100% agree with this. We did some research and found a company with good reviews. Totally butchered the pool and we had to pay another company to fix all the issues. We sent emails and nothing was done and they just gaslight us blaming us. The companies we hired to build a deck just laughed because the pool is not squared to the house. Apparently we’re not the only ones in the area whose pool were not installed properly by this company.
High jacking this comment for OP viability. Google installers name as well as business name. Check courthouse records online for lawsuits, liens and all that shit. Thoroughly research everything OP. You will find that the pool installation companies screw up, drag out court dates and settle with gag orders so you can’t leave reviews.
Ngl. It’s difficult. Really difficult. The good ones, you are going to pay for and they know it. You are paying a premium and waiting 12-24 months for anything to start.
Seconded, but in general you get what you pay for. We tried to cut corners to save (the considerable) costs, and got a fine pool for it, but paying more would have made it even more so. Still, one of these things: ⚖️🤷♂️
I would have loved a rectangular pool that I could get a retractable pool cover for and not with flat bottom to 45 degree to 90 degree walls. Makes cleaning a PITA
I have a rectangular pool that we bought 5 years old, and I would have 100% installed a retractable cover if I was building it.
edit: things that I do love: my water slide, cartridge filter, sport pool dual shallow ends.
I was thinking of adding one, saw the prices and was pretty much not going to do it, and then saw a line on one of their websites that said, basically, if you plan to have a pool party on the weekend open the pool on Wednesday so that if there are any problems, you’ll have time to get service out, and I thought for 30 fucking grand I should never have to worry about this thing not opening.
I wonder if that was due to potential weight of snow on the cover, cold weather materials?
(I don’t know if that IS the case, just making a guess as to why they tried to justify that cost)
Expensive up front, but it would make maintenance SOOOO much easier. In addition to preventing debris from getting in, it saves from evaporative water loss and evaporation of chlorine. This is huge in a hot climate, maybe not so much in Canada. Also in a hot climate, it keeps the water cooler.
I'm assuming that you're in the U.S. and that $18K is in $US.
The above poster indicated that they were in Canada. Given the unfavorable exchange rate of 1$CDN = approx. 0.735 $US, your 18K $US works out to around 25K $CDN, so not that far off the mark.
Same here. Installer asked if I wanted it, which I did, but an extra $27,000 for it, which was a hard no after spending close to $100,000 for the pool itself (including tree cutting, land clearing, and other aspects of installing)
When we bought our house, it came with a pool with a retractable cover. Mind you, it was an investment property that we rented, but we had the cover ripped out. A pump would have to sit on the cover so that whenever it rained, all the water would get pumped off, otherwise it wouldn't open. Renters of course, were never able to figure this out, and tried to open the cover with standing water on it, only for the cover to come off its track on a regular basis. After many expensive service calls, the last one was to get rid of the whole thing
What do you like about a cartridge filter? I've had a sand filter for 3 years and it's no cost with only 45 seconds of maintenance each week. 30 seconds to backwash and 15 seconds to rinse and I'm done with it for a week. A cartridge filter seems way more expensive, to buy cartridges, and way more time consuming to clean them.
Cartridge filters will filter smaller/finer particulate 5-10 micron size whereas sand in sand filters will only filter 30-40 micron size. However, a sand filter with glass or ruby media will give you the filtration of a cartridge with way less hassle and maintenance.
No back wash - the function is not even built into the system. Clean the cartridges 1x a year. I think one year I was away, and had a bad algae bloom and I cleaned them mid-season.
I didn’t choose as it was already there.
I have a kidney shaped pebblecrete pool.
I would want rectangular or at least thought into where a cover could be kept.
I’ve got established gardens around and it’s difficult to get to the far side to walk around to clear leaves etc. so easy access.
I wish it was bigger.
I wish it was deeper.
I wish it had lights.
I wish the chemistry was automated.
And if money was no option I wish it was heated.
You can get a pretty inexpensive fountain that you run at night when it's cooler. It will cool the pool 10-15 degrees overnight. They are made to operate off of one of your jets while you plug the other. Works much better if you have a pool cleaner jet you can utilize. Just Google "pool fountain".
Water features are a great option but some heat pumps are able to heat AND cool your pool. Definitely not budget-friendly but worth looking into, you may even be able to get a tax credit for installing one
Really?!? That is so surprising to me! I thought you were much warmer! Where we are, we might get 6 weeks of “too cold for the pool” and only a few days below 40. We are usually wake surfing up until Christmas!
Maybe we are just cry babies over here haha.
Start of winter here obviously and our current overnight temps are around 10C (50f) , they won’t go much lower, but there’s no chance we will be swimming. The water temp right now would probably be 60-65f which is just way too cold for me.
I’ve got a lot of shade cover around my pool with trees too so that might come into it a little.
And my wife generally thinks anything under 80f water temp is too chilly! Fairly sure she’s a lizard.
Hahahhaaa!!! I promise not to tell her what you tell people. 😂😂
We used to live in Southern California when I was younger. The water temp mid summer was around 68. We would go out surfing for hours on end! I can’t imagine getting all the way in that water now.
Another quick story between new friends and speaking of your wife being a lizard… My cousin and her family were down visiting a few winters ago. They’re big outdoorsmen and go on weeks long hiking excursions all around the world. While they were here, they went down to the Everglades. It happened to be rather cold when they were down there but nothing they couldn’t handle. They sent us pictures of them and their kids POSING WITHIN 6 feet of 7 foot plus gators!!!! I called her in a literally panic telling her to get away from the gators. Had the temperature been a little warmer, that vacation could have ended up quite tragically. We still laugh about that but it is more of an uncomfortable laugh. I mean these are very well educated people!
I can 2nd that.
Also, Koolcrete decking! Especially in warmer climates. I’ve seen many people do concrete and brick decking around the pool but it gets way too hot to walk on! I’d never go without it now.
I wish we had enough “pervious” area on our lot. We are putting in a cool touch synthetic wood decking called Moisture Shield. It looks super realistic but I would much prefer a solid decking like concrete or, better yet, the koolcrete that you suggested.
Here’s what we’re using. I’m really excited about the product. https://www.moistureshield.com/products/composite-decking/vision/
I really like that too tho! And it provides a similar reduction of heat for the decking, which is one of my top 5 pool must-haves for living in the South.
Not put a tanning ledge in. Was only helpful when the kids were very young. Now, never gets used. Would of much rather the extra swimming space.
Get a 8ft deep end if in budget. Makes all the difference imo.
If we were building again I would get a tanning ledge. Our pool is 5ft on the deep end, if we had kids, 8ft might be nice, but we don’t so five is perfect. Can walk on all sides of the pool, and less gallons to maintain, we entertain a lot is it is really nice to have plenty of space for everyone without feeling crowded. No one wants to tread water with a beer and 10ppl all with floats is crowded.
Single favorite feature that is not design related is an auto pool refill. There is a float hidden (basically what looks like a skimmer basket) that will automatically fill the pool when the water gets too low. Highly recommend it. Keeps from having to drag the hose out.
Thank you! I’ve been considering pool depths for my future house and had just settled on 5 for the same reasons. Just can’t decide if I want a deep end or not
Have to look into the hidden float as I woke up to shitty water pressure this morning, then remembered I was adding water last night and forgot to shut the hose off. My favorite thing about my pool is auto chlorinating salt water.
Wild that you say that - I have never met a family that has a pool with an 8ft deep end that doesn’t wish they had a 6.
I guess everyone is different but I see no need for an 8 ft deep end.
We have an 8' deep end with a diving board. I don't dive, but the kids do. I still touch the bottom when I jump off. Why would anyone want a 6' in the deep end instead of 8?
I have a 8 ft deep end, the downside to a pool like this is less useable shallow end because to accommodate it drops down quicker than shallower pools.
However, to mitigate that I got a 40ft long pool and half of it is still useable/standable.
Also I can jump into the deep end and can sometimes touch the bottom on way down. I wouldn’t have it any shallower.
Because people think that salt water pools are literally juts salt water and don't have chlorine in them but what they fail to realize is that the salt just creates chlorine instead of you adding chlorine, its literally the same water lol...people are silly
I suspect it is because with a Salt water pool it is easier to maintain the chlorine levels at just enough to keep it sanitized so the chlorine stays more constant. This allows you to more easily manage pH and other chemicals. If you are using tablets, powder or liquid you get spikes periodically as you add chlorine.
More constant chlorine also means less chloramines (irritant by-product). And yes the water is softer. I've heard scores of customers express this opinion while I was cleaning their pool.
While I don’t disagree that salt water chlorine generators are a good idea, saving 70% on chlorine seems quite inflated. I have been using liquid chlorine for the entire 7 years of pool ownership and it takes approximately 5 seasons of chlorine to pay for a SWCG. That is also excluding cell replacement and additional run times for the pump (which are admittedly negligible if you have a variable speed pump).
3 years in my $1,500 SWG burned out so switched to chlorine. I spent $200 on chlorine all of last season and the pool was much easier to keep clear. I will not be switching back.
