Posted: 7/4/2011 8:12:30 AM EDT
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We are wanting to get an inground pool for the house.
What advice does the arfcom hive have for me! I have three acres of flat cleared land so size and placement is not an issue. Thinking a saltwater system, gunite, lights, hot tub attached, wife wants the shallow water tanning type area. What do I need to know or look for? |
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We are wanting to get an inground pool for the house. What advice does the arfcom hive have for me! I have three acres of flat cleared land so size and placement is not an issue. Thinking a saltwater system, gunite, lights, hot tub attached, wife wants the shallow water tanning type area. What do I need to know or look for? Lots of new friends and lots of work of your area has trees or lots of dirt surrounding it.ever see a pool after a monsoon? 
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No trees in the back yard so leaves and debris should not be a huge issue. I was thinking two feet above grade so there would be little chance of rain water or flooding getting in it.
We have an 18,13 and 8 yr old. Figure it will help keep them around the house and something to do. We really don't have any other big hobbies like boats, four wheelers, etc. This would allow us something to do that does not involve always cleaning or some house project that I feel the need to do when home. |
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Be aware that after you put an inground pool in your house is THE place for other kids to come. This is good and bad. You will always know where your kids are, who their friends are, and (if you listen closely) what they're up to. The bad thing is you will be sacrificing some degree of privacy.
I also added a wide angle camera over my pool for liability reasons. eta: that, and when I come home and find the back yard in a mess I can look on the DVR and see who was there. 
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If you ignore the "everything you buy cuts into your guns/preparation/savings" crowd then I say go for it. You will have loads of good times and it will keep the kids home more than they otherwise would be. Just be prepared for them to bring over their friends.
Don't forget the outdoor kitchen. :-) |
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Be aware that after you put an inground pool in your house is THE place for other kids to come. This is good and bad. You will always know where your kids are, who their friends are, and (if you listen closely) what they're up to. The bad thing is you will be sacrificing some degree of privacy. I also added a wide angle camera over my pool for liability reasons. eta: that, and when I come home and find the back yard in a mess I can look on the DVR and see who was there. Yes I thought about the friend thing. Think it would be worth it to know what's going on. Great idea with the camera and DVR. |
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What part of Ms are you in? Ground soil has a lot to do with what kind of pool you can put in. That being said, I would estimate total cost of install for a large gunnite pool with the feature you are looking for to be in the 30-40000 range. figure about $50 per square foot for a no frills pool. Add ons will drive the price up considerably. Also figure for fencing around the pool area for liability reasons. |
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What part of Ms are you in? Ground soil has a lot to do with what kind of pool you can put in.
That being said, I would estimate total cost of install for a large gunnite pool with the feature you are looking for to be in the 30-40000 range. figure about $50 per square foot for a no frills pool. Add ons will drive the price up considerably.
Also figure for fencing around the pool area for liability reasons.
