Pool Contractor (Austin, Round Rock, Kingsland: home, contractors, upkeep)

[eleven]

Can anyone recommend a capable and reputable Austin pool contractor? thanks.

[bobizzy3]

I would like to piggy back on your queston.

Speaking of pools in Austin,, how many months can you reasonably expect to use a pool, based on the weather? Is it something you can use year around, or are there a few months when heating become impractical except for the the very wealthy,,,??

[gigi927]

You definitely can't use a pool here year round without heating it. Our pool is VERY cold right now, and with the cold snaps that we had this winter, heck, our pool had a film of ice on top at points!

I think it depends upon your tolerance of cold. Our community pool here opens in May and is not heated; apparently it's very cold in May to swim in it but by June it's fine. I'd say you can count on using it without heat from June through September (September probably gets a little iffy). We will probably heat our pool starting in late April for a month or so, and then maybe for a month in Octoberish.

The heating cost will also depend on your type of pool heater and how large your pool is. We had an over 30,000 gallon pool in Arizona and when we tried to heat it for a week at Christmas, the gas company knocked on our door because they thought we had a gas leak!

[d.h.badger]

Good pool contractors are few and far between. I just built a home in Kingsland and my client used Summit Pools (out of Round Rock, I think). These guys were the best I've seen, I think they have a 30 day time guarantee (that they'll finish the job in 30 days).

Good Luck!

[Trainwreck20]

Unfortunately, you get what you pay for....some of the more expensive (such as Cody Pools) tend to get better 'reviews', although all contractors seem to have their issues at one time or another.

Without heating, you can probably use your pool May through September, or even October. Heating is exepensive unless you are just trying to take the worst chill out of the water. Heating until completely comfortable can easily cost $1,000/month in the dead of the winter (of course, depends on size and temperature).

[Kadhe]

I used Premier Fiberglass and installed a Leisure Pool. It is stunning! Great customer service, quick time frame - 3 weeks, very little maintenance, the list goes on. I was very skeptical because I have owned gunite pools and an above ground. The Fiberglass seemed to good to be true, but I had been the other routes before. Pricing wasn't as steep as gunite, but a lot less to maintain. -- I'd give them a call for an estimate. Hope this helps!

[Ausdean]

I am thinking of getting a fiberglass pool and wanted to see what the monthly upkeep / operation cost is and if you are happy with the product.

[Driftwood1]

A freind of ours used a solar heating setup for his pool and I must say its outstanding! They swim well into november. Properly installed it can also cool the house, they set it up on the roof , taking heat away from the roof and sending it to the pool!

G

[Kadhe]

Hey Ausdean,

I've been out of pocket. The upkeep is NOTHING, seriously we hardly have to do anything to maintain the pool. Our Electric went up about $20.00 a month, and so far we have only used a two gallons of shock in the pool for extra chemicals. We put a salt system in though. I would recommend the salt system to anybody. It's worth the extra money.

[satanoid]

So, stupid question... is it possible to get an in-ground pool for around 10k, or is it much, much more than that?