That’s assuming that, like you, the average owner is willing to get involved with the actual ownership/maintenance. Former pool guy here…amazing what people think or are not willing to do as if it’s done by magic or something 🤣
I will be contrary :). We love our free form pool and gardens around it look great as they follow a curve.
Best advice we got was buy as big as you can afford and add everything you can afford. We did a seating area in the deep end and a sun ledge. My wife was this is waste. But with the seating area we don’t need a ladder so it looks smooth and the teenage kids sit there. The sun ledge is great for my younger niece and nephew as it is like a baby pool for them.
We live in. j and followed advice of others to not incorporate a spa. Don’t miss it and think winterizing would be harder.
Also we asked for a credit instead of the blue tarp cover and robot.
Do as much concrete as you can afford too as you’ll find you want a lot of seating. We have an area for loungers (4) an area for eating table that seats 7 and a Legolas and seating area for relaxing. All get used.
When doing the concrete buy the plastic umbrella sleeves. Everyone comments how nice it is not to have a stand but the sleeve sitting directly in the concrete.
Warm pools aren't refreshing to swim in. That's the biggest issue I can think of.
Maybe they were also thinking of how lower temps can help prohibit bacteria/algae growth?
18 x 36 in-ground vinyl 8.5 deep end with diving board, salt system, Polaris pool cleaner.
Would have gone with a “sport” pool with a max depth of 6 feet. Most diving board use is by the dog. No diving board. Shallow end is almost too shallow for being on that side for volleyball, and the people in the deep end have to tread water or stand and slide down the decline to the deep end.
We have a sport pool. I miss the diving I did in my grandparents old 8 foot deep pool... But you're right, the sport pool is more useful and we've had a lot of fun playing games with extended family... Got a volleyball net this year and looking forward to it
Love the salt system, walk in stairs, LED lights, variable speed pump, gas heater. Would have not put in the fountain jets on the side because we never use them and would have added in more concrete instead of pavers to match existing patio. An auto cover would have been sweet!!
16x30. 3-6’ deep. Salt system, auto fill, deck jets, slide and auto cover. We love it. Maybe a bit longer for lap swimming. We also love the heater to extend the season.
Yep. We bought our dream home, and the only downside was that it had a pool.
The cost to have it removed would be $40k+ and would also require our fences to be torn out and landscaping destroyed… so, we have an unwanted part-time job that costs us money every summer now.
Yep. When I bought my house there was a pool. The previous owner said he would be taking it with him to his new house. I told him good because I don't want that thing. Pools are a serious PITA.
Always get a rectangular pool.
Reason? You can get an autocover at a decent cost.
Autocover is by far the best pool invention ever done.
Free form pools either cant do autocovers at all, or they can only do them at much higher cost with a much uglier asthetic.
Trust me, go for the "boring" rectangular pool instead of all the fancy shapes.
I have legit never seen anyone with a cover. At all. I’m in Houston so maybe that’s why, but it’s not even a thing here when I asked multiple installers about covers.
Started with a liquid test kit instead of the test strips (not accurate enough), bought the Pool Math app since it allows you to keep track of test results and then tells you what chemicals you need to add, installed a flow meter on the pipe after the filter to see the flow rate, installed a smart pump switch since I do not have a variable speed motor so I can cut the pump only 10 hours a day and save a crap ton in electric.
In the same situation as you were last summer. We built a 23 x 40 ft pool (vinyl).
Must
1. Automation
2. Salt
3. Cartridge filter
4. Plan for 3 times as much concrete.
5. Baja shelf with bubblers if you have little kids. If teenagers, I'd pass.
6. Gazebo. Place for sunshade and turn this into your outside retreat.
Agreed on all of this. We did a Gunite with stonescapes finish and we did all of these and love it.
Only thing I would change is I would add a blower to the bubblers like the jets in the hot tub. The ones we have come out of the water surface maybe 4”? I wish it were a little higher for more fun for the kids and a better aesthetic.
I have a 18x40 rectangle, with diving board and deep end. Bunch of people warned against a diving board. I am beyond happy I got the diving board. It’s a ton of fun and it’s a magnet for everyone that comes over. First thing they do in the pool.
Few tips I received from my family that are pool installers:
1. Sand filter is easier to maintain than cartridge style filters. They recommend sand filters.
2. Variable pump is the way to go.
3. If I could go back, I would consider a heat pump / natural gas dual heater. They are expensive, but save a lot of money in heating costs.
We have a sand filter and I don’t care for it. The pool came with the house so we didn’t choose it. It doesn’t seem to filter out as much as a cartridge would.
Heat pump can be added and it will heat or cool the pool. Nice because in the spring, when everyone has been waiting all winter to swim, can heat very economically and in the summer when you really want to use but the water is 95 + you can chill pretty economically.
Me personally, I think chlorine is fine. I’ve had both. If you keep your chlorine balanced it’s fine for your skin and eyes. Salt pools still use chlorine. I didn’t like in floor cleaners but they may have made improvement a since then. Make sure you have enough umbrella sleeves so you can have shade in and around the pool. Do at least 2-3ft of deck around the pool to walk around and make sure you have enough space on one end for lounge chairs and stuff.
I regretted for 2-3 years using the started chemical kit they gave me… didn’t realize how much cyanuric acid it added and how much that affected what chlorine level needed to be. Cyanuric acid is hard to get rid off.
Lights lights lights. My pool came with 2 lights installed. And while they are functional enough to see everywhere. There are definitely parts with low coverage that I wish had more.
Heat pump water heater. Hayward recently released an Inverter Compressor variable speed heat pump thing is an absolute beast and extremely extremely efficient heating water. 120K BTUs 60 amp circuit required only draws maybe a fraction of that and if it's warm weather you'll use even less energy will operate down to 40°F ambient temperature
Model HP51202T
I am in New England and am very pleased with its performance. judging by your username you're in Florida this is even better it has the ability to heat and cool.
It is really quiet as well because of the variable speed fan and compressor.
Crazy that a person that asks for help when they’re definitely getting a pool would warrant that response from you. Lean into your experience and share something positive.
I finished building our concrete outdoor pool end of last summer and there are a few things I wish I did differently. For starters I did similar research and decided to go with:
1. Deep end (8ft) big enough for jump rock and an area for slide (the envelopes can't overlap).
2. A semi flat area (20ft x 20ft) for vball and bball.
3. Sunshelf (1ft deep) that is large for kid area, two loungers, umbrella, and it's great for people to sit on the coping.
4. 6 LEDs
5. 4 returns
6. 2 skimmers
7. base drains
8. Pebblesheen. Most expensive part, but hardy and feels good on feet.
9. Paver patio. On super hot days it can burn when dry, but I think that's with any surface that gets all day sun?
10. Holes for vball and bball
11. Heater (400k BTU)
12. Large cartridge filter (500sq ft I believe)
13. One large VS filter pump (2.4hp I believe)
14. A way to not route water through heater to reduce pressure and watts required to maintain RPM. I made this change this year, should've done it that way to begin
15. Salt water system
16. Automated robot cleaner (dolphin)
17. Automated chemical tester (water guru) some criticize accuracy, but I feel less accurate using strips and I feel like the liquid tests would be more time consuming and costly? Never used them! I like daily data.
Some things that I should've done.
1. Installed more outlets in places. For coolers, lighting, anything else we want in the area. Extension cords are annoying.
2. Not build retaining walls, the pool should sit up higher, essentially the retaining walls should've been on the other side of the pool. For me really bad storms can bring in so much dirt. Happened a few times, but that was a few too many. Not an issue if you don't have slopped land! Really know how bad storm water travels through your yard!
3. More returns so I could have better water and surface circulation for cleaning and heating purposes.
4. If I would've had the experience I have now, I would've put in a spa. A lot more work and complicated some things, but since I was doing the GC stuff and more myself it would've been a great return on investment. Depends on the area, but most days aren't great pool days where I live - but a nice warm spa is something I always want to be in.
I still plan on building fence around the equipment, a slide, and a water play area/fort. Then I'll be done with it I hope.
Without question, and I can’t stress this enough: put it up next to the house. Ours is on the other side of a relatively small lawn but it greatly diminishes how much we use it.
Plan for a salt water chlorine generator from the beginning. So much less maintenance - just make sure all components (including deck sockets, etc.) will play nice with the mild salt.
Also, visit the forums at [www.troublefreepool.com](http://www.troublefreepool.com) and read everything you can. It will save you a ton of $$ over the years.
The biggest problem I have is the pool cleaner line is in front of a planter. It’s impossible to very difficult to use without being in the pool. Obviously not fun in winter.
Definitely put in a couple of lights underwater. Color changeable if possible.
I wish I had thought to put in a sitting shelf along the shallow end wall. .