Three miles from the beach. I was wondering about the fence. I have a pond in the yard that has been there for 20+ years. How is it really any different or is it the same liability with the pond. |
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No trees in the back yard so leaves and debris should not be a huge issue. I was thinking two feet above grade so there would be little chance of rain water or flooding getting in it. We have an 18,13 and 8 yr old. Figure it will help keep them around the house and something to do. We really don't have any other big hobbies like boats, four wheelers, etc. This would allow us something to do that does not involve always cleaning or some house project that I feel the need to do when home. Oh so two teenagers and all their buddies will be using the new community pool.figure in another couple hundred a month in groceries. I'm just giving you a hard time.I have 5 teenagers. The whole family will enjoy it. |
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I was the subcontractor for my pool, learned a lot. I started by scouring this website: www.howibuiltmyownpool.com Even if you hire a pool contractor, this site will at least educate you on the steps involved and what to look out for. I'm a bachelor in my 30's, so my pool gets heavy party-use. My recommendations: Gunnite with any quality interior finish such as Pebble-tec (I've got Pebble-fina, very smooth finish) Definitely spend the extra on an in-floor cleaning system, ONLY if you use the Paramount PCC-2000 system. http://www.paramountpoolproducts.com/products/pcc/ There are only a handful of in-floor mfrs, and Paramount is, hands-down, the best. I made the mistake of saving $400 and going with the Quickclean system from A&A and it sucks. The paramount system uses a much better drain design and leaf catcher. My fathers pool has the Paramount system, it is 7 years old, and I have yet to see any debris whatsoever in his pool when I go to their house. Never needs maintenance either. With the A&A system in my pool, the drain covers dont allow leaves to pass thru, and the cleaning nozzles arent as good a design as Paramount's. Consequently, I have debris accumulate more in my pool. Now I think A&A redesigned their drain covers, but I would still go with the Paramount system, it has extra design features that are not included with the A&A system. Don't listen to the naysayers, in-floor systems are great, as long as you stick with Paramount. Nobody wants that unsightly pool cleaner snaking around the pool getting in the way of swimming. Definitely get a salt-chlorinator. Benefits far outweigh the cost. Water feels better on your skin, easier to maintain, no stinking chlorine tablets. Go with a sand filter. I've got a cartridge filter, its a pain in the ass. Cleaning the filters involves unbolting the top cover with a deep-well socket and torque wrench, hosing the mud out of each of the 4 filters, making a mess, then bolting it back together. Takes about 30 mins, so it only gets done once every few months. Its much easier to backwash a sand filter, just turn on the hose. Good idea with the shallow-water tanning area. I've got a 6x3' baja step going into my pool and its very popular with the ladies! My pool is 4.5' deep in hte center and 4' deep on the sides, so its great for (adult) parties. If you've got kids and would like a diving board, etc, obviously you'll need a deep end. My only regret is not spending a little more and getting a spa that spills over into the pool. I made the mistake of listening to people that said I wouldnt use it after a few months. In winter months, its much easier to heat a spa than to heat the pool. Plus, spas are great for PIE.  |
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If you go inground, make the deep end at least 10 feet deep. All my friends love my pool because of that. I am always severely disappointed when I go to someone else's pool at its only 6ft at the deep end. On the other hand, my parent's only went to 5 feet because my dad sinks better than he floats. My sister has a pool with a 8-10 foot section. My parent's use their pool way more, and my sister brings her kids over a lot, simply because it is way easier for my parents to keep their pool warm (big deal in PA, probably less so in FL) and they get a much longer season. My parents also seem to have an easier time keeping it clean. For heaters, my parents have been talking about going to some kind of solar set up (they have a heat pump or something) because they've evidently come down in price since when they put the pool in. And my parent's bill for running that heat pump is still pretty damn high (my mom likes a warm pool). As another note, my dad's a chemist and therefor takes some kind of perverse joy in monitoring the water chemistry of his pool and hot tub. Evidently this makes it a lot easier and cheaper to maintain since it never 'gets away' from him. All in all, if you've got the money I highly recommend pools. My parents' back yard gets used about 100% more than it used to just thanks to that. Also think about having a "pool house" of some kind. My parent's have one with a counter, bar, big table and chairs, and the stereo. The hot tub also lives in there for winter use. That gets a lot of use too and is a nice place to stick food, towels, cleaning gear, etc. ETA: Also, my parents have a "seat" in the 5 foot section. The pool is rectangular and the 'seat' is cut out to one side outside the rectangle. Has a little hole for a beach umbrella too. I highly recommend that. People sit there all the time. |
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[/div][div]My only regret is not spending a little more and getting a spa that spills over into the pool. I made the mistake of listening to people that said I wouldnt use it after a few months. I'm convinced that everybody who says that doesn't have one. Our next house may not be able to have a pool in the backyard, but we damn well will have a spa. In the winter with a good beverage in the snow? Hell, yeah. Or after any long day. |
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Ditto. We have our tub spill into the pool. The feature is nice.
