When I was a kid I used to spend long days in the pool. I was a ‘water baby’ no doubt about it. As an adult I reminisce back to those long summer days and when the weather heats up, I’m tempting to take the plunge and have one built.
Pools and property values
It’s difficult to anticipate exactly how adding a pool impacts your home’s value. Much depends on your neighbourhood, the current value of your home and your pool’s installation costs—and in some cases, it could be seen as a hazard to families with small children. Experts expect that a pool will add, at most, 7% to your home’s value. That’s about $21,000 on a $300,000 home, which doesn’t recoup the professional installation cost of an inground pool, which starts around $35,000. Of course, this calculation doesn’t factor the intangibles of enjoyment. Don’t forget to consider what using the pool is worth to you and your family.
Three types of pools
Considering inground pools, you have three choices for construction. Vinyl liner, Fibreglass and concrete designs represent the price scale from low to high, but the cost of installation is only one consideration. For instance, a large family who hosts frequent pool parties may be drawn to concrete construction, which offers larger pool sizes than Fibreglass.
Vinyl liner pools
Advantages:
- Lowest installation cost.
- Smoother surface than concrete pools.
- Requires less chemical maintenance than concrete.
Drawbacks:
- Replacement liners needed every five to nine years.
- Least durable pool construction.
- Requires less chemical maintenance than concrete
- Great for use with chlorine or saltwater systems
Fibreglass pools
Advantages:
- Lowest lifetime ownership and maintenance costs.
- Smoothest available surface finish.
Drawbacks:
- Shapes aren’t customizable.
- Sizes are limited to manufacturers’ options.
- Initial cost is higher than vinyl.
Concrete pools
Advantages:
- Completely customizable in shape and size.
- Widest range of feature options.
Drawbacks:
- Concrete surface requires higher chemical usage.
- Most maintenance-intensive pool design – often requiring patching and re-sealing over the seasons.
- Slowest pool design to install.
Luxe options
When you have the resources to go upscale in your backyard oasis, it’s certainly easy to take your pool from super to spectacular. As for the planning stage, this is where your imagination can take flight. Customizing your pool may dictate the choice of construction but shopping around may reveal some luxe upgrades as factory options.
Some truly unique options can include:
Beach Entry
Water Features
Decks and Landscaping
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