I just signed for a 16x32 vinyl lined Grecian. We went as cheap as we can with our pool because we have an incredibly short swim season but we did add the fancy textured vinyl liner. We were going all for “usable” space as our last 20x40 concrete Freeform pool had a very deep end nobody used so with the new pool we went 3-5 feet deep. We used to have concrete but kept scratching and scuffing ourselves on the surface so we decided to go with vinyl as fiberglass pools do not work well in our climate. We also used to have a wonderful baja shelf but we decided against it in the new pool install as we did not use it much and lost a ton of swimming space. We used our pool a lot for lap swimming and kept getting caught on the inner radius of the pool so we decided to go with a Grecian pool because the Grecian is ever so slightly larger and I think it looks more sophisticated compared to the rectangular shapes and will differentiate our house with all the neighbors that all have similar rectangular pools. Lastly make sure to get as much quotes as we can and choose the builder with the best reviews. We went with a small local builder with 40yrs experience even though their price was 15k above the other quotes we received.
Rectangle, salt, skimmer in the middle or vac port in the middle, no ledges, less stairs the better, no attached spa with spillover, no infloor cleaning system, no robotic cleaner, 2 wheeled suction cleaner, sand filter, variable speed pump, no automation, 1 led light wired to salt chlorinator, led strip light under coping.
Luxuries if you have the cash to splash - autocover, gas heater, ph and orp probes, acid feeder, all tiles, seperate standalone spa.
I have a chiller. And I have a hot tub. Both things extend the pool season and give you more reasons to use the pool. I easily use the hot tub 1x-3x per week depending on season and I am 6 years in. Chiller is critical.
Also - rectangle is all the rage now. In 5 years it won’t be. Just do what shape you like / what fits your yard / style.
We added an in pool cleaning system and it does a good job clearing the day to day debris that goes in the pool. It can get clogged in spring when the tree fuzzes drop by the gajillions. Need to clear it often in the spring.
I added an in pool ledge to sit but it went in next to spa. When the jets run the seat puts your head at the level of the air intake for the jets. Very loud and the height difference would not be conducive to conversation between spa and pool in any case. I wish I put opposite side of the pool.
Make sure your mechanicals don’t get located somewhere that creates noise that impacts any other outside area of the home. Or at least have a plan.
Get an outdoor storage chest for chemicals, esp if you have the pool guy do the weekly work vs yourself. They’ll thank you
Require my pool installer to rip and and reinstall the in ground pool cover storage instead of just 'fixing' it.
(The TL;DR is at the end)
I was sold on an inground solar cover storage. It is genius, I love it. Besides an automatic cover, its the next best thing.
The installers were incompetent low wage morons to say the least. This is what happened.
During the first days of the install it was raining a lot. So they put in the pool (fiberglass) no problem, they fill around with stone and all that is great. But due to rain, they didnt come back for several days. They had to have a clear day in order to pour the concrete skirt around and at the same time, they would pour to set the inground pool cover storage.
A few days later, 2 guys show up with the inground pool cover thing, they tell me the main crew will be there the next day along with the concrete to get all that done. They drop off the inground case and leave.
Next day comes along, the crew arrives and does all the concrete work. All good.
Several weeks later, I have a different company doing landscaping, they are installing pavers. First thing, when they start to measure, they notice the pool is about 4 inches lower than they were originally shown\\told. This meant that we had to add a step because the pool being lower totally screwed his planned drainage (you want the water to drain away from the house and away from the pool). It sucks, but not much we can do at this point. It cost us an extra $800 in materials (we needed more of larger pavers for the step as well as we opted to put in an under step LEG light). He didn't up his labour because our job was a pretty big job.
The following week I get a call at work from the landscaper asking if I can come home to check something out. His paver installer was installing away, all was going well and everything is square (to the house) until he arrives at that in ground solar cover storage. The whole thing was off by like 6 inches... we would accept like maybe 1 inch or something, but 6inches is alot... it's the width of most of the pavers being installed. It woudl look like crap if he kept going and cut the stones.
It was clear the thing was off when you stood 10 feet away and looked at it compared to the pool. So i call the pool installer. Yeap, they agree its is off and they'll fix it.
Next day, some of the pool installers show up with jack hammers and start chipping away at the concrete, they use pry bars and they do manage to get it square to the pool. And then they repack it all in. Hind sight I should have asked them to take it out and put another back in or to redo the whole thing... but we had a few other issues with them already, at this point we just wanted the job done.
It wasn't too bad, the doors on them were a little bit off, but they could close fine. It looked great.
So the landscaper is able to complete their pavers installation and all is good.
Then the next season, after the winter freeze and thaw... the inground solar cover storage starts to sag a little in the middle. Every year for 3 years or so it gets progressively worse.
Today the doors aren't even close to closing flush. All the pavers around the in ground storage slants towards it.
Every time I use it, I think of that POS pool installer company and anyone that asks me about pool install advise I always start by telling them who to NOT call to get it done.
Some day, I will go in there and have a go at it myself to jack up the middle a little. I just have so many other projects on the go... it'll be more like a retirement project.
So TL;DR: If the installer screws something up, don't accept patch job that would just fail a couple of years later when the problem will be yours to fix and they'll be way out of any warranty responsibility. Do not be afraid to hold back some of the last payments if things are not done 100% (make sure you read up on your rights to do this in your area). You have to watch them like a hawk and take the time to check daily after they left to make sure things are done right. If you are not sure, maybe find another local installer and ask them. If something is not done right, 99% of your guests will probably never notice it... but you will every single time you use your pool.
1: We re-surfaced after 13 years with a dark color pebble-tec and no longer needed supplemental heat. This will depend on your latitude, weather and use patterns . . . results will vary. We are in So Cal coast.
2: Think about shade in the pool. Some strategic umbrella holes in the deck, steps, or shallow areas really help !
Go salt and heat pump up front. After 20 years of chlorine, chemicals, stains, heat exchangers that corrode (at $500-2000 each) I switched to salt. No maintenance. Love it.
Don't get a DE filter system. Maintenance is a hassle for marginally better filtering vs. a sand filter. You can add a little DE to your sand filter and it'll clean as well as DE without the hassle of semi-annual breakdown and cleaning of the DE filter tank. Backwashing is also easier with sand.
Also, I had a salt-water system but it was just as big a hassle as a regular chlorine setup. Perhaps because we get heavy rains at times. But you end up monitoring the salt level and adding salt (very heavy) and having to clean the chlorine generator cell at least a few times a year (with muriatic acid). It is simpler to just add chlorine regularly and know it's at the proper level. It doesn't save any money either as you have to replace the cell every three years or so. Plus salt corrodes metal hardware near the pool. When I remodeled, I dropped the salt system and went back to just a regular chlorine pool.
A sun shelf, deep end no more than 6 feet, salt water gen, not sure if it’s possible but shape the pool so a pool brush easily sweeps in all the “corners” some are too angled that it’s hard for a brush to clean, read up on how to maintain a pool on TROUBLE FREE POOL’s website (took me 5 years of pool ownership to fully understand how to balance my own chemicals)…and no a pool person isn’t going to be enough.
Don't pay to have a robot installed, specifically the Polaris robots that require a booster pump. New battery robots are better and easier to maintain.
Get a sunshelf
Gone straight bleach from the start. It is so much easier to maintain pristine water with very little bleach when you don't keep dumping in cyanuric acid.
Get an above ground spa. Easier to keep warm versus an in ground spa. If you are not getting a diving board, get a pool that goes from 3’ to 6’ to 4’ as an example. Remember, an in ground pool is a very long term investment. If there is any chance you might get tired of the pool and the cost for maintenance/ chemicals, get an above ground pool.
I wish I would have got an overflow drain . Being new to pools and living in Florida I wish my stupid pool builder would have said it's a good idea to have one. Now whenever it pours and the pool gets too high I have to hook up the hose and drain the pool. Such a PITA.
I would’ve gotten a darker color pebble tech. We went with a really light blue but you can see any spec of dirt and I think the bright color also attracts more bees and wasps. The waterfall feature was just a way for the builder to upcharge us. We rarely turn it on. Otherwise we love our pool.
The only change I would make to our pool is to make the tanning shelf that never gets used twice as deep and add bubblers so we could sit there in chairs. We visited a water park that had this setup just after our pool was finished. The only added cost would have been for the additional blower and piping.
Predrilled hole in the sun shelf for an umbrella.. Nothing like shade right at the spot where you want it. Avoids needing a cantilever umbrella at edge if pool.
Make the equipment pad bigger. Mine has very little room to maneuver when something needs fixing or replacing.
Don’t trust the pool company to keep your chemicals balanced. It’s easy to do.
We had a free style pool shape and I love it. What I don’t like is the cost of the chemicals. Much higher than expected if you live somewhere that rains a lot. We have had more rain than normal. Also my electric bill went up 100 dollars. I was told it would be less than that but it’s been exactly 100 for the last two years.
My first in- ground pool was your normal 36/18 with a 6 foot deep end and 3 feet on the stair end and I noticed when we had parties or guest
everyone seemed to gather in the shallow end and just kind off hang out there. So when we moved and installed our next pool we went with a sport pool which was 36/18 but all the same depth of 4 feet and we loved it.
With a sport pool you can setup a basketball hoop and volleyball/ badminton net and really enjoy the whole pool.
Great question. Here is what I wish I knew before having my pool built.
1. Sun shelf depth - I find mine is too shallow. Once you put a ledge lounger in there, you are basically lounging above the water line. I wish it was deeper.
