Pool Guide
Pool Guide
- Pool Design and Installation
- Starting at 2 Day timeframe
- Options starting ~ $40K
Making a Splash with a Pool
Making a Splash with a Pool
Ready to take a dive? The world of pools can be very daunting. There’s so much info to digest along with a wide range of pricing. Plunge pools and swim ponds have become popular in the last decade bringing some new options to the table. Which is the right one for you?
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Plunge Pool
- Budget — 60-85k
- Length of install — 2-6 days
- Size — 7×7, 7×10, 7×13
- Depth — 5’
- Filtration — salt
- Cover — foam, auto, or cedar
Cocktail pools have gained a lot of traction the last couple decades. Static swim systems have made them easy to still exercise but not lose your whole yard to a pool. Plunge pools are also easy to heat or cool making them usable all year round. Typically built with a salt system and closed loop filtration, they are easier and cheaper to maintain. Additionally, with the more readily available permanent cover options, they don’t get as dirty or collect debris as quickly. No auto-vacuums or hours spent skimming the surface are needed.
We’ve been working with Soake Pools, a family-owned-and-operated business that offers concrete, drop-in shells. Their systems are completely automated and controlled from the phone. The fit and finish of these pools is very high-end and hard to get out of a liner or fiberglass pool. They can be custom tiled with any design your heart desires.
Fiberglass Pool
- Budget — 55-115k
- Length of install — 4-10 days
- Size — 10×20 through 16×40
- Depth — 8’ 6”
- Filtration — salt, chlorine
- Cover — auto, safety, or solar
It used to be considered the cheap option, the “I need a quick pool” option. Fiberglass pools are one of the most popular types of pools in our area because of their speed of installation. They can typically be dug, set and installed inside of a few days. If they are backfilled with stone instead of sand/soil, they can be swimming ready in less than 2 weeks. While 2 weeks is abnormally quick, 4-6 weeks is not unheard of. If they are backfilled with sand you typically have to wait 30-60 days before the pool deck can be installed.
The downside of fiberglass is the sizing. They can only be 16’ wide and roughly 40’ long because they have to be shipped over the road. Also, because of how rigid the shells are you can’t squeeze them into tight spaces. They frequently have to be craned over a home to get in their final destination if there isn’t a 12-14’ access point to the backyard.
Fiberglass is probably our favorite type of pool to install, mostly because of how easy it is to work with River Pools, and also because of how quickly we can get our clients swimming! We hear so many horror stories about pools and the months of construction they took. Pools are supposed to bring relaxation to the backyard, and that doesn’t always happen.
Concrete Pool
- Budget — 100-300k
- Length of install — 15-45 days
- Size — any size
- Depth — any depth
- Filtration — salt or chlorine
- Cover — auto, safety, solar
Big, small, curved, straight. We love concrete because the fit and finish can be very high end and it comes in whatever shape you can imagine. There are plenty of yards where liner or fiberglass pools don’t belong because of their appearance. Concrete is the most expensive pool for our area because of its construction style. After the location has been excavated and the rebar is placed and inspected, then the shell is built on site with shotcrete or gunite. You can then plaster, tile, paint, or coat with an aggregate. I think that the aggregate pools are stunning! They have a sparkle that I typically see vinyl liner pools try to emulate.
Many times our clients opt for a fiberglass pool over concrete because of speed and price. Concrete pools don’t come for less than $100,000. They also tend to take months to construct because of the steps involved. Large, irregular shaped pools look amazing in concrete with a finish that isn’t available in any other style.
Upgrade your outdoors with Easton.
Swim Pond
- Budget – 80-300k
- Length of install – 12-20 days
- Size – 15×25 on up
- Depth — 4’ with 6’ deep end
- Filtration — natural or salt
- Cover — typically nothing
While popular in Europe for many years, Aquascape has been popularizing recreation ponds, or rec ponds, in the States for the last decade or so. The idea is to get as close to natural as possible. No chemicals, biomimicry filtration – think Lake Tahoe in your backyard. Many people like the idea of swimming with the fish, turtles, and frogs. These ponds have year round interest. They look just as good with snow and ice as they do with lilies and elephant ears. While traditional pools are open for less than half the year taking up a large portion of the yard, these swim ponds bring relaxation and a different look to all seasons.
What about the filtration? Just like any body of water, it can get nasty if not properly filtered. Most rec ponds use an upflow bog or wetland filter system. Because of their size and construction, many of these wetland filters do a better job than a traditional filter. They remove more suspended sediments and keep the water crystal clear with or without the use of plants.
The hope would be since these are “just” ponds they would be cheaper than pools. Unfortunately, these rec ponds usually aren’t cheaper. A 20×35 rec pond with proper wetland filtration and construction starts at $125,000. Make it a bit bigger, add some stacked slate spheres, maybe a grotto, and the price tag can quickly climb to over $250,000.
Vinyl Liner Pool
- Budget – 40-70k
- Length of install – 2-7 days
- Size – 10×20 on up
- Depth — 6’ but deeper is available
- Filtration — salt or chlorine
- Cover — auto, safety, solar
These are the cheapest option available and possibly the most popular in Coastal Virginia. I see vinyl liner pools everywhere. They frequently have a metal or plastic coping and can be built in many different sizes. Unlike fiberglass, they don’t have restriction on size.
While these pools are the most affordable, the liners do have to be replaced every 7-15 years, which makes them one of the more maintenance heavy pools available. If you plan on living in a home for more than 20 years with the pool, fiberglass is definitely a better option.
Ready to add a swimming hole to the yard?
What else should you consider about your swimming project?
Types of Coping
There are quite a few options available, with quite the price range as well. Concrete is typically the most affordable. A textured concrete coping can add a nice element. Our most common choice is paver coping though. The fit and finish is typically nicer than concrete. Travertine or natural stone are the next step up, the biggest advantage being cooler to the touch during the summer months.
Heating or Cooling
There’s two main types of heaters: gas or heat pump. Gas heaters are typically less expensive but they do cost more to operate long-term. Gas heaters are not dependent on ambient air temperature. They can heat all year-round.
A heat pump, while more expensive on the front end, is much cheaper to operate. They can only change the temperature of the water by 15 to 20 degrees though. The hidden benefit of heat pumps is also the ability to cool the water during the summer.
Water Features
Deck jets, waterfalls, bubblers, laminar flow. There are many fun ways to extend the water outside of the pool’s edge. There are typically three reasons to add another element: to add visual interest, to have the ability to hear the water moving, or to create another interaction point for kids and adults. These fountains don’t always need to be plumbed into the pool though, adding a free-standing fountain could give year-round interest and a unit that doesn’t get shut down in the winter.
Yard Access
Sometimes access to the yard is our biggest challenge. Plunge pools require at least 9′ wide access to the backyard, while fiberglass frequently needs 14′. Involving a crane is not a deal breaker, but know sometimes the pool has to go over the home.
Elevation Change
Frequently treated like a curse, I get excited when a yard isn’t perfectly flat. Building walls and/or working with the elevation in the yard guarantees your yard will be one-of-a-kind!
Tanning Ledge
Tanning ledges built into pools have become a must have for many of our clients. The ability to pull a lounge chair or sit in shallow water makes interacting with the pool even easier. Frequently a place for small kids to play and splash easily, it is also easier to be in the pool without being “in” the pool.
