Above Ground Swimming Pools Guide

Exploring Hidden Pool Costs

In today’s uncertain economy, most people are not looking for ways to spend extra money.  Investing in a swimming pool is one of the last things that many people are thinking about.  Above ground swimming pool costs are much more reasonable than many people realize however.

Compared to the cost of taking your family on a vacation, installing an above ground swimming pool can actually be a bargain.  You must remember that you will have your pool for many years to come.  When you spread the cost of installing the pool out over several years, the investment really begins to look like quite a deal.

Some homeowners can afford the luxury of an in ground pool, but investing tens of thousands of dollars into a home improvement is not something that most people want to do if they can avoid it.  Above ground swimming pools are a much more reasonably priced alternative.  There are many above ground swimming pool options available.  Rather than spending thousands of dollars, a homeowner can invest hundreds and still have the luxury of being able to swim on their own property.  Above ground swimming pools come in a wide variety of sizes and shapes designed to meet the needs of almost any homeowner.

There are some hidden costs that must be taken into consideration when installing your swimming pool.  These are the little things that you may not think of when you are planning for your new pool.  The total of these costs will still not be anywhere near the cost of installing an in ground pool, but they do have to be taken into consideration.

photo credit: renfield
Here is a short list of things to remember:

• Your land and must be level.  If your property is not level, you may have to pay for excavating and leveling the area where you intend to place your above ground swimming pool.  The cost of this will vary greatly depending on the work involved and who you get to do the work.
• You must have access to electricity at your pool site.  Check your local codes to see what requirements there are for running electricity to your pool.
• If you intend to install a deck, realize that it will not be cheap.  If you’re able to do the work yourself, that will save you a considerable amount of money.  My jaw must have hit the ground when we got one estimate for a pool deck.  I had grand plans of a deck going about half way around our pool that included steps and a gate.  I also had the contractor figure the cost for using Trex to avoid splinters.  Total estimate for the deck: $8000.  It didn’t happen.  The following year my father-in-law and I converted some wooden steps we got out hands on to a mini-deck that works just fine.  It is only about six feet square, but our total cost was about fifty bucks.  That worked for me, because most of our time near the swimming pool is spent in the pool, not next to it.
• If you’re going to have somebody install your pool, It will cost an additional money.  Everyone wants to get paid and honestly, if you don’t know what you are doing, it is a wise investment.  If you do have the skilled labor available, putting the pool up yourself will save a nice chunk of change.

Even with these additional costs, an above ground swimming pool is still a great investment that you’ll have for years to come.  The convenience of not having to travel to get to a pool and the savings compared to paying for season passes is a real plus.  In fact, I would dare say that once you have your own pool, you probably won’t want to think about going to a crowded public pool again. Figure out who you might know that is qualified to help you as far as doing skilled work goes. If you have people in your family skilled in carpentry or electrical work, ask them for an estimate. Every little bit of money that you can save is a bonus. Once you start looking at the swimming pool options available to you, you might be surprised at how nice of a pool you can get (even with the hidden costs).

Where to Install an Above Ground Swimming Pool

Above ground swimming pools are much easier to install than in ground pools, but they do have their own special requirements.  You must carefully consider where you are going to have your swimming pool located on your property.  Choosing the placement for your swimming pool installation is crucial.  At first, the thought of being able to just walk out the back door and jump into the pool might seem like great fun, but you must remember that this will eventually be quite a noisy place if there are kids swimming with their friends.  For many people, this might not even be a consideration, but for some (like neighbors for instance), the noise levels could be distracting.

Much more important than the noise factor, are the actual physical requirements of the area where you will be doing the installation.  Above ground swimming pools absolutely must be located on level ground that is not going to shift.  The weight of the water contained in a swimming pool is immense.  When that weight is not distributed evenly, the uneven stresses and strains on the weight bearing sides of the pool can make the swimming pool unsafe.  A collapsing pool is not only dangerous to property, but to the people around it as well.  You do not want it to happen.

Even a slight tilt to the ground will be magnified over the diameter of the pool.  Keeping things level is essential.  This can be accomplished with excavation, but it will increase your swimming pool costs a bit.  Some sources recommend using a basic level and a straight board for determining the levelness of the area.  I can say from experience that the relatively small investment in a leveling transit can be a very wise investment.  During one of my first pool installations, we tried using a level.  The bubble was just the tiniest bit out of dead center, and still within the center lines.  Over a 24 foot diameter pool, this magnified to approximately a four inch difference in water depth.  We noticed this when the pool was about one fourth of the way filled.  We had to drain the pool and reset the posts.  This wasted an entire day and about 3,000 gallons of water.  We borrowed a transit from a neighbor at that point and made sure that the pool was dead on level.  Take my word for it… it is easier to set the pool up just once.

When possible, it is better to allow plenty of space around above ground swimming pools.  People will be moving around them a lot and you may decide in the future that you want to add some type of swimming pool deck to the poolscape.  This is a much easier endeavour if you are not limited by the constraints of the spot you set your pool upon.  You should also do your best to avoid an area prone to debris.  A tree next to your pool will be a constant headache as leaves, bird droppings and twigs will greatly increase how often you have to clean the pool.  In general, even if you are working with a tight space, you should leave at least a few feet of level surface beyond the edge of the swimming pool.