Your family wants a swimming pool this year. Great! Now that you’ve made the declaration, it can just happen, right? Well… not so fast! One of the first things you will need to do once you’ve set your budget for the project and hired a pool contractor is to talk with us about how to choose your pool building material. It is kind of straightforward — if you have a large enough budget you may choose the higher end material — gunite; a smallish budget, the lower end material, vinyl liner; middle of the road budget and you may choose a fiberglass pool.
Those three choices, aren’t as cut and dried as your budget though.
How to choose your pool building material
If you’re looking for pure affordability, an above ground pool is your most budget friendly option, but if you’re looking for longevity, you will want to talk with your pool contractor in Menifee, CA about an inground pool.
Here is a more in depth look at the pool building material options. Consider too, your budget, the weather in the area of the country in which you live, how you will use the pool, the amount of space you have available and other decisions.
- Concrete aka gunite. As mentioned, this is the material with the highest price tag, but the longest lasting construction material. A concrete pool provides the most flexiblity with design, features and customization. Gunite pools are more “free form” in design and this material is also what you want if you want an infinity pool built. Gunite pools can take up to three months to construct.
- A fiberglass pool is akin to a bathtub. It is delivered to your home in one piece and settled into the excavated area. You can choose from various shapes and sizes, but it is not nearly as flexible in design as is gunite. Fiberglass will expand and contract with the weather — ideal for those climates prone to winter weather and freezing. Fiberglass is also one of the easiest pools to keep clean and they are not prone to algae growth. A fiberglass pool project only takes a few weeks.
- Your third option is a vinyl liner pool. This is a construction material with options in shapes. There are many more vinyl liner options on the market today so you aren’t nearly as limited in color and design as you once were. Vinyl liner pools are also ideal for those areas of the country prone to freezing. It is the least expensive construction material and is quicker to construct than a gunite pool is.
Price may be your starting point on choosing a building material, but there are also other items to take into consideration.