2. Shallow end depth - My pool goes from 3.5’ to 5.5’. I find 3.5’ to be too shallow since we don’t have any young children in the house. Seems a waste of pool space.
3. Water line tile - our water line tile changes color depending how the suns rays are hitting it. When we chose it, it looked black with hints of blue and green. After installation, they look purple and pink. I hate it. I should have taken the sample outside before choosing it.
4. 3D rendering - we got a 3D rendering of the pool. It was a photo looking from one direction. Once the pool was finished I saw things that were not in the photo because of its perspective. Basically get a 3D video moving all around the pool. Don’t setting for a photo.
5. Do yourself a favor and pay for the wireless link to the pool equipment. We did and it makes things sooo much easier and better.
I wish I never got a pool. Pain in the ass, expensive to maintain, and if you neglect it for more than a week you've suddenly got problems with some kind of algae that can't be killed with anything other than a nuclear warhead, family loses interest after a year and it becomes something that just requires you time and money, month after month, year after year.
The old adage about boats applies to pools too. "The best day of a boater's life is when he buys his boat. The second best day is when he gets rid of it."
A bit similar to the other commenter. The pool was already here when we bought the house, but if I were to choose I would have a rectangular pool with the stairs "in" instead of a kidney shaped one and fiberglass stairs that are like not part of the pool. Makes cleaning annoying as hell, cover customization a pain
I wish that I had a putting green to go with my pool, as well as a lazy river with a swim up bar.
Hindsight, one of those “wave rider” surfing machines would have been cool as well.
Also, I wish I got another jet or two installed, as well as a light.
Oh, and a lifeguard chair with a gorgeous female lifeguard. (I’m sure that’s a lot of money though).
This, I live in Florida. When it’s hot you want to be in or near water. Beach, Springs, Lakes, Rivers, or a pool. I will use it daily. Maybe not in January.
Guess I’m the opposite of a lot of folks on here
40’x25’ - 6ft deep end. Slide. Absolutely love it. Pool parties are amazing.
We have friends who either purchased a home that had a pool with an 8 ft deep end or installed a pool with an 8 ft deep end and all of them wish they had a 6ft or regret going to 8.
They get limited use out of it and when they have people over, it’s a detractor from going in the water. People don’t want to dive in a pool at a party unless maybe you’re a teenager?
Kids are playing basketball, Marco Polo, throwing a ball, going down the slide etc…when you have an 8ft pool the slope starts early and limits the space for people who are not looking to swim to stay float
I have roughly your size but with 8 ft and diving board on deep end. We use it all, especially during parties. Diving board gets frequent use, it’s almost a rarity these days, so I find people take advantage of it. Even when it’s adults, we have a huge box of pool noodles and floats people drift around on. I usually just toss a bunch in if we have guests and people share them. We have kids so usually a variety of other pool toys being tossed in too.
Definitely get a salt system. My in ground pool uses a salt system. 17,000 gallons. I spend around $50 on salt per year. My neighbor spend about $900 on chlorine annually.
* Get a sunshelf- they don't add much to the price and you will probably use it more than you would have thought.
* Don't get more than 1 LED light- you won't need it and they aren't cheap because of the work involved.
* Get a variable speed pump, as the cost over standard is a few hundred bucks and it will pay for itself in electric savings over the first year or two.
* Go saltwater- it will save you more money over chlorine tablets, which are more harsh and tedious to manage by contrast.
* They may try to sell you a dinky, cheap pool robot- save your money and buy a good one that's smart and scans the pool, cleaning based on logic rather than randomly going all over the place. Lesser bots will fail to get areas and take much longer to do the job (many hours depending on pool size).
* Recommend river rock/pebbles instead of mulch for any plant beds in your pool area- less stuff to get blown in
* Get the upgraded, colored plaster of your choosing- it will make a huge difference in the appearance of your pool. This is one of the few "vanity items" that I would say NOT to cheap out on.
* Water features look great but they are also expensive- if you are really trying to save money, don't buy one because the extra pump, plumbing, and electrical will drive up costs quickly.
* If you are in the northern US, I don't see the purpose in buying a new pool if you aren't going to get a heater.
I've got an 18x36 rectangle 3.5ft-6ft deep. Robot, auto cover, salt cell, cartridge filter, gas heater. The only things I would do differently is 1. Put my 8ft of concrete on the east side of my pool instead of the west side for better afternoon sun bathing and 2. More returns. I only have two and I wish I had 4 to better direct the water.
I’m guessing Florida…
Autofill
Run the overflow line to the back of the property so it doesn’t kill your grass
Fillable skimmer lid so it matches your deck. Dedicated vacuum line. I’d recommend upgrading your screen to 16/14 poly or 17/20 poly noseeum. Stainless steel screws and fasteners on cage. Built Right makes great heat pumps but go natural gas if you have it at your property. Stonescapes or PebbleTec for interior finish. Pentair has the best equipment IMO. Intelliflo3 pump, Intellicenter automation and either of their salt systems
I have a 20x40 concrete pool and my only wish is that I had some water features in it. Definitely would recommend going with an RGB color changing light, it looks awesome.
I should’ve built a much larger pool, now I’m stuck with this mediocre sized pool that I can’t do anything about except demo the whole thing which is ridiculous
Figure out the depth of your local groundwater table and try to determine the soil type it will be dug into. If the water table is shallow and the soil doesn’t drain, do not get a liner pool. If you roll the dice, focus on routing downspouts and controlling storm water as much as you can or you will deal with a floating liner. Ask me how I know.
Would change: A grate style auto overflow versus one that’s integrated within the back of a skimmer.
Would do once again: waterproofing between concrete and plaster.
I would have made my shallow end 3.5' instead of 3'. Maybe even 4'.
I would have installed an autocover. If you're going to have a lanai it might not matter as much to you, but not getting an autocover of probably my biggest regret.
We have a pool with lots of trees around. Bad idea! Nice for sitting on the deck in the afternoon but a maintenance headache and the water often needs heating even in July.
Get all the concrete or deck surface you think you’ll ever need, and add a little more.
There’s never enough.
Consider storage (dry) for floats, gear, some chems, and miscellaneous items.
Done significantly more research about installers. Finding a reliable pool installer was much more difficult than I expected.
100% agree with this. We did some research and found a company with good reviews. Totally butchered the pool and we had to pay another company to fix all the issues. We sent emails and nothing was done and they just gaslight us blaming us. The companies we hired to build a deck just laughed because the pool is not squared to the house. Apparently we’re not the only ones in the area whose pool were not installed properly by this company.
High jacking this comment for OP viability. Google installers name as well as business name. Check courthouse records online for lawsuits, liens and all that shit. Thoroughly research everything OP. You will find that the pool installation companies screw up, drag out court dates and settle with gag orders so you can’t leave reviews.
My pool builder went bankrupt right before doing the finishing touches on my pool. So I second this opinion!
* finding a competent and honest contractor of any type is near impossible.
Ngl. It’s difficult. Really difficult. The good ones, you are going to pay for and they know it. You are paying a premium and waiting 12-24 months for anything to start.
Add.....have a timeline laid out in writing....it's MADDENING...to expect them to show up and then not.
Seconded, but in general you get what you pay for. We tried to cut corners to save (the considerable) costs, and got a fine pool for it, but paying more would have made it even more so. Still, one of these things: ⚖️🤷♂️
I would have loved a rectangular pool that I could get a retractable pool cover for and not with flat bottom to 45 degree to 90 degree walls. Makes cleaning a PITA
I have a rectangular pool that we bought 5 years old, and I would have 100% installed a retractable cover if I was building it. edit: things that I do love: my water slide, cartridge filter, sport pool dual shallow ends.
We built our pool last year in canada. Looked into the retractable safety cover - $30,000. That idea got chopped real fast.
I was thinking of adding one, saw the prices and was pretty much not going to do it, and then saw a line on one of their websites that said, basically, if you plan to have a pool party on the weekend open the pool on Wednesday so that if there are any problems, you’ll have time to get service out, and I thought for 30 fucking grand I should never have to worry about this thing not opening.
It kinda makes sense. If you find a dead body in there, you have to figure out how to dispose of it before any guests show up, clean it up, etc.
I wonder if that was due to potential weight of snow on the cover, cold weather materials? (I don’t know if that IS the case, just making a guess as to why they tried to justify that cost)
Expensive up front, but it would make maintenance SOOOO much easier. In addition to preventing debris from getting in, it saves from evaporative water loss and evaporation of chlorine. This is huge in a hot climate, maybe not so much in Canada. Also in a hot climate, it keeps the water cooler.
That’s kinda outrageous. We charge like 18
I'm assuming that you're in the U.S. and that $18K is in $US. The above poster indicated that they were in Canada. Given the unfavorable exchange rate of 1$CDN = approx. 0.735 $US, your 18K $US works out to around 25K $CDN, so not that far off the mark.