Having the hot tub is great in the winter. We can isolate it and just heat that up when we want to. Great after working out or just wanting to relax. I wish we had a section where we could tan, or the baby could splash around. I have thought about adding a section for that but have too many other things to spend my money on. That setup you have (pictured) is really nice. Almost perfect (maybe a bit larger). Cooking area, tub, bench. Looks great. |
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Quoted: Quoted: What part of Ms are you in? Ground soil has a lot to do with what kind of pool you can put in. That being said, I would estimate total cost of install for a large gunnite pool with the feature you are looking for to be in the 30-40000 range. figure about $50 per square foot for a no frills pool. Add ons will drive the price up considerably. Also figure for fencing around the pool area for liability reasons. Three miles from the beach. I was wondering about the fence. I have a pond in the yard that has been there for 20+ years. How is it really any different or is it the same liability with the pond. Gunnites your best bet for a non floating pool. Insurance companies just love to think of a pool as a danger area. I don't think they have the same concerns for ponds. I use USAA and they were happy to know that I had a a fence around the pool area to keep potential drowners out. Its a bit stupid, I know, but thats the way the actuarial crumbles. your homeowners may not have a problem with it and it may depend on how close your neighbors are. |
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I was the subcontractor for my pool, learned a lot. I started by scouring this website: www.howibuiltmyownpool.com Even if you hire a pool contractor, this site will at least educate you on the steps involved and what to look out for. I'm a bachelor in my 30's, so my pool gets heavy party-use. My recommendations: Gunnite with any quality interior finish such as Pebble-tec (I've got Pebble-fina, very smooth finish) Definitely spend the extra on an in-floor cleaning system, ONLY if you use the Paramount PCC-2000 system. http://www.paramountpoolproducts.com/products/pcc/ There are only a handful of in-floor mfrs, and Paramount is, hands-down, the best. I made the mistake of saving $400 and going with the Quickclean system from A&A and it sucks. The paramount system uses a much better drain design and leaf catcher. My fathers pool has the Paramount system, it is 7 years old, and I have yet to see any debris whatsoever in his pool when I go to their house. Never needs maintenance either. With the A&A system in my pool, the drain covers dont allow leaves to pass thru, and the cleaning nozzles arent as good a design as Paramount's. Consequently, I have debris accumulate more in my pool. Now I think A&A redesigned their drain covers, but I would still go with the Paramount system, it has extra design features that are not included with the A&A system. Don't listen to the naysayers, in-floor systems are great, as long as you stick with Paramount. Nobody wants that unsightly pool cleaner snaking around the pool getting in the way of swimming. Definitely get a salt-chlorinator. Benefits far outweigh the cost. Water feels better on your skin, easier to maintain, no stinking chlorine tablets. Go with a sand filter. I've got a cartridge filter, its a pain in the ass. Cleaning the filters involves unbolting the top cover with a deep-well socket and torque wrench, hosing the mud out of each of the 4 filters, making a mess, then bolting it back together. Takes about 30 mins, so it only gets done once every few months. Its much easier to backwash a sand filter, just turn on the hose. Good idea with the shallow-water tanning area. I've got a 6x3' baja step going into my pool and its very popular with the ladies! My pool is 4.5' deep in hte center and 4' deep on the sides, so its great for (adult) parties. If you've got kids and would like a diving board, etc, obviously you'll need a deep end. My only regret is not spending a little more and getting a spa that spills over into the pool. I made the mistake of listening to people that said I wouldnt use it after a few months. In winter months, its much easier to heat a spa than to heat the pool. Plus, spas are great for PIE. I will add another +1 for this. You want as maintenance free as you can possibly get. This cleaning system is the way to go. |
