What YOU Need to Know to Buy an Above Ground Pool.

Before you go to visit pool stores or showrooms, it’s a great idea to know what you’re looking for and what you want!  There are a lot of different kinds of above ground pools, and different ways to install them.  I’m going to give you a few things to think about–answer all of these questions before you go shopping and you’ll be ready to tell your pool store exactly what you want, which will save both you AND their employees a lot of time!

Location & Company–Make sure you’re picking a quality company that is in your area.  While purchasing a pool online or from the “cheapest” dealer may seem like a good idea, you’ll quickly learn otherwise if your equipment has problems or you just need general help with your pool.  Often times the only ones who can do warranty work are the people who you actually bought your pool from, and some online companies don’t offer replacement parts, etc.  Find quality, find local.  It is worth the extra money you may spend.

Now let’s think about YOUR PROPERTY.  How big is your yard?  Are there many trees?  Grab some graph paper and map it out–you’ll never regret it.  Is your yard pretty flat or is there a slope to it?  If there is a slope, think about putting the pool right into it–many pools can be buried up to 2′ in the ground, making that easy.  Think about where you imagine your pool going–is there space there?  How much?  How big of a pool would you LIKE to have?  Do you imagine it with a deep end?  Many above ground pools can have a deep end of up to six feet!   Is there ACCESS to your yard for equipment like a Bobcat for excavation and a truck with sand for the bottom of your pool?

{Pool size basics–pools generally come in round or oval shapes.  Round: 18′, 21′, 24′, 27′, 30′.  Oval:  15×30′, 18×33′, 18×36′, 18×39′.  Round pools are generally less expensive to purchase and install.}

At this point it’s not a bad idea to call your city hall and ask what kind of permits are needed to build a pool and what their requirements are, too.  Some places require a 4′ fence, some a 6′ fence, and some no fence at all!  How far does your pool need to be from the fence?  These are GREAT things to take into consideration before trying to pick out a pool!

Budget.  Think about what you would LIKE to spend on a pool, and what you CAN spend on a pool.  It’s important to have a number in mind, and don’t be afraid to be upfront with the salesperson about it.  If you have a $7,000 budget, let’s not waste your time OR my time having me try to sell you a $12,000 pool.  Instead, I can tell you your options for $7,000!  There are plenty of them.

That said, if you ARE looking to install a larger, fancier pool–let us know!  We are consultants–we’re going to educate you on what is available for purchase, and what would work best for you and your situation.  It’s much easier if you let us know what you WANT so that we can focus on that.  Let’s not beat around the bush–if you come into our pool store, we can all assume that YOU are there to purchase a pool, and the employees are there to sell you one.

The more honest we all are, the smoother and happier all of our interactions will be!

So….think about all of these questions, and ANSWER them! Sit down with your family and work through them, maybe come up with a couple different options of what you want.  THEN you are ready to give a pool company a call, or better yet–visit their showroom–and pick out the pool that fits your wants and needs, as well as pick out a company that is going to be able to support you through the installation and the coming years of service, water testing, supplies, and general advice!

I would LOVE to hear what you come up with!  Please let me know if this article was helpful to you!