Pool dimensions.....

[Roy Wall]

LOML is thinking she wants an "in ground pool"......

The consensus is a 12'x24' is about the largest we can get......is this a usable size......seems like it's a little small to be useful??

Any experienced pool owners have an opinion........?

Thanks all!

[Gary Herrmann]

You're probably not going to swim laps in it. Ours is 16 x 32. We usually just get in with the kids and splash around.

Maybe consider getting one of those sport pools that are the same depth all the way across or get a little deeper in the middle. My neighbor has one - its perfect for water volleyball and other pool games. Also a little safer for kids that aren't great swimmers yet - as opposed to mine that has a deep end.

Short answer to your question is yes, 12x24 is usable.

[Don Baer]

Ours in the house we are selling 16x36. Like has been said 12x24 would be small but big enough.

[Bob Childress]

12X24 or so is common in Arizona where I used to live. I had one about that size and it was great. Two suggestions:

Get what is called a play pool, four feet deep at each end tapering to 5 feet in the middle. For a pool that size, it is the way to go.

Consider installing spa jets at one end over a bench. In Arizona they called them spa pools. Small enough to heat the whole thing. Actually, now I think about it, they called them "spools."

[John Kain]

One more suggestion. Look into painting the pool black instead of blue. Check out some pictures on the web. Black pools really look neat and actually can add value moreso than blue painted pools. Plus, there's nothing more cool than a lighted black pool at night.

[Chuck Saunders]

Realize that if you paint the pool black it will be much warmer. On a day like today after the week we have had, the pool would probably be around 110 degrees, not that refreshing. While the darker colored pools generally do not have problems with lightening due to pool chemicals, they do make it harder to notice how dirty the pool has become and how well you got it cleaned. This can allow an algae colony to get a stronger foot hold. especially if you opt for a low level chlorine pool (Salt pools come under this category).
Chuck

[Chuck Wintle]

LOML is thinking she wants an "in ground pool"......

The consensus is a 12'x24' is about the largest we can get......is this a usable size......seems like it's a little small to be useful??

Any experienced pool owners have an opinion........?

Thanks all!
are you going to go concrete or vinyl liner as there are pros and cons to both. 16 x 32 is a good size.:D

[Keith Starosta]

We put in an in-ground, vinyl liner pool three years ago. It's bigger than most of the pools in our area, but we were planning for the future. :D The picture I attached is an early SU drawing of my lot, but with final pool dimensions. This is a 30,000 gallon pool, and we love it!

We went with the vinyl liner over concrete strictly due to cost. Also, a pool this size would have taken months to do from start to finish, but with the vinyl, we were swimming in one week. Gotta like that!

Good luck with the decision, Roy. Pools are great, but they're also a ton of work.

- Keith

[Dave Richards]

I think I'd get one that's slightly larger than the water you've got. If it's smaller, some of the water will spill out. :D :D

I'll be grabbing my hat and backing out now.
:D

[Roy Wall]

Keith,

That's one nice pool!!! I bet your family does LOVE IT!!

Charles - The contractor said we could use vinyl or GUNITE....the vinyl was estimated at $40K!!! I didn't even ask for the Gunite quote....:confused: :eek:

We will get other bids for sure!

Guys - nice tip on the middle section being a little deeper. I see how that is a good way to "maximizing" the "lounging area" of a small pool...

I'll try to take a photo of the area. Code keeps it 10' away from the lot line and 10' from the house and our upper deck area.

[Bob Childress]

Good heavens! $40K :eek: Don't know your area but in Arizona the pool you want would run from $15K to $25K depending on the bells and whistles. And that would be gunite, as vinyl pools don't make it in that climate.

Keep shopping.:)

[Roy Wall]

Good heavens! $40K :eek: Don't know your area but in Arizona the pool you want would run from $15K to $25K depending on the bells and whistles. And that would be gunite, as vinyl pools don't make it in that climate.

Keep shopping.:)

That's what I was thinking!! Thanks for the advice.........and yes........will continue shopping!!!!

Good news on the bid - we have heard that this company is ALWAYS VERY HIGH....HOPEFULL DOUBLE HIGH!:eek: :confused: :D

[Chris Padilla]

C'mon, Roy...you been around here a bit: BIGGER is BETTER!!!! ;)

40k sounds about right for around here...dunno about KC, though!

[Gary Herrmann]

Consider asking about Gunite. Thats what mine is. A few years ago I had it coated with Diamond Bright - I was tired of repainting it every few years (the wife likes blue). Anyway, 30 yrs old, and it has no cracks or other structural problems. With vinyl, I imagine you'll have to replace the liners periodically - factor that into your cost considerations.

