Accounting & Finance
How to Budget for a Swimming Pool
Did you know that the average cost to install an inground swimming pool is $35,000?
There are additional costs that you can expect to spend once your pool is installed. Things such as an increased cost in your utility bill, maintenance for your pool, and other repairs that your pool needs can add up quickly.
That’s why understanding how to budget for a swimming pool is the best way to go about ensuring you don’t spend too much on this home upgrade. Today, we’ve created a complete guide to help you better understand how to save money when you’re installing a new pool on your property. Keep reading to learn more!
Decide Between an in Ground vs. Above Ground Pool
When deciding to install a pool, choosing between an inground an above ground pool is the trickiest decision you’ll have to make. There are several factors, such as cost, longevity, size, and maintenance, that can influence your decision.
Inground Pools
Inground pools are typically made up of fiberglass, concrete, or vinyl. Compared to above ground pools, and inground pools are much more expensive to install. This is due to the materials that are used to ensure the longevity of this type of pool.
Above Ground Pools
Since above ground pools don’t require the same materials that are used as inground pools, they’re easier to install and cheaper to purchase. However, with their lower prices, they don’t last as long as inground pools do.
Deciding whether you’re looking to save more money upfront or you’re interested in having a pool that lasts two decades will help you to understand your budget and ways that you can save money on your new pool.
Click here to learn more about the pros and cons of above ground pool.
Get Multiple Bids
If you’re only talking to one company to install your pool, you’ll have no idea if you’re able to save money by choosing a different contractor. By receiving at least three bids from three different pool contractors, you’ll have a better idea of what the cost of installing your pool is. Instead of just relying on one contractor, who may be insulating the price, taking a look at three different bids can help to save you money.
Know Your Options for Liner Material
There are three main types of pool liners that each other their unique value. Fiberglass, concrete, and vinyl are the most commonly used pool liners.
Vinyl
While vinyl is the cheapest liner option, owners with the ability to freely customize the depth and sheets of the liner to the pool. Plus, the installation is a lot easier compared to fiberglass.
However, the vinyl liner does need to be replaced about every ten years. If you’re interested in saving money right now while you’re installing your pool in later investing any more expensive option, you can choose a vinyl liner to budget for your pool.
If you don’t properly manage the chemicals you’re putting in your pool water, it can cause your vinyl liner to wear faster. Plus, it’s easily stained and collects bacteria and algae faster than other types of pool liners.
Fiberglass
Due to its smooth surface, fiberglass liner prevents algae growth. Not only is fiberglass easy and cheap to maintain, but it also helps to heat up your pool water quickly.
The biggest downside to fiberglass pool liner is that if it isn’t properly taken care of, it can crack or bulge. Plus, you can’t customize this liner to any shape that you please for your pool.
Concrete
Concrete pool lining is highly durable and lasts the longest compared to the other two options. You can easily customize the size, shape, and depth of a company pull out of.
However, because of the poor service of concrete, I’ll be easily gross. This means that you may need to invest in more chemicals to keep your pool water healthy p concrete pool lining is highly durable and lasts the longest compared to the other two options. You can easily customize the size, shape, and depth of a company pull out of.
However, because of the poor surface of concrete, algae quickly grows. This means that you may need to invest in more chemicals to keep your pool water healthy. Plus, the rough surfaces on concrete can cause scrapes and scratches.
Skip Over the Bells and Whistles
To save on costs for you to install a new pool, you should hold off on the bells and whistles until you have a larger budget. This means that you should opt-out of installing any heating element, waterslides, diving boards, cascading waterfalls, or spas.
Keep in mind that you don’t have to forgo these features forever, but you can work towards installing these other features later down the road.
Don’t Buy the Biggest Pool Possible
If your family isn’t that big, buying a large pool may not be cost-efficient. While it may be luxurious to swim around a large pool, he also has a pay line to the extra cost of filters, chemicals, energy, and hygiene that will be required to have your pool installed and maintained.
Budgeting for a Swimming Pool
Understanding how to budget for a swimming pool properly will help you to save money in the long run. Not only will this help to cut back on the cost of installation, but it will help you to use less energy and other materials that are needed to maintain your pool.
Are you interested in learning more about how to save money on home upgrades? Check out the rest of our blog to learn more!