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I was the subcontractor for my pool, learned a lot. I started by scouring this website: www.howibuiltmyownpool.com Even if you hire a pool contractor, this site will at least educate you on the steps involved and what to look out for. I'm a bachelor in my 30's, so my pool gets heavy party-use. My recommendations: Gunnite with any quality interior finish such as Pebble-tec (I've got Pebble-fina, very smooth finish) Definitely spend the extra on an in-floor cleaning system, ONLY if you use the Paramount PCC-2000 system. http://www.paramountpoolproducts.com/products/pcc/ There are only a handful of in-floor mfrs, and Paramount is, hands-down, the best. I made the mistake of saving $400 and going with the Quickclean system from A&A and it sucks. The paramount system uses a much better drain design and leaf catcher. My fathers pool has the Paramount system, it is 7 years old, and I have yet to see any debris whatsoever in his pool when I go to their house. Never needs maintenance either. With the A&A system in my pool, the drain covers dont allow leaves to pass thru, and the cleaning nozzles arent as good a design as Paramount's. Consequently, I have debris accumulate more in my pool. Now I think A&A redesigned their drain covers, but I would still go with the Paramount system, it has extra design features that are not included with the A&A system. Don't listen to the naysayers, in-floor systems are great, as long as you stick with Paramount. Nobody wants that unsightly pool cleaner snaking around the pool getting in the way of swimming. Definitely get a salt-chlorinator. Benefits far outweigh the cost. Water feels better on your skin, easier to maintain, no stinking chlorine tablets. Go with a sand filter. I've got a cartridge filter, its a pain in the ass. Cleaning the filters involves unbolting the top cover with a deep-well socket and torque wrench, hosing the mud out of each of the 4 filters, making a mess, then bolting it back together. Takes about 30 mins, so it only gets done once every few months. Its much easier to backwash a sand filter, just turn on the hose. Good idea with the shallow-water tanning area. I've got a 6x3' baja step going into my pool and its very popular with the ladies! My pool is 4.5' deep in hte center and 4' deep on the sides, so its great for (adult) parties. If you've got kids and would like a diving board, etc, obviously you'll need a deep end. My only regret is not spending a little more and getting a spa that spills over into the pool. I made the mistake of listening to people that said I wouldnt use it after a few months. In winter months, its much easier to heat a spa than to heat the pool. Plus, spas are great for PIE. I will add another +1 for this. You want as maintenance free as you can possibly get. This cleaning system is the way to go. I did not even know they had in floor cleaners. very nice feature to have, I like low maintenance ! PCC-2000 and sand filter added to the must have list. Thanks! |
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You will do what you want to do, of course. The three biggest sources of lawsuits in construction are: 1. HVAC, 2. parking structures, and 3. pools.
Talk to a professional installer. Yeah, I know. A whole bunch of people out here have installed their own. Maintenance is pain. So is paying the electric bill. If MS means Mississippi, my step mom has a small farm like you with a pond on it. Yep. Red ants, snakes, and a gator across the road. More fun though, and less upkeep. We had an inground pool as kids. Dad asked if we would maintain it if he put it in. We said "no". He put it in. Decided not to heat the pool in the winter. Like diving into a glass of ice water. |
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no not planning on doing any of it myself.
how much power does a pool use? what are we talking 40-$50 more a month to run the filter. I know heating it during the winter could get expensive. What about water level. do most have some type of auto level or do you grab a hose and fill it up. |
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Quoted: no not planning on doing any of it myself. how much power does a pool use? what are we talking 40-$50 more a month to run the filter. I know heating it during the winter could get expensive. What about water level. do most have some type of auto level or do you grab a hose and fill it up. How much power does it take to run a 1 horse pump motor 24/7? Ours is 20x40 in ground and it can boil off an inch or more a day when it's hot. Grab a hose and fill. Check out In The Swim for chlorine. Shit is not cheap.
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Periodically dig a hole and throw money into it. That's what owning a pool is like. Use a friends who doesn't have good financial sense. Thank me later. The best advice yet... so besides the huge initial investment what big costs are there? salt seems pretty cheap, electric to run everything? Do pumps break often? foundation problems? wiring or plumbing issues that have to be dug up to fix? |
| have had an inground for 21 years now and no real big complaints. probably spend $200-300 a year on chemicals. am on my third vinyl liner but bought the thicker one last time so it should last at least 10 years hopefully. lots of good times with it. feels great to jump in after doing yard work when its 95-100 degrees outside to cool off. yeah, its a little bit of work but not really that bad. besides, when the SHTF, i have about 40,000 gallons of drinking water if need be... |
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Mine used to be a salt setup. However when the sensor/regulator went out it was a big chunk of.change to replace. Our warranty wouldn't cover it so I went to a chlorine setup. It runs about $300 a year.