We put in new tile and bricks when we moved in 10 years ago and you can't tell it from a new pool.

Oh, and buy a good automatic vac.

[Chuck Wintle]

Roy,
in the year 1970 my parents decided we needed an inground gunite pool and the price was.....are you ready for this.......$6500 complete. Still going strong today with only a pump change as the original wore out.:)

[Keith Starosta]

That's what I was thinking!! Thanks for the advice.........and yes........will continue shopping!!!!

Good news on the bid - we have heard that this company is ALWAYS VERY HIGH....HOPEFULL DOUBLE HIGH!:eek: :confused: :D

Holy COW, Roy!!! $40K is a little bit more than double what I paid for my vinyl pool, which is almost double the size of the one you are thinking about putting in the ground! :eek: :eek: I'd try and get another quote or two before pulling that particular trigger.

By the way....thanks! Our kids.......and most of the REST of the neighborhood, really love the pool.

- Keith

[David Foshee]

16 x 32 Vinyl with a conctete patio $13,000 in SC
the pool is big enough we don't swim laps just splash around to cool off.

[Cody Colston]

We had an in-ground, gunnite pool put in last summer. It's 40' x 24', sort of figure eight shaped with a beach entrance and 8' deep end. We opted for a diving rock instead of a board. It's a conventional chlorine pool and cost app. $34k IIRC. Took about 3 weeks construction from start to finish and a lot of that time was waiting for the next crew to become available.

While the gunnite pool costs a bit more up front, it only needs periodic re-plastering whereas the vinyl liner will have to be replaced every 7 - 10 years, at least in our locale.

[Roy Wall]

Thanks Guys......

Latest bid for a 16 x 26 "sport pool"... 4' at each end and 5' or so in the middle = $15000. THis is a vinyl liner......3' concrete all around....the usual goodies.

Additional costs are $1500 for heated pool, $1500 for winter cover.

Two more bids coming next week...........

[Frank Hagan]

Heating a pool is an expensive proposition. I worked for a pool equipment manufacturer before I graduated to REAL equipment ;) and we routinely saw that the Dad had not only turned the pool heater off after receiving the first bill, but several of them disconnected the gas line! 9 years ago, before the recent rise in natural gas prices, people would pay from $250 to $400 per month to heat the pool. Unless you have a spa, a heater won't get used (unless you literally have money to burn).

I haven't run the math in a long, long time, but we calculated the true cost of ownership at about $125 per month for chemicals to sanitize and electricity to run the pump 8 hours a day. That was 9 years ago, so it might be more now. At that time, it was about what it would cost to go on a good vacation if you lived in an area where you maintain it 12 months a year. In KC, you'll probably get 4 to 6 months possible use out of it, so the winter cover is probably a good "accessory" to get. Otherwise you'll be fighting maintenance over the winter.

A 16 x 26 pool with an average depth of 4.5 feet has about 14,000 gallons, so to filter that in 8 hours you need a pump that will produce 30 gallons per minute ... a 1 HP pump should do it (maybe even a 3/4 hp) But ask the pool company how big the pump is that they are providing ... if they say "2 HP" it will be an uprated 2hp, really equivalent to a 1 1/2 hp, with about 11 to 14 amps at 230V. Find out what the expected GPM of the pump is, and do the math to pump all the water in the pool every day. Get the amp draw, multiply by the number of hours it will run, divide by 1,000 and you have the KWh you will use each day (your electric bill probably charges by the KWh).

Bigger is not better with pumps. They routinely oversize them to drive spa jets, but if you don't have a spa, go with a smaller pump to save money. If they offer a two speed motor option, it will save you a bit of money also; at low speed, the GPM is cut in half, but the energy use is cut to a quarter of the high speed use. Run it twice as long for half as much.

I'm not a fan of pools unless you have kids. The kids will love it, and some adults get plenty of pleasure out of it. But for me, the cost of owning even an above ground pool at my prior house was not worth the enjoyment the kids got out of it. Most of the time, it sat unused, but I still had the maintainance each week.

[Keith Starosta]

Great post, Frank!! That's awesome information.

I agree that if there are no kids, pools aren't usually the way to go. When my sister and I were growing up, my folks installed an 18' above-ground model. My Dad would get plenty mad if he came home in the middle of a hot summer afternoon, and we were inside watching TV. :o

Watching and listening to the enjoyment our kids get out of ours makes the cost and headache well worth it!!

- Keith