Swimming pool cost of installation and maintenance (vinyl, pools, cleaner)

[ecd23889]

We live in Northern Virginia and are interested in having a swimming pool installed in our backyard, but have been surprised by the prices, which have been around $100K for a free form pool, decking and equipment. Wow! Not what we expected. We'd thought we could do all this for $50K. This is for a guinite/concrete pool.
Could anyone share their experiences, costs of installation and maintenance, surprises, recommendations, disappointments, etc.
We'd also like to know if anyone has a salt water pool and what their experience has been like. And if you've had experience (good or bad) with fiberglass or vinyl we'd love to hear about it, too.
Thanks in advance to anyone who responds.

[gentlearts]

Thanks for your post..permit me to add a few questions also? I know nothing about pools and am contemplating a move south. While my husband is adamant about not wanting a house with an existing pool, I could like it if I knew how to avoid getting saddled with someone else's ratty assed broken down pit of trouble. What to look for to avoid a maintenance nightmare?

[pianogal]

I'm in Florida and assume the cost is a little less here simply due to the volume of business. DH and I contracted our own pool, we didn't do any of the work, but planned, pulled permits and supervised the subcontractors. We spent about 50K not including landscaping on a 15X30 gunite free form pool, pebbletec finish with a 30X50 paver deck and a 6 foot natural stone grotto with natural stone coping and planters. We do have a salt system and it is wonderful! Combined with the Hayward Navigator pool cleaner we never have to do a thing except add a bag or so of salt once a year and a little acid once in awhile. I love it and while expensive - worth every penny to us.

[evilnewbie]

$100k for a pool? Are you serious? OMG, I had no idea they cost that much... I thought it was around 20k or so... that's like 5 times what I thought they would be... are you sure? Wow... how come pools are so expensive...

[Fla2Cali]

I build pools in Sarasota, Fl. You can get a pool only for $15-$20. A deck/patio will add $3-$10 depending on size and material and a screen cage could be $5-$10K. We screen pools in, in this part of the state. 100K would get you a hell of a nice pool here. Our average is about $35K w/ cage. Good luck.
edit: also Gunite is definitely the best way to go and you want a "Pebble Tec" interior finish and definitely a salt chlorinator, it will make the chlorine for you

[Viralmd]

Remember that your homeowner's insurance will also change and some states/municipalities require child-proof fencing around any pool.

[ecd23889]

Originally Posted by Fla2Cali

I build pools in Sarasota, Fl. You can get a pool only for $15-$20. A deck/patio will add $3-$10 depending on size and material and a screen cage could be $5-$10K. We screen pools in, in this part of the state. 100K would get you a hell of a nice pool here. Our average is about $35K w/ cage. Good luck.
edit: also Gunite is definitely the best way to go and you want a "Pebble Tec" interior finish and definitely a salt chlorinator, it will make the chlorine for you

I was thinking the same thing! We had budgeted $50K for the pool, decking, equipment and some landscaping and were shocked when we received the estimates. I've heard horror stories about going with some of the small companies and it was suggested to go with a company that has been in business for years, since you'll want them to be around to stand behind the warranty.
And thanks for the recommendation on the Pebble Tec finish and salt chlorinator.

[BigJon3475]

With saline you have a higher initial cost but save money over time with not having to buy chlorine. they are a bit harder to keep balanced but they do have advantages like no stinging of the eyes under water and a soft feeling to the skin.

[pianogal]

Originally Posted by BigJon3475

With saline you have a higher initial cost but save money over time with not having to buy chlorine. they are a bit harder to keep balanced but they do have advantages like no stinging of the eyes under water and a soft feeling to the skin.

You're right as far as them being much easier on the hair and the skin. However, we have had no problems keeping our water balanced. We have it tested every 2-3 weeks at the pool store and it's almost always perfect. Occasionally when we've had alot of rain we have to add a quart of acid. We don't have a pool screen either - don't know it that makes a difference.

[pianogal]

You can get a 'basic' pool....very small concrete deck - just 3 feet edging around really not a real deck, no extras for around 35 still. When we were building our home in 2003 - a 13X26, 3-5 feet deep, basic pool with acrylic, chlorine system (no salt) small deck (total area for deck and pool was 15X30), screen enclosure and a couple of small water jets was going for 35K.

In 2005 when we were ready to build the pool, we got estimates from several local pool companies that ranged from a low of 38K and up. The 38K pool was still a basic pool - just had stone coping and paver deck. At that time, Artesian pools (one of the best local companies IMHO) told us the average pool in Orlando cost about 50K.

There are budget companies, but I would be careful. There's a lot that could go wrong in the building of a pool that can be very expensive to repair later. If you have contacts and construction experience - building your own pool is a way to ensure you get exactly what you want and YOU control the quality. For example, we had the guys who poured the footers come back 3 times before they got it right and got paid!