You could consider getting solar panels to help with heating. Also, if bugs or debris could be an issue, consider a cage. We have our pool and patio.caged and it has made things so much easier for cleaning and it keeps the bugs out. |
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In 1998 we had our pool built. We had a fairly large yard, so we built a pretty big pool, 18'x24' shallow end, 16'x20' deep end. That way we had both a place for a diving board that was safe and lots of shallow pool for the smaller kiddies.
Best decision we ever made for our house. Here in North Alabama, the swimming season is from mid-May to Sept end, +/-. The air temperature determines pool use, not the water temperature, although really cold water will limit the time they spend in it in the early months. By the end of May early June the water temp is good and you can spend all the time you want in it. Our pool is essentially a semi-public pool. Especially when our kids were smaller (16 and 21 now), we had all the neighborhood kids over all the time. It was great and we enjoyed it immensely. Your mileage may vary. Now that the kids are older, it's not used as much, but still used pretty much every day the temp is over 90 (which is every day right now). I have the chlorine system, but I've heard a lot of good things about the salt system. Since I'm on the back side of owning this pool, I won't change over now. While maintaining the pool can be a pain sometimes, it's gotten a lot easier over the years, now it's not so hard. One thing I highly recommend is get a lot of concrete deck area around your pool. You'll welcome it for parties and people gatherings etc. Our pool guys said that is the biggest mistake people make when ordering a pool. Like a gun safe, you could always use more space. Look at the pic below to get an idea of the amount of concrete deck we got with our pool. Don't worry about rain water draining into your pool. If they don't export any dirt from the excavation (which is expensive usually), then your pool will be a couple feet above grade and the pool deck should be engineered so that it drains away from the pool, not level and certainly not towards the pool. Good luck. 
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Quoted: Periodically dig a hole and throw money into it. That's what owning a pool is like. Use a friends who doesn't have good financial sense. Thank me later. This. Same with a boat. You will never get the money out of a pool (if that is a concern). Here in FL, a pool is a selling feature. It costs $40-50k for a nice pool and only adds $10k to the value of the house. In fact, in some cases, it can actually subtract from the value of the house. |
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We had HUGE pool at our former residence. Giant pain it the ass and was a chlorine pool to boot. Had to put a cover on it, heater for spa broke, multiple expensive repairs to controller unit,kids left it trashed,spent a LOT of time cleaning and on and on and on.
New house has a small saltwater pool. Appx. 2 minutes per week to keep it PERFECTLY PERFECT. It is 4-6 ft. deep with a large pebble deck with only 3 steps required to get from bathroom to pool. WE ARE IN IT ALL THE TIME. I am very very happy with THIS pool and would NEVER have one like we had before. |
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Quoted: We are wanting to get an inground pool for the house. What advice does the arfcom hive have for me! I have three acres of flat cleared land so size and placement is not an issue. Thinking a saltwater system, gunite, lights, hot tub attached, wife wants the shallow water tanning type area. What do I need to know or look for? INFINITY EDGE POOL. Also add a sloped shallow beach entrance section for getting into or putting a lawn chair in  |
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Quoted: No other big costs other than initial investment. My pump runs about 9 hrs a day, might add $50/month to the power bill, I don't really keep track. Water bill is negligible, there is an auto-leveler to keep the water level static. With the salt chlorine generator, I don't spend any money on chlorine tablets. My pump is almost 4 years old and still running fine.Quoted: Quoted: Periodically dig a hole and throw money into it. That's what owning a pool is like. Use a friends who doesn't have good financial sense. Thank me later. The best advice yet... so besides the huge initial investment what big costs are there? salt seems pretty cheap, electric to run everything? Do pumps break often? foundation problems? wiring or plumbing issues that have to be dug up to fix? If you do your homework and stick with a reputable builder or subcontractors you shouldn't have any major problems after the build. I don't understand people who constantly bitch about pool maintenance. Either you're doing it wrong, doing something you shouldn't be doing, or you've got the wrong equipment or setup. A properly built pool by definition is low maintenance.