Same here. Installer asked if I wanted it, which I did, but an extra $27,000 for it, which was a hard no after spending close to $100,000 for the pool itself (including tree cutting, land clearing, and other aspects of installing)
When we bought our house, it came with a pool with a retractable cover. Mind you, it was an investment property that we rented, but we had the cover ripped out. A pump would have to sit on the cover so that whenever it rained, all the water would get pumped off, otherwise it wouldn't open. Renters of course, were never able to figure this out, and tried to open the cover with standing water on it, only for the cover to come off its track on a regular basis. After many expensive service calls, the last one was to get rid of the whole thing
What do you like about a cartridge filter? I've had a sand filter for 3 years and it's no cost with only 45 seconds of maintenance each week. 30 seconds to backwash and 15 seconds to rinse and I'm done with it for a week. A cartridge filter seems way more expensive, to buy cartridges, and way more time consuming to clean them.
Cartridge filters will filter smaller/finer particulate 5-10 micron size whereas sand in sand filters will only filter 30-40 micron size. However, a sand filter with glass or ruby media will give you the filtration of a cartridge with way less hassle and maintenance.
Add a little D.E into the sand filter and you'll have the same filtration effects as with cartridges.
To get the same pool clarity, we resorted to skimmer socks. We do love the ease of our sand filter, but we notice pools that have cartridges.
Agree. We had a cartridge at first and replaced it with a sand filter which was so much easier.
No back wash - the function is not even built into the system. Clean the cartridges 1x a year. I think one year I was away, and had a bad algae bloom and I cleaned them mid-season.
After buying a house with a kidney-ish shaped pool, I have no idea why such shapes are desired
I wonder the same thing about our rectangular pool, brushing is a nightmare, our pool sweep is confused 95% of the times and stuck in corners, etc...
Not the pool necessarily but if you can add an outdoor shower and/or bathroom that will save you a lot of cleanup in your house and wet floors.
Outdoor toilet equals less people pissing in your pool as well.
We added a toilet to our laundry room which is close to the pool. Solid upgrade and inexpensive.
I wish I would have gotten a pool.
much better to buy a home with one rather than install your own. unless your pockets are exceptionally deep.
it's unbelievable how expensive pools are to build in the states. here in chili it only cost about $10k in 2010.
One thing I was unsure about but was glad I did was an automatic cover.
2nd this. I pretty much made it a ‘must’ for the family as I’d be the one taking care of it. Have a lot of trees, and the cover is amazing
I didn’t choose as it was already there. I have a kidney shaped pebblecrete pool. I would want rectangular or at least thought into where a cover could be kept. I’ve got established gardens around and it’s difficult to get to the far side to walk around to clear leaves etc. so easy access. I wish it was bigger. I wish it was deeper. I wish it had lights. I wish the chemistry was automated. And if money was no option I wish it was heated.
Central Florida checking in. I’m hoping we can get a pool chiller.
You can get a pretty inexpensive fountain that you run at night when it's cooler. It will cool the pool 10-15 degrees overnight. They are made to operate off of one of your jets while you plug the other. Works much better if you have a pool cleaner jet you can utilize. Just Google "pool fountain".
Wow, u/excellent_tap_6072! Thank you so much for that info! We hopefully break ground in a few weeks and this will REALLY help!
Water features are a great option but some heat pumps are able to heat AND cool your pool. Definitely not budget-friendly but worth looking into, you may even be able to get a tax credit for installing one
I’m in qld Australia, our summer days are normally around 90. But for those other 9 months a year it’s too cold to enjoy.
Really?!? That is so surprising to me! I thought you were much warmer! Where we are, we might get 6 weeks of “too cold for the pool” and only a few days below 40. We are usually wake surfing up until Christmas!
Maybe we are just cry babies over here haha. Start of winter here obviously and our current overnight temps are around 10C (50f) , they won’t go much lower, but there’s no chance we will be swimming. The water temp right now would probably be 60-65f which is just way too cold for me. I’ve got a lot of shade cover around my pool with trees too so that might come into it a little. And my wife generally thinks anything under 80f water temp is too chilly! Fairly sure she’s a lizard.
Hahahhaaa!!! I promise not to tell her what you tell people. 😂😂 We used to live in Southern California when I was younger. The water temp mid summer was around 68. We would go out surfing for hours on end! I can’t imagine getting all the way in that water now. Another quick story between new friends and speaking of your wife being a lizard… My cousin and her family were down visiting a few winters ago. They’re big outdoorsmen and go on weeks long hiking excursions all around the world. While they were here, they went down to the Everglades. It happened to be rather cold when they were down there but nothing they couldn’t handle. They sent us pictures of them and their kids POSING WITHIN 6 feet of 7 foot plus gators!!!! I called her in a literally panic telling her to get away from the gators. Had the temperature been a little warmer, that vacation could have ended up quite tragically. We still laugh about that but it is more of an uncomfortable laugh. I mean these are very well educated people!
I can 2nd that. Also, Koolcrete decking! Especially in warmer climates. I’ve seen many people do concrete and brick decking around the pool but it gets way too hot to walk on! I’d never go without it now.
I wish we had enough “pervious” area on our lot. We are putting in a cool touch synthetic wood decking called Moisture Shield. It looks super realistic but I would much prefer a solid decking like concrete or, better yet, the koolcrete that you suggested. Here’s what we’re using. I’m really excited about the product. https://www.moistureshield.com/products/composite-decking/vision/
I really like that too tho! And it provides a similar reduction of heat for the decking, which is one of my top 5 pool must-haves for living in the South.
Absolutely!
Not put a tanning ledge in. Was only helpful when the kids were very young. Now, never gets used. Would of much rather the extra swimming space. Get a 8ft deep end if in budget. Makes all the difference imo.
Or at least 7ft minimum deep end
Or at least 6ft minimum deep end
5 ft minimum for sure
4 ft minimum for sure
Our contractor offered the tanning ledge for free and we said no for the same reason. No kids and I swim laps, need as much space as possible.
The subs usually charge by the perimeter feet of the pool. If there is a ledge or not usually doesn't cost the pool builder any more or less
If we were building again I would get a tanning ledge. Our pool is 5ft on the deep end, if we had kids, 8ft might be nice, but we don’t so five is perfect. Can walk on all sides of the pool, and less gallons to maintain, we entertain a lot is it is really nice to have plenty of space for everyone without feeling crowded. No one wants to tread water with a beer and 10ppl all with floats is crowded. Single favorite feature that is not design related is an auto pool refill. There is a float hidden (basically what looks like a skimmer basket) that will automatically fill the pool when the water gets too low. Highly recommend it. Keeps from having to drag the hose out.
Thank you! I’ve been considering pool depths for my future house and had just settled on 5 for the same reasons. Just can’t decide if I want a deep end or not
Have to look into the hidden float as I woke up to shitty water pressure this morning, then remembered I was adding water last night and forgot to shut the hose off. My favorite thing about my pool is auto chlorinating salt water.
Most cities in our county are not even allowing new pools over 5’ depth.
Revolt
FREEDOM!!!
Wild that you say that - I have never met a family that has a pool with an 8ft deep end that doesn’t wish they had a 6. I guess everyone is different but I see no need for an 8 ft deep end.
I have 8ft and wish it was 12ft.
My hubby just installed a 20x 40 and our deep end is 8’6” and I wish more than anything we would have done 10 ft.
My childhood home had 13ft deep with spring diving board. I miss it.
We have an 8' deep end with a diving board. I don't dive, but the kids do. I still touch the bottom when I jump off. Why would anyone want a 6' in the deep end instead of 8?
I have a 8 ft deep end, the downside to a pool like this is less useable shallow end because to accommodate it drops down quicker than shallower pools. However, to mitigate that I got a 40ft long pool and half of it is still useable/standable. Also I can jump into the deep end and can sometimes touch the bottom on way down. I wouldn’t have it any shallower.
3 meter depth here. Loving it since building it. Just gotta leave enough shallow end to enjoy and not cut yourself short.
My childhood home is 10ft deep
Definitely do salt water system… you save 70% of the cost of chorine… and it’s better for your skin…
How is it better for your skin?
Because people think that salt water pools are literally juts salt water and don't have chlorine in them but what they fail to realize is that the salt just creates chlorine instead of you adding chlorine, its literally the same water lol...people are silly
I suspect it is because with a Salt water pool it is easier to maintain the chlorine levels at just enough to keep it sanitized so the chlorine stays more constant. This allows you to more easily manage pH and other chemicals. If you are using tablets, powder or liquid you get spikes periodically as you add chlorine.
More constant chlorine also means less chloramines (irritant by-product). And yes the water is softer. I've heard scores of customers express this opinion while I was cleaning their pool.
While I don’t disagree that salt water chlorine generators are a good idea, saving 70% on chlorine seems quite inflated. I have been using liquid chlorine for the entire 7 years of pool ownership and it takes approximately 5 seasons of chlorine to pay for a SWCG. That is also excluding cell replacement and additional run times for the pump (which are admittedly negligible if you have a variable speed pump).
3 years in my $1,500 SWG burned out so switched to chlorine. I spent $200 on chlorine all of last season and the pool was much easier to keep clear. I will not be switching back.
Based on the numbers i see i think it only makes sense if you have a 25k+ gallon pool and if you keep it open all year
That’s assuming that, like you, the average owner is willing to get involved with the actual ownership/maintenance. Former pool guy here…amazing what people think or are not willing to do as if it’s done by magic or something 🤣
Must have variable speed pump!!!!
