced every 10-15 years, costing from 10-15k…
I have an inground kidney shaped pool with a vinyl liner. Pool is 15 years old and still has original liner in it. ( Probably replacing it within the next year or two). I have had no problems with it at all. I switched over to salt water about 6 years ago and it was the best investment ever made. Very little upkeep and no chemicals. As far as vinyl being slippery, I have had no issues with that at all. My pool is 9 1/2 feet in the deep end with a spring board and a slide and it has an attached waterfall jacuzzi.
my grandparents house next door has an outdoor inground pool, built in the 60’s. it is fiberglass and is still fine. ~9.5ft deep end. it has been repainted and the deck surrounding could use some work but the pool itself is in great shape. they used to have a sand filter but have since gone to the cartridge, which seems to be much better.
So you’d have to set aside $1000 every year in preperation to resurface the thing. :tdown: to that.
Who cares if vinyl is slippery, its not like you can walk through water that fast to even matter. For the cheap replacement cost and longevity you can get out of it, it seems like the best option.
Now this is what a local vinly installer told me, so it might have been a line of shit…but from doing a little research today it seems to be somewhat accurate. All depends on how it was installed, what materials were used, etc. Either way not looking to dump 15k every 10 or so years after the initial cost.
Still have lots of looking to do on all the types, anyone else out there with some pool knowledge?
The only time the slipperiness of vinyl is an issue is with people who can’t swim who are trying to walk down the slope to the deep end. It’s very easy for your feet to slip out from under you if you’re standing straight up, especially right at the transition to the slope when more of your body is out of the water.
Easiest solution is telling your non swimming friends to GTFO of your deep end.
All depends on size, features and whether you are heating or not.
A 16’x32’ with a 200k BTU heater, salt system, and automatic cleaners was ranging from high 20’s to lows 30’s for a vinyl and tab bit more for fiberglass. Gunite with the same options plus a waterfall was in the 40’s.
An expensive way to get rid of grass you don’t want to cut.
These prices are spot on with “asking price” … options and haggling will effect these big time. You can outsource some work to cheaper contractors and take on some of the work yourself to save a couple bucks. I’ve been looking for houses with pools already there… you literally save thousands…
Salt water is the only option for a new install. If you sped more than $40 a year on salt you’re doing it wrong. And you should never have a green pool with salt.
