small pools? spools? (Plano) (apartment, homes, live in)

[jdallas]

Originally Posted by HP48G

Depends on the model. A Friend bought one of those and it did need an elaborate installation (lifting the thing with a crane over the house into the backyard and getting permits since the weight of the structure with water required a building a proper foundation.

Yes. most municipal districts require special permits, inspections and plumbing provisions based on the total volume of water required. In Garland, the limit is 750 gallons.

[gocubs418]

1. One misconception is that "spools" will cost less because they are smaller.... Wrong. PBs have minimums on everything so you are not going to save much with a smaller pool. ie Economies of Scale.

2. A lot of people dislike the idea of building a new pool. They want to buy a house that has it because they will save on depreciation. I think this is only true if you buy a house with a pool 5 years or younger. Energy efficiency on all of the equipment is HUGE. I had no noticeable increase in energy costs since putting my pool in (few bucks).

3. Please research your PBs.... Then do it again. There are a lot of scum bag PBs out there. Most will overpromise and underdeliver. Some will flat out lie to your face or charge you something different down the road.

A plain pool should run at least $40k, probably $50k. A Pool + spa should start at $60k. I highly suggest a heater and a spa. Spas add so much more functionality to a pool and I end up using it more than the pool.

BUY A SALT WATER SYSTEM. IGNORE THE CRAP THE PBs FEED YOU.

Good Luck.

[calgirlinnc]

Hope this isn't too OT, but what kinds of critters do you get in your pools, if you live in a typical suburban neighborhood?

I'm on one acre in a neighborhood where everyone has acerage and our pool gets worms, frogs, centipedes, small snails, bugs, spiders, the odd turtle, a snake once or twice, voles... it is definitely the worst part of pool ownership.

[EDS_]

Originally Posted by calgirlinnc

Hope this isn't too OT, but what kinds of critters do you get in your pools, if you live in a typical suburban neighborhood?

I'm on one acre in a neighborhood where everyone has acerage and our pool gets worms, frogs, centipedes, small snails, bugs, spiders, the odd turtle, a snake once or twice, voles... it is definitely the worst part of pool ownership.

In ~30 years of pool ownership I've had 1 rat, 1 squirrel, and 1 snake die in my pool each either died in or at least ended up in a skimmer. A heavy and lengthy shock, backwash and re-shock fixed things.

Bugs and worms are pretty common. After the rain today I'll bet we will have some worms in the pool tomorrow.

[EDS_]

Originally Posted by gocubs418

1. One misconception is that "spools" will cost less because they are smaller.... Wrong. PBs have minimums on everything so you are not going to save much with a smaller pool. ie Economies of Scale.

2. A lot of people dislike the idea of building a new pool. They want to buy a house that has it because they will save on depreciation. I think this is only true if you buy a house with a pool 5 years or younger. Energy efficiency on all of the equipment is HUGE. I had no noticeable increase in energy costs since putting my pool in (few bucks).

3. Please research your PBs.... Then do it again. There are a lot of scum bag PBs out there. Most will overpromise and underdeliver. Some will flat out lie to your face or charge you something different down the road.

A plain pool should run at least $40k, probably $50k. A Pool + spa should start at $60k. I highly suggest a heater and a spa. Spas add so much more functionality to a pool and I end up using it more than the pool.

BUY A SALT WATER SYSTEM. IGNORE THE CRAP THE PBs FEED YOU.

Good Luck.

Good post except the last part. I've had 2 salt-water pools and I'll never do it again. The required high cyanuric acid levels are a deal killer for me.

[Katana49]

Originally Posted by calgirlinnc

Hope this isn't too OT, but what kinds of critters do you get in your pools, if you live in a typical suburban neighborhood?

I'm on one acre in a neighborhood where everyone has acreage and our pool gets worms, frogs, centipedes, small snails, bugs, spiders, the odd turtle, a snake once or twice, voles... it is definitely the worst part of pool ownership.

If you live in a "typical" suburban neighborhood with .25 acre lots, in the middle of a developed area with little/no open fields or trees, it's very rare to get animals and things in the pool.

If, however, you live in a much less dense area (like your 1 acre+ area, or living directly on a golf course like I do) then critters are more common. We've had a couple rats, frogs, a turtle, and plenty of worms and spiders in the 2.5 years we've been here. Most are already dead by the time I wake up and go outside in the morning. The few that were still alive we just scooped up and put them back on the golf course, the turtle I carried down to the creek, still have no idea how he managed to make it so far and get through the wrought iron fence.

[missynancy]

We had a fiberglass pool in our home in southern New Jersey. It was a very small model by San Juan fiberglass pools. It was about 11‘ x 17 and went from 3 1/2 feet deep on one end and 5 foot deep on the other end. what I like about a lot of these fiberglass pool companies is that they have benches inside of a lot of the pools where you can sit and relax. In fact my grandchildren who were small at the time used to sit on those ledges and learn to swim at that point .

[tcualum]

Our gunite pool had two benches and shallow steps.

[missynancy]

Originally Posted by tcualum

Our gunite pool had two benches and shallow steps.

Would love to know what the shell alone costs for a fiberglass pool around 7' x 14' by 4' deep. Versus concrete or stopcrete, whatever that is......

[mSooner]

Ok I know this is an old thread that was inexplicably bumped, but I'm surprised no one mentioned resale.

Whenever I see a house with a bathtub pool, I mentally cross it off the list. To me it is too small to be useful for a family and too much money to fill in, so it is literally a money pit in the backyard that is also a hazard.