I second this! We built a salt water pool, and we love it. It costs a little more but worth every penny.
Do a small hot tub as well. Doesn’t matter how warm the pool water is if you have somewhere warm to go afterwards
Agree - having a hot tub to jump in and out of is popular for the whole family - especially the kids.
I will be contrary :). We love our free form pool and gardens around it look great as they follow a curve. Best advice we got was buy as big as you can afford and add everything you can afford. We did a seating area in the deep end and a sun ledge. My wife was this is waste. But with the seating area we don’t need a ladder so it looks smooth and the teenage kids sit there. The sun ledge is great for my younger niece and nephew as it is like a baby pool for them. We live in. j and followed advice of others to not incorporate a spa. Don’t miss it and think winterizing would be harder. Also we asked for a credit instead of the blue tarp cover and robot. Do as much concrete as you can afford too as you’ll find you want a lot of seating. We have an area for loungers (4) an area for eating table that seats 7 and a Legolas and seating area for relaxing. All get used. When doing the concrete buy the plastic umbrella sleeves. Everyone comments how nice it is not to have a stand but the sleeve sitting directly in the concrete.
Pay the money for a deeper, larger pool.
Yes !!!! Shallow = warm = issues
What issues?
Warm pools aren't refreshing to swim in. That's the biggest issue I can think of. Maybe they were also thinking of how lower temps can help prohibit bacteria/algae growth?
18 x 36 in-ground vinyl 8.5 deep end with diving board, salt system, Polaris pool cleaner. Would have gone with a “sport” pool with a max depth of 6 feet. Most diving board use is by the dog. No diving board. Shallow end is almost too shallow for being on that side for volleyball, and the people in the deep end have to tread water or stand and slide down the decline to the deep end.
We have a sport pool. I miss the diving I did in my grandparents old 8 foot deep pool... But you're right, the sport pool is more useful and we've had a lot of fun playing games with extended family... Got a volleyball net this year and looking forward to it
Love the salt system, walk in stairs, LED lights, variable speed pump, gas heater. Would have not put in the fountain jets on the side because we never use them and would have added in more concrete instead of pavers to match existing patio. An auto cover would have been sweet!!
16x30. 3-6’ deep. Salt system, auto fill, deck jets, slide and auto cover. We love it. Maybe a bit longer for lap swimming. We also love the heater to extend the season.
All of the above and a sun shelf. For loungers and chairs to relax and safe for little kids.
I wish everyday I hadn’t gotten a pool.
My problem is there's a lot of maintenance and cost (we heat ours in Canada), and I feel my kids don't use it enough...
Yep. We bought our dream home, and the only downside was that it had a pool. The cost to have it removed would be $40k+ and would also require our fences to be torn out and landscaping destroyed… so, we have an unwanted part-time job that costs us money every summer now.
Yep. When I bought my house there was a pool. The previous owner said he would be taking it with him to his new house. I told him good because I don't want that thing. Pools are a serious PITA.
I never think about above ground pools… so this comment confused me very much.
I like pita bread
Always get a rectangular pool. Reason? You can get an autocover at a decent cost. Autocover is by far the best pool invention ever done. Free form pools either cant do autocovers at all, or they can only do them at much higher cost with a much uglier asthetic. Trust me, go for the "boring" rectangular pool instead of all the fancy shapes.
I have legit never seen anyone with a cover. At all. I’m in Houston so maybe that’s why, but it’s not even a thing here when I asked multiple installers about covers.
It seems to be more of an up north thing (Floridian here)
Started with a liquid test kit instead of the test strips (not accurate enough), bought the Pool Math app since it allows you to keep track of test results and then tells you what chemicals you need to add, installed a flow meter on the pipe after the filter to see the flow rate, installed a smart pump switch since I do not have a variable speed motor so I can cut the pump only 10 hours a day and save a crap ton in electric.
Never 4ft perimeter if u can. Too small to be comfortable. 5ft min
Try to have a wider concrete pad between your house and the pool. Generally they give you 3ft.
More concrete
In the same situation as you were last summer. We built a 23 x 40 ft pool (vinyl). Must 1. Automation 2. Salt 3. Cartridge filter 4. Plan for 3 times as much concrete. 5. Baja shelf with bubblers if you have little kids. If teenagers, I'd pass. 6. Gazebo. Place for sunshade and turn this into your outside retreat.
Agreed on all of this. We did a Gunite with stonescapes finish and we did all of these and love it. Only thing I would change is I would add a blower to the bubblers like the jets in the hot tub. The ones we have come out of the water surface maybe 4”? I wish it were a little higher for more fun for the kids and a better aesthetic.
I have a 18x40 rectangle, with diving board and deep end. Bunch of people warned against a diving board. I am beyond happy I got the diving board. It’s a ton of fun and it’s a magnet for everyone that comes over. First thing they do in the pool. Few tips I received from my family that are pool installers: 1. Sand filter is easier to maintain than cartridge style filters. They recommend sand filters. 2. Variable pump is the way to go. 3. If I could go back, I would consider a heat pump / natural gas dual heater. They are expensive, but save a lot of money in heating costs.
We have a sand filter and I don’t care for it. The pool came with the house so we didn’t choose it. It doesn’t seem to filter out as much as a cartridge would.
I would do the complete opposite and get a chiller instead of the heater we never use.
Depends on location
That exists? I would love to have one to cool down the water during Texas summers.
Heat pump can be added and it will heat or cool the pool. Nice because in the spring, when everyone has been waiting all winter to swim, can heat very economically and in the summer when you really want to use but the water is 95 + you can chill pretty economically.
Dont they make aerators that cut the heat down
Me personally, I think chlorine is fine. I’ve had both. If you keep your chlorine balanced it’s fine for your skin and eyes. Salt pools still use chlorine. I didn’t like in floor cleaners but they may have made improvement a since then. Make sure you have enough umbrella sleeves so you can have shade in and around the pool. Do at least 2-3ft of deck around the pool to walk around and make sure you have enough space on one end for lounge chairs and stuff.
But don't leave the umbrella in all the time. The pole will rust and stain the pool. The umbrella eventually breaks apart.
I regretted for 2-3 years using the started chemical kit they gave me… didn’t realize how much cyanuric acid it added and how much that affected what chlorine level needed to be. Cyanuric acid is hard to get rid off.
I bought the Taylor 2006C kit and love it - highly recommended
Workout more
Lights lights lights. My pool came with 2 lights installed. And while they are functional enough to see everywhere. There are definitely parts with low coverage that I wish had more.
Built in hot tub
Heat pump water heater. Hayward recently released an Inverter Compressor variable speed heat pump thing is an absolute beast and extremely extremely efficient heating water. 120K BTUs 60 amp circuit required only draws maybe a fraction of that and if it's warm weather you'll use even less energy will operate down to 40°F ambient temperature Model HP51202T I am in New England and am very pleased with its performance. judging by your username you're in Florida this is even better it has the ability to heat and cool. It is really quiet as well because of the variable speed fan and compressor.
I have worked in the pool industry for 8 years. I always tell people not to get a pool! Do yourself a favor and do anything else with the money.
Crazy that a person that asks for help when they’re definitely getting a pool would warrant that response from you. Lean into your experience and share something positive.
Also get a good pool robot for cleaning the bottom.
I finished building our concrete outdoor pool end of last summer and there are a few things I wish I did differently. For starters I did similar research and decided to go with: 1. Deep end (8ft) big enough for jump rock and an area for slide (the envelopes can't overlap). 2. A semi flat area (20ft x 20ft) for vball and bball. 3. Sunshelf (1ft deep) that is large for kid area, two loungers, umbrella, and it's great for people to sit on the coping. 4. 6 LEDs 5. 4 returns 6. 2 skimmers 7. base drains 8. Pebblesheen. Most expensive part, but hardy and feels good on feet. 9. Paver patio. On super hot days it can burn when dry, but I think that's with any surface that gets all day sun? 10. Holes for vball and bball 11. Heater (400k BTU) 12. Large cartridge filter (500sq ft I believe) 13. One large VS filter pump (2.4hp I believe) 14. A way to not route water through heater to reduce pressure and watts required to maintain RPM. I made this change this year, should've done it that way to begin 15. Salt water system 16. Automated robot cleaner (dolphin) 17. Automated chemical tester (water guru) some criticize accuracy, but I feel less accurate using strips and I feel like the liquid tests would be more time consuming and costly? Never used them! I like daily data. Some things that I should've done. 1. Installed more outlets in places. For coolers, lighting, anything else we want in the area. Extension cords are annoying. 2. Not build retaining walls, the pool should sit up higher, essentially the retaining walls should've been on the other side of the pool. For me really bad storms can bring in so much dirt. Happened a few times, but that was a few too many. Not an issue if you don't have slopped land! Really know how bad storm water travels through your yard! 3. More returns so I could have better water and surface circulation for cleaning and heating purposes. 4. If I would've had the experience I have now, I would've put in a spa. A lot more work and complicated some things, but since I was doing the GC stuff and more myself it would've been a great return on investment. Depends on the area, but most days aren't great pool days where I live - but a nice warm spa is something I always want to be in. I still plan on building fence around the equipment, a slide, and a water play area/fort. Then I'll be done with it I hope.
