INGROUND POOLS

The cost to build one type or another varies regionally. While a gunite pool might be $50k in Florida or California, that cost increases to double or triple in other areas. 

The average amount a pool adds to your home value nationally is 5-7%. The higher the home value, the less you will lose on the project when you sell the home.

Freeze/ thaw, proximity to salt water, ground water conditions and other factors all impact the durability and longevity of the pool. 

According to Zillow, the average home value in Greater Cincinnati is $225k. Using the best estimate on the resale value of 7% means you have $15k to spend before losing money on the project. Living in a $500k home gets you to $35k. Clearly then, the less you spend, the happier you will be when you sell the home in 10 years.

You probably wouldn't put a steel structure in the ground in St. Pete due to the proximity to the ocean and the possibility of rust. Likewise, it's probably not a great idea to put something that cannot flex in a freeze/ thaw area. You can, but, it's only going to flex once and break.

The more a thing is built, the less it becomes to build it. Volume purchasing equals discounted product. That's why mass produced products are less that custom.

World wide, concrete and liner pools make up more than 85% of pools built. Those numbers skew regionally of course. More concrete pools are built in Florida than vinyl but the opposite is true north and east. So its going to be cheaper to build a concrete pool in Florida than Ohio.

All that info adds up to this:

• Environmentally speaking, neither a concrete or fiberglass pool are appropriate to install in our market. Neither one holds up well in a freeze/thaw area. Both can, will and do suffer "catastrophic failure" meaning your complete investment is at risk. Worst case for a liner pool is a new liner, $3500 not a $50k+ problem.

• From a value stand point, there are more vinyl liner pools sold in our market so they are less expensive to purchase. There are also more builders to chose from with this option so price comparison is easier. 

• So a vinyl liner pool is more appropriate for your area and less expensive to install. That math works for most people and that's why around 90% of installations in this market are vinyl liner pools

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You never have to replace the liner on a fiberglass or concrete pool.

• Well first, duh right. But does that mean you don't have to do anything to a fiberglass or concrete pool? You're either getting bad information or being lied to if your get a no answer here.

• All concrete pools require re-surfacing every 10-15 years, about the same as liner replacement but at a cost of $20k+.

• Fiberglass pools on the other hand are a little trickier. EVERY fiberglass boat manufacturer tells you to wash and wax your fiberglass often to prevent dulling and oxidation. So the opposite must be true. If you don't wash and wax the fiberglass, it's going to get dull and oxidize. Since you cant drain a fiberglass pool for fear of it popping out of the ground or cracking, how will you ever clean and wax it? Your also not supposed to use harsh chemicals on your fiberglass boat. Pretty much everything you put in a pool is a harsh chemical so how does that work?

You have to replace a liner every few years and it costs $10k.

• Um, no. You replace them every 10-15 years on average for around $3500 +/- depending on pool size.

It costs less to maintain the water in a fiberglass pool because it's a non-porous surface.

• A vinyl liner is also a non-porous surface so the true statement should be, "fiberglass and vinyl liner pools are less expensive to maintain than concrete".

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