We Got A Pool!!!

Finally…the blog post many of you have been waiting for…we will cover why we got a pool, how we went about getting quotes and why we chose the company we did, types of pools, timeline, total cost breakdown, biggest surprises to be prepared for and what we think! Buckle up, this is going to be a good one!!

Why a Pool:

On our endless walks over the course of this pandemic, Mr. SH and I talked A LOT!! We talked about what life was going to look like in the coming months, how we were going to provide some sense of normalcy for our kids this summer when all camps, vacations and social activities were canceled. What would be the best use of the money we were putting toward all those things. We thought about adding a front porch for a while and then, one day, I said what about a pool? We had talked about putting a pool in one day, but there were always other projects to do first, and these overtook the pool and sent it to the bottom of our projects wishlist. For the first time, it seemed to make its way to the top! As with every project, I told Mr. SH I was just going to do some “research” and proceeded to talk/convince him in the coming weeks about why it was a great idea: who knows how long this pandemic will last, we will have it for a lifetime, kids and grandkids can use it, vacations are temporary, many happy memories can be made!

Getting Quotes:

Around the first week in May, I got the name of a company a friend had used for their pool. I called and I have to say, I was treated as if they did not really want or need my business. They gave me one option for a pool and told me I was looking at end of August/early September. That was discouraging. I kind of gave up, thinking that was the only company I really knew in our town who installed pools. The next week (second week of May) I decided to call more places. I looked up on our local town facebook group, scoured the internet, and ended up having 5 companies come out to give estimates over that week. Some only did one type of pool, others said too late in the season. It came down to two companies. Having that many companies come out, gave us more and more knowledge about shape and size of pool, type of pool and layout. In the end we went with a company called In2Blue in Norwalk, CT. Nick, the owner was kind, patient and super helpful. He understood what we were looking to create and helped us tweak our vision. And he said the pool would be done around the first week of July, which we loved to hear. He was sincere and honest and not at all sales-y.

Types of Pools:

In our area (the Northeast), there are three types of pools companies install: Vinyl Liner, Fiberglass and Gunite (concrete/stone).

Vinyl:

Pros: least expensive - prices start around 30K (this was a huge factor in our decision), Fairly low maintenance, can be made to look like stone, depending on the liner color you choose, been around forever

Cons: Liner will need to be replaced at some point - 10-15 years and can cost anywhere between 3K-5K, not the current “trend”, in my opinion, can look cheap if not careful with liner choices, coping, etc…, can take around 3 weeks to install

Fiberglass:

Pros: super fast installation, about 1 week, maintenance free after installed, currently on “trend”

Cons: Cost - these pools have a base price of around 45-50K, fairly newer product, to me they look plastic-y, been told they can blister, but have no experience with them obviously

Gunite: Pros: Traditional stone swimming pool, classic and timeless

Cons: Cost - can range from 75-150K just for the pool, because of rough winters in our area, they can crack and be damaged, rough bottom - kids begged to not have the pool that they “scrape their toes and bodies on”!

Timeline:

We had Nick out to our home for an estimate on May 13th. With his guidance, we decided on a 15X30 Liner pool (we are on .33 acres), with stairs across the shallow end. We signed the contract with Nick and had the surveyors come (you have to have an up to date survey of your home to build a pool) the last week in May. We got the permits from the town the week of June 8th and they broke ground on June 12th. Because of Covid there were delays with a couple of items. We decided to extend the stairs all the way across the pool. This resulted in a higher cost because this became a custom item. It also extended the timeline by a week because they were delayed. We chose a GLI Liner in Black Galaxy to mimic the darker water color you would see in a gunite pool and that too was delayed a week because of Covid. The pool was completed on July 23rd. Making the whole process a little over two months, start to finish!

Before

Breaking Ground

Oh the piles of dirt

Almost Done

Water

One thing to note when considering a pool and the cost…you must either fence in your whole property or just the pool. We had always wanted to fence our property and really didn’t want a fence right in the middle of the yard around the pool. We wanted it to be open and blend with the natural surroundings.

Cost Breakdown:

Pool: 40K (keep in mind this is for the 15x30 pool we got with a shallow end of 3.5ft and a deep end of 6ft. Price changes as you go bigger or smaller and deeper. This price includes all extras - full stairs across shallow end, salt water system. it also includes pump, heater, all hook ups, two trucks of water, hauling away of all extra dirt

Fence: 10K to enclose our entire backyard

Sod: 4K for entire backyard

Propane Hook Up: 1.5K

Survery/permits: 3K

Biggest Surprises:

How much our yard was torn up (very little grass left), the sheer amount of dirt piles, the chaotic backyard scene durning construction, the amount of people, equipment, etc it takes to accomplish this, how much they could accomplish in one day of work, how much delays stink, how beautiful a liner pool looks, how the salt water is better than chlorine for hair and eyes, and how little grass gets in the pool even though we only have 1ft of bluestone coping around it!

What We Think:

WE LOVE IT SO MUCH!!!!!!!! Best investment for our family and home!