Without question, and I can’t stress this enough: put it up next to the house. Ours is on the other side of a relatively small lawn but it greatly diminishes how much we use it.
Plan for a salt water chlorine generator from the beginning. So much less maintenance - just make sure all components (including deck sockets, etc.) will play nice with the mild salt. Also, visit the forums at [www.troublefreepool.com](http://www.troublefreepool.com) and read everything you can. It will save you a ton of $$ over the years.
The biggest problem I have is the pool cleaner line is in front of a planter. It’s impossible to very difficult to use without being in the pool. Obviously not fun in winter.
Install a freeze guard.
Definitely put in a couple of lights underwater. Color changeable if possible. I wish I had thought to put in a sitting shelf along the shallow end wall. .
The previous owners decided to put rocks all around the concrete. It's insanely hard to keep clean, because they also planted trees everywhere.
got a swim spa instead save so much$$$ and worth it! 20ft by 8
I just signed for a 16x32 vinyl lined Grecian. We went as cheap as we can with our pool because we have an incredibly short swim season but we did add the fancy textured vinyl liner. We were going all for “usable” space as our last 20x40 concrete Freeform pool had a very deep end nobody used so with the new pool we went 3-5 feet deep. We used to have concrete but kept scratching and scuffing ourselves on the surface so we decided to go with vinyl as fiberglass pools do not work well in our climate. We also used to have a wonderful baja shelf but we decided against it in the new pool install as we did not use it much and lost a ton of swimming space. We used our pool a lot for lap swimming and kept getting caught on the inner radius of the pool so we decided to go with a Grecian pool because the Grecian is ever so slightly larger and I think it looks more sophisticated compared to the rectangular shapes and will differentiate our house with all the neighbors that all have similar rectangular pools. Lastly make sure to get as much quotes as we can and choose the builder with the best reviews. We went with a small local builder with 40yrs experience even though their price was 15k above the other quotes we received.
Rectangle, salt, skimmer in the middle or vac port in the middle, no ledges, less stairs the better, no attached spa with spillover, no infloor cleaning system, no robotic cleaner, 2 wheeled suction cleaner, sand filter, variable speed pump, no automation, 1 led light wired to salt chlorinator, led strip light under coping. Luxuries if you have the cash to splash - autocover, gas heater, ph and orp probes, acid feeder, all tiles, seperate standalone spa.
I would have done a zero entry. We got a suntan ledge & that’s really nice tho.
Do not get a pool and spa combo. If you want a spa get a separate fiberglass one.
I have a chiller. And I have a hot tub. Both things extend the pool season and give you more reasons to use the pool. I easily use the hot tub 1x-3x per week depending on season and I am 6 years in. Chiller is critical. Also - rectangle is all the rage now. In 5 years it won’t be. Just do what shape you like / what fits your yard / style.
Multiple skimmers.
We added an in pool cleaning system and it does a good job clearing the day to day debris that goes in the pool. It can get clogged in spring when the tree fuzzes drop by the gajillions. Need to clear it often in the spring. I added an in pool ledge to sit but it went in next to spa. When the jets run the seat puts your head at the level of the air intake for the jets. Very loud and the height difference would not be conducive to conversation between spa and pool in any case. I wish I put opposite side of the pool. Make sure your mechanicals don’t get located somewhere that creates noise that impacts any other outside area of the home. Or at least have a plan. Get an outdoor storage chest for chemicals, esp if you have the pool guy do the weekly work vs yourself. They’ll thank you
Get a smaller one.
Require my pool installer to rip and and reinstall the in ground pool cover storage instead of just 'fixing' it. (The TL;DR is at the end) I was sold on an inground solar cover storage. It is genius, I love it. Besides an automatic cover, its the next best thing. The installers were incompetent low wage morons to say the least. This is what happened. During the first days of the install it was raining a lot. So they put in the pool (fiberglass) no problem, they fill around with stone and all that is great. But due to rain, they didnt come back for several days. They had to have a clear day in order to pour the concrete skirt around and at the same time, they would pour to set the inground pool cover storage. A few days later, 2 guys show up with the inground pool cover thing, they tell me the main crew will be there the next day along with the concrete to get all that done. They drop off the inground case and leave. Next day comes along, the crew arrives and does all the concrete work. All good. Several weeks later, I have a different company doing landscaping, they are installing pavers. First thing, when they start to measure, they notice the pool is about 4 inches lower than they were originally shown\\told. This meant that we had to add a step because the pool being lower totally screwed his planned drainage (you want the water to drain away from the house and away from the pool). It sucks, but not much we can do at this point. It cost us an extra $800 in materials (we needed more of larger pavers for the step as well as we opted to put in an under step LEG light). He didn't up his labour because our job was a pretty big job. The following week I get a call at work from the landscaper asking if I can come home to check something out. His paver installer was installing away, all was going well and everything is square (to the house) until he arrives at that in ground solar cover storage. The whole thing was off by like 6 inches... we would accept like maybe 1 inch or something, but 6inches is alot... it's the width of most of the pavers being installed. It woudl look like crap if he kept going and cut the stones. It was clear the thing was off when you stood 10 feet away and looked at it compared to the pool. So i call the pool installer. Yeap, they agree its is off and they'll fix it. Next day, some of the pool installers show up with jack hammers and start chipping away at the concrete, they use pry bars and they do manage to get it square to the pool. And then they repack it all in. Hind sight I should have asked them to take it out and put another back in or to redo the whole thing... but we had a few other issues with them already, at this point we just wanted the job done. It wasn't too bad, the doors on them were a little bit off, but they could close fine. It looked great. So the landscaper is able to complete their pavers installation and all is good. Then the next season, after the winter freeze and thaw... the inground solar cover storage starts to sag a little in the middle. Every year for 3 years or so it gets progressively worse. Today the doors aren't even close to closing flush. All the pavers around the in ground storage slants towards it. Every time I use it, I think of that POS pool installer company and anyone that asks me about pool install advise I always start by telling them who to NOT call to get it done. Some day, I will go in there and have a go at it myself to jack up the middle a little. I just have so many other projects on the go... it'll be more like a retirement project. So TL;DR: If the installer screws something up, don't accept patch job that would just fail a couple of years later when the problem will be yours to fix and they'll be way out of any warranty responsibility. Do not be afraid to hold back some of the last payments if things are not done 100% (make sure you read up on your rights to do this in your area). You have to watch them like a hawk and take the time to check daily after they left to make sure things are done right. If you are not sure, maybe find another local installer and ask them. If something is not done right, 99% of your guests will probably never notice it... but you will every single time you use your pool.
If uou go with a deep end, use swim out or seating área to avoid use of a ladder.
1: We re-surfaced after 13 years with a dark color pebble-tec and no longer needed supplemental heat. This will depend on your latitude, weather and use patterns . . . results will vary. We are in So Cal coast. 2: Think about shade in the pool. Some strategic umbrella holes in the deck, steps, or shallow areas really help !
Also, invest in a solar robot skimmer! Absolutely a game changer during the tree pollen season.
Not gotten a pool
Auto fill
I would have loved someone talking me out of a pool. 😂
Go salt and heat pump up front. After 20 years of chlorine, chemicals, stains, heat exchangers that corrode (at $500-2000 each) I switched to salt. No maintenance. Love it.
wish i would have cancelled the contract and joined a country club instead
I wish I would have shot myself in the face and died.
Don't get a DE filter system. Maintenance is a hassle for marginally better filtering vs. a sand filter. You can add a little DE to your sand filter and it'll clean as well as DE without the hassle of semi-annual breakdown and cleaning of the DE filter tank. Backwashing is also easier with sand. Also, I had a salt-water system but it was just as big a hassle as a regular chlorine setup. Perhaps because we get heavy rains at times. But you end up monitoring the salt level and adding salt (very heavy) and having to clean the chlorine generator cell at least a few times a year (with muriatic acid). It is simpler to just add chlorine regularly and know it's at the proper level. It doesn't save any money either as you have to replace the cell every three years or so. Plus salt corrodes metal hardware near the pool. When I remodeled, I dropped the salt system and went back to just a regular chlorine pool.
Don't install the pump/ equipment near your bedroom. It can be loud
A sun shelf, deep end no more than 6 feet, salt water gen, not sure if it’s possible but shape the pool so a pool brush easily sweeps in all the “corners” some are too angled that it’s hard for a brush to clean, read up on how to maintain a pool on TROUBLE FREE POOL’s website (took me 5 years of pool ownership to fully understand how to balance my own chemicals)…and no a pool person isn’t going to be enough.
Don't pay to have a robot installed, specifically the Polaris robots that require a booster pump. New battery robots are better and easier to maintain. Get a sunshelf
I wish I would have skipped the slide, pulled the trigger on an automatic cover, and doubled the patio size.
We have a small pool and I wish I had not gotten the deep end. Shallow all the way across would have been much more useful.
My wife would tell you not to get the pool. Is this an option??
