Buy a house w/ an IG Pool or Build an IG Pool??

fosk10 · Postby **fosk10** » Sat 21 Mar, 2009 19:56

I am planning on buying a home and one of my major requirements is that it has to have an inground pool. I live in the Midwest and inground pools are somewhat of a rarity.

I am doing research on building an IG pool myself. If I were to buy a pool kit for example from poolkits.com for about $6,700, how much in TOTAL do you think it would cost to finish it? I really don't need any fancy stuff like a water fall or slipper slide, but I would like for it to have a concrete walkway around it. If I could build it for about $10,000, I think I would rather do this than buy an existing one?? Has anyone had any issues with using IG pool kits in general?

And if I were to buy a house with an existing IG pool what are some of the major or basic things I should look for so I don't have to spend a ton to get it up and running??

Thanks

Guest · Postby **Guest** » Mon 23 Mar, 2009 01:11

An existing pool, like all used things, can come with inherent problems not initially obvious.

The warranty on a DIY kit depends on you installing it according to the specifications.

The build could cost anywhere from $9,000 to $15,000 depending on the extras you choose.

Ray1031 · Postby **Ray1031** » Sat 28 Mar, 2009 16:26

While I agree , mostly, with the guestimate of $ 9 to 15,000 depending on options, I also believe you can "bring it in" cheaper as well. I think you have a few other qualifiers to consider with eistimate that as well.

First, in installing a "Kit" you should follow the installation instructions as closely as possible.
Second, that estimate can go up or down depending on whether you are planing to do the work yourself or have it installed professionally. Even with a professional installation ... the more you are able to do yourself, the lower the price should be. If, for instance, you are able to do the digging and trenching involved for the placement of the pool and running of the inground lines - you can save a good bit ... If you have concrete skills, you can pare a couple of thousand by doing your own deck and a decent pad for placing/mounting the pool equipment on.

But, that is not really why I am butting in here ... I have another "word" for you to consider/check on: An inground pool - unlike an on-ground or above-ground pool is classified as a "permanent fixture" ... just like a house, garage, large barn or "foundationed" building. As such, in almost all areas of the United States, you must have a building permit to install one. It will need to be "inspected" at different stages of the installation by the township/county inspectors and there will be township/county "codes" that have to be met. So, another thing to check on - before ordering a kit - is the requirements or necessary codes for installing one.

As for options ... The pool itself will raise your household insurance rates once it is installed. Certain options can raise or lower these rates additionally. Things like a "lockable" privacy fence around the pool area (so it is neither visible nor accessible to others without your consent) can lower these rates, while the addition of diving boards and slides can cause an increase in insurance rates because of the added potential for injury to those using the pool and equipment ... so another place to check is with your insurance man before buying the kit - see what it will do to your insurance rates. (You may well find that your insurance company will not pay-off on any potential injuries if you install a pool and do not tell them until someone is hurt.)

fosk10 · Postby **fosk10** » Sun 29 Mar, 2009 13:55

Ray,

Thanks for the excellent advice......definately things to consider.

The only thing that I will not be able to do is dig the hole, because of course, I plain don't have the equipment to do it. I would think that I could hire someone to dig and haul away the dirt for about $1,000 to $1,500??? The ground we have here should be all dirt and no rocks. Is this a reasonable price for a pool about 20 X 40 foot large and 8 foot deep in the deep end?

Are pool kits good? or will I have a lot of trouble with the pool after it is finished?

Postby **Me...** » Sun 29 Mar, 2009 14:11

Wow, 15k for a 20 x 40 pool completed? I am going to double that estimate, By the time you get an equipment shed and all the electrical and/or gas run in addition to everything else I can't see a 15k job. Doing a Zono or concrete floor?

While it may be possible to built it yourself, this is a big job and I would guess you want it long term and hopefully not something of a nightmare by the time 2-3 years has passed. Be interesting to see this "complete" package for that price. I would bet it is sadly lacking in equipment and what you get will be anything but cost effective to operate.

Ray1031 · Postby **Ray1031** » Mon 30 Mar, 2009 00:37

fosk10 wrote:Ray,

Thanks for the excellent advice......definately things to consider.

The only thing that I will not be able to do is dig the hole, because of course, I plain don't have the equipment to do it. I would think that I could hire someone to dig and haul away the dirt for about $1,000 to $1,500??? The ground we have here should be all dirt and no rocks. Is this a reasonable price for a pool about 20 X 40 foot large and 8 foot deep in the deep end?

Are pool kits good? or will I have a lot of trouble with the pool after it is finished?

There are good pool kits and not-so-good pool kits on the market. Like everything else, you often get what you pay for. The more "cut-rate" the kit, the more likely you are to get lighter weight (read that as "cheap") materials. Over the years I have seen kits come in varying degrees of completion .. from a bare liner and fittings package (where they gave you instruction for building your own support walls using wolmanized plywood) up to an including kits with every piece of equipment, every bolt and screw and even vermiculite for the flooring.

A few things I personally would look for in a decent kit are galvanized steel walls, all included inlet, drain and skimmer fittings, a liner of at least 20 mil vinyl and plumbing lines rated to 80 psi minimum (not that they generally need that much pressure -except for some automatic pool cleaners using a booster pump- but the higher pressure lines are generally thicker walled and last longer underground. I will bet that flooring is not included in the kit, and for a liner pool I would recommend vermitulite flooring. It provides a firm smooth base for the liner, yet is also pourous so water eeks through and will not "float" a liner. As for your water moving/filtering equipment ... I will not try to advise you beyond saying that you will need a pump classified as "Self-priming" and a pump/filter sufficiently large enough to filter all of the water once every six to eight hours.

One final word of advice for you - very, very important ... before you let anyone ... ANYONE ... start using "diggers" in your yard: Be absolutely sure you know where every electrical line, cable feed, sewer, gas and water line is in your yard ... Cut one and you just added both inconvenience and additional cost to the project. Check with the companies involved or call someone like "MissDig" "before you start".

Ray