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No other big costs other than initial investment. My pump runs about 9 hrs a day, might add $50/month to the power bill, I don't really keep track. Water bill is negligible, there is an auto-leveler to keep the water level static. With the salt chlorine generator, I don't spend any money on chlorine tablets. My pump is almost 4 years old and still running fine.Quoted:
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Periodically dig a hole and throw money into it. That's what owning a pool is like. Use a friends who doesn't have good financial sense. Thank me later. The best advice yet... so besides the huge initial investment what big costs are there? salt seems pretty cheap, electric to run everything? Do pumps break often? foundation problems? wiring or plumbing issues that have to be dug up to fix? If you do your homework and stick with a reputable builder or subcontractors you shouldn't have any major problems after the build. I don't understand people who constantly bitch about pool maintenance. Either you're doing it wrong, doing something you shouldn't be doing, or you've got the wrong equipment or setup. A properly built pool by definition is low maintenance.
QFT. |
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No other big costs other than initial investment. My pump runs about 9 hrs a day, might add $50/month to the power bill, I don't really keep track. Water bill is negligible, there is an auto-leveler to keep the water level static. With the salt chlorine generator, I don't spend any money on chlorine tablets. My pump is almost 4 years old and still running fine.Quoted:
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Periodically dig a hole and throw money into it. That's what owning a pool is like. Use a friends who doesn't have good financial sense. Thank me later. The best advice yet... so besides the huge initial investment what big costs are there? salt seems pretty cheap, electric to run everything? Do pumps break often? foundation problems? wiring or plumbing issues that have to be dug up to fix? If you do your homework and stick with a reputable builder or subcontractors you shouldn't have any major problems after the build. I don't understand people who constantly bitch about pool maintenance. Either you're doing it wrong, doing something you shouldn't be doing, or you've got the wrong equipment or setup. A properly built pool by definition is low maintenance.
I agree. I have a small 16X32 in-ground and my only regret is that I did not get a MUCH bigger one. I have had the pool 16 years. Paid 10K plus landscaping and fencing. I would say about 16-18K all together. I spend less than $200 a year for chemicals. Replaced the liner at 11 years. That cost about $1,200. Replaced the pump two years ago for $400 or less. The pool is the focal point of my yard and worth every penny. My kids learned how to swim very young and became lifeguards as teens. Every Sunday we go to the beach very early in the morning and all of my friends and family know it's open house starting by 2pm. Nothing better than coming home from the ocean and diving into the pool. But I can not stress that with a pool comes responsibility. My yard is fenced. My pool is fenced. The pool fence is locked when we are sitting down and eating. When we have large parties like this Saturday we have a lifeguard for the entire time. Worth every cent for peace of mind. |
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Quoted: poolsolutions.comQuoted: Quoted: Periodically dig a hole and throw money into it. That's what owning a pool is like. Use a friends who doesn't have good financial sense. Thank me later. The best advice yet... so besides the huge initial investment what big costs are there? salt seems pretty cheap, electric to run everything? Do pumps break often? foundation problems? wiring or plumbing issues that have to be dug up to fix? More than you ever need to know about any kind of pool............ Do your homework - will save you many $1000's - and decide who is gonna be the GC, because you WILL need one... |
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I have a Pool House with a 16x36 in-ground pool and I love to hate it. Cost lots of $$$$ to maintain, but then again we have lots of good times during the summer. Go with a Salt Water system and in-pool cleaning system. Your house will be the gathering spot on the weekends and no one will bring a towel, so have lots of them handy. Indoor pools do not get much sun, so I've got 600ft of 3/4in. black pvc pipe on the roof, pump water thru and it comes back out nice and warm. Started the year at 78 degree water and after a week or so, I had it up to 88. Only expense is running the 1hp pump to push the water thru.
I'm going to convert my to Salt over the winter and it should save me several hundred over the summer. I guess its worth it in the long run, maybe.......... Also have a 5 seat hot tub for Winter use and its real easy to maintain. Very relaxing too, especially with drinks. |