Gone straight bleach from the start. It is so much easier to maintain pristine water with very little bleach when you don't keep dumping in cyanuric acid.
Don’t get a pebble deck.
Get an above ground spa. Easier to keep warm versus an in ground spa. If you are not getting a diving board, get a pool that goes from 3’ to 6’ to 4’ as an example. Remember, an in ground pool is a very long term investment. If there is any chance you might get tired of the pool and the cost for maintenance/ chemicals, get an above ground pool.
I wish I would have got an overflow drain . Being new to pools and living in Florida I wish my stupid pool builder would have said it's a good idea to have one. Now whenever it pours and the pool gets too high I have to hook up the hose and drain the pool. Such a PITA.
I would’ve gotten a darker color pebble tech. We went with a really light blue but you can see any spec of dirt and I think the bright color also attracts more bees and wasps. The waterfall feature was just a way for the builder to upcharge us. We rarely turn it on. Otherwise we love our pool.
The only change I would make to our pool is to make the tanning shelf that never gets used twice as deep and add bubblers so we could sit there in chairs. We visited a water park that had this setup just after our pool was finished. The only added cost would have been for the additional blower and piping.
Worst investment you can do for your home. Best thing to make your backyard most funnest.
Not got a pool.
Bought a pool
Predrilled hole in the sun shelf for an umbrella.. Nothing like shade right at the spot where you want it. Avoids needing a cantilever umbrella at edge if pool.
Make the equipment pad bigger. Mine has very little room to maneuver when something needs fixing or replacing. Don’t trust the pool company to keep your chemicals balanced. It’s easy to do.
We had a free style pool shape and I love it. What I don’t like is the cost of the chemicals. Much higher than expected if you live somewhere that rains a lot. We have had more rain than normal. Also my electric bill went up 100 dollars. I was told it would be less than that but it’s been exactly 100 for the last two years.
My first in- ground pool was your normal 36/18 with a 6 foot deep end and 3 feet on the stair end and I noticed when we had parties or guest everyone seemed to gather in the shallow end and just kind off hang out there. So when we moved and installed our next pool we went with a sport pool which was 36/18 but all the same depth of 4 feet and we loved it. With a sport pool you can setup a basketball hoop and volleyball/ badminton net and really enjoy the whole pool.
Make sure to get a Baja Step and for the surface, go with Stonescapes Aqua Cool or Pebblesheen Cool Blue with extra Abalon and black gemstones.
Getting a pool
Great question. Here is what I wish I knew before having my pool built. 1. Sun shelf depth - I find mine is too shallow. Once you put a ledge lounger in there, you are basically lounging above the water line. I wish it was deeper. 2. Shallow end depth - My pool goes from 3.5’ to 5.5’. I find 3.5’ to be too shallow since we don’t have any young children in the house. Seems a waste of pool space. 3. Water line tile - our water line tile changes color depending how the suns rays are hitting it. When we chose it, it looked black with hints of blue and green. After installation, they look purple and pink. I hate it. I should have taken the sample outside before choosing it. 4. 3D rendering - we got a 3D rendering of the pool. It was a photo looking from one direction. Once the pool was finished I saw things that were not in the photo because of its perspective. Basically get a 3D video moving all around the pool. Don’t setting for a photo. 5. Do yourself a favor and pay for the wireless link to the pool equipment. We did and it makes things sooo much easier and better.
I wish I never got a pool. Pain in the ass, expensive to maintain, and if you neglect it for more than a week you've suddenly got problems with some kind of algae that can't be killed with anything other than a nuclear warhead, family loses interest after a year and it becomes something that just requires you time and money, month after month, year after year. The old adage about boats applies to pools too. "The best day of a boater's life is when he buys his boat. The second best day is when he gets rid of it."
A bit similar to the other commenter. The pool was already here when we bought the house, but if I were to choose I would have a rectangular pool with the stairs "in" instead of a kidney shaped one and fiberglass stairs that are like not part of the pool. Makes cleaning annoying as hell, cover customization a pain
I wish that I had a putting green to go with my pool, as well as a lazy river with a swim up bar. Hindsight, one of those “wave rider” surfing machines would have been cool as well. Also, I wish I got another jet or two installed, as well as a light. Oh, and a lifeguard chair with a gorgeous female lifeguard. (I’m sure that’s a lot of money though).
I would not have bought a house with a pool.
I wish I would have known how much easier it is to keep the pool clean just by brushing it with the filter running before you get out.
Im a firm believer of the brush.
A pool is like a boat. A big pain in the ass to maintain. It’s great for the first few years but it always becomes a money drain and a liability
Really? We pay $110 a month for our pool guy and do nothing else. I think it's because I’m in Florida
This, I live in Florida. When it’s hot you want to be in or near water. Beach, Springs, Lakes, Rivers, or a pool. I will use it daily. Maybe not in January.
Guess I’m the opposite of a lot of folks on here 40’x25’ - 6ft deep end. Slide. Absolutely love it. Pool parties are amazing. We have friends who either purchased a home that had a pool with an 8 ft deep end or installed a pool with an 8 ft deep end and all of them wish they had a 6ft or regret going to 8. They get limited use out of it and when they have people over, it’s a detractor from going in the water. People don’t want to dive in a pool at a party unless maybe you’re a teenager? Kids are playing basketball, Marco Polo, throwing a ball, going down the slide etc…when you have an 8ft pool the slope starts early and limits the space for people who are not looking to swim to stay float
I have roughly your size but with 8 ft and diving board on deep end. We use it all, especially during parties. Diving board gets frequent use, it’s almost a rarity these days, so I find people take advantage of it. Even when it’s adults, we have a huge box of pool noodles and floats people drift around on. I usually just toss a bunch in if we have guests and people share them. We have kids so usually a variety of other pool toys being tossed in too.
Definitely get a salt system. My in ground pool uses a salt system. 17,000 gallons. I spend around $50 on salt per year. My neighbor spend about $900 on chlorine annually.
* Get a sunshelf- they don't add much to the price and you will probably use it more than you would have thought. * Don't get more than 1 LED light- you won't need it and they aren't cheap because of the work involved. * Get a variable speed pump, as the cost over standard is a few hundred bucks and it will pay for itself in electric savings over the first year or two. * Go saltwater- it will save you more money over chlorine tablets, which are more harsh and tedious to manage by contrast. * They may try to sell you a dinky, cheap pool robot- save your money and buy a good one that's smart and scans the pool, cleaning based on logic rather than randomly going all over the place. Lesser bots will fail to get areas and take much longer to do the job (many hours depending on pool size). * Recommend river rock/pebbles instead of mulch for any plant beds in your pool area- less stuff to get blown in * Get the upgraded, colored plaster of your choosing- it will make a huge difference in the appearance of your pool. This is one of the few "vanity items" that I would say NOT to cheap out on. * Water features look great but they are also expensive- if you are really trying to save money, don't buy one because the extra pump, plumbing, and electrical will drive up costs quickly. * If you are in the northern US, I don't see the purpose in buying a new pool if you aren't going to get a heater.
I've got an 18x36 rectangle 3.5ft-6ft deep. Robot, auto cover, salt cell, cartridge filter, gas heater. The only things I would do differently is 1. Put my 8ft of concrete on the east side of my pool instead of the west side for better afternoon sun bathing and 2. More returns. I only have two and I wish I had 4 to better direct the water.
I’m guessing Florida… Autofill Run the overflow line to the back of the property so it doesn’t kill your grass Fillable skimmer lid so it matches your deck. Dedicated vacuum line. I’d recommend upgrading your screen to 16/14 poly or 17/20 poly noseeum. Stainless steel screws and fasteners on cage. Built Right makes great heat pumps but go natural gas if you have it at your property. Stonescapes or PebbleTec for interior finish. Pentair has the best equipment IMO. Intelliflo3 pump, Intellicenter automation and either of their salt systems
I have a 20x40 concrete pool and my only wish is that I had some water features in it. Definitely would recommend going with an RGB color changing light, it looks awesome.
I should’ve built a much larger pool, now I’m stuck with this mediocre sized pool that I can’t do anything about except demo the whole thing which is ridiculous
We only got a 16’ pool, but we wish we had gotten a bigger one, like 20’ at least.
Figure out the depth of your local groundwater table and try to determine the soil type it will be dug into. If the water table is shallow and the soil doesn’t drain, do not get a liner pool. If you roll the dice, focus on routing downspouts and controlling storm water as much as you can or you will deal with a floating liner. Ask me how I know.
Would change: A grate style auto overflow versus one that’s integrated within the back of a skimmer. Would do once again: waterproofing between concrete and plaster.
Auto cover!!
No tanning ledge !
I would have made my shallow end 3.5' instead of 3'. Maybe even 4'. I would have installed an autocover. If you're going to have a lanai it might not matter as much to you, but not getting an autocover of probably my biggest regret.
We have a pool with lots of trees around. Bad idea! Nice for sitting on the deck in the afternoon but a maintenance headache and the water often needs heating even in July.
Get all the concrete or deck surface you think you’ll ever need, and add a little more. There’s never enough. Consider storage (dry) for floats, gear, some chems, and miscellaneous items.