Just popped out of lurker mode to say I love this thread. I have a relative that only builds pools now, quit his “regular” job because the pool game was too lucrative. I like the pictures you guys throw in, it makes me feel like maybe I could afford a pool…dangerous.
Let's build some pools!
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Hateyou
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Counter point you are poor and cant afford it. I paid cash and swim in it 5 days a week
Hateyou
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Initial cost and the upkeep…I can afford it but it still sucks to pay for. I just don’t value swimming as much as my wife and kid…or you!
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Sludig
Potato del Grande
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I'm in the 4-5th year of it where I'm kinda sick of it to be honest. But that's somewhat just because very high winds makes covers tough and tree's everywhere. Above ground is certainly a much much cheaper way to get a sizable 20 something foot pool and dip your toes in somewhat.
I've threatened my wife that I'm going to turn it into a tilapia/catfish farming tank.
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BrutulTM
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I don't know if he's right about that 2016 price. Some friends of mine put a very small pool in their back yard in 2008 and it was like $60k. That was in California but still. It wouldn't surprise me if it was at least double that now. If you really want a pool you should probably buy a house that already has one. They cost a shitload and often don't increase the value of the house at all.
TheBeagle
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Ya that video was ragebait nonsense lol. $162k quote means there was some pretty big extras included like a structure of some sort (patio/pergola) or an outdoor kitchen. You have to go all the way back to the 90's, maybe early 2000's to find a pool for $25k and even then it would have been a small little dinker Rodney King pool built by Blue Haven Pools with a shitty cantilevered deck that was only 3' wide.
Average contract for a pool these days in DFW is right at $100k but that's because everyone wants something with upgrades. Travertine shipped over from Turkey, expensive glass tile, LED waterfalls, huge tanning ledges, 1000 sq ft of decking, pebble finishes, etc, etc.
You can still get a basic, nice pool for $65k but it's not going to have all the extra shit that your friend's pool has that spent $125k.
Average contract for a pool these days in DFW is right at $100k but that's because everyone wants something with upgrades. Travertine shipped over from Turkey, expensive glass tile, LED waterfalls, huge tanning ledges, 1000 sq ft of decking, pebble finishes, etc, etc.
You can still get a basic, nice pool for $65k but it's not going to have all the extra shit that your friend's pool has that spent $125k.
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Hateyou
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Just anecdotal statement. Our last house had a pool installed in 98. 16x32, 8ft deep, vinyl, diving board, very large concrete deck around it. $27k. We put one in our current house in 23. 18x36, 6 ft deep, vinyl, retractable cover, heater/AC unit, 3 ft concrete around it, $93k.
Hateyou
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Yeah, Indiana. Pretty much what everyone gets here. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything else here.
I also should have added to my original post, prices went up like 50% over the 2020-2023 years due to big increase in demand from everyone staying home from Covid work at home and wanting to add a pool combined with supply shortages. Then they just never went down, like everything else.
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Correct. Florida here. 2025 summer build. 800 sq foot sand blasted marble with some herringbone mixed with running bond. 12x25 pool. Huge heat pump, water feature and full truevue screen for 112k.
That post is straight fucking lies
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Springbok
Karen
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Hey pool master - I've got an 18k gallon kidney shaped gunnite pool that has had some serious surfacing deterioration past few winters (not winterized properly, hard water, etc), and some tiles that have popped off. What could one expect to pay, ballpark to get resurfacing done (it's been around 20 years). Flagstone coping looks decent, but figured it'd be pretty expensive?
TheBeagle
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Maybe in the $15k range? That's about what it would be if my plaster subs did it with a pebble finish. Could go a little cheaper if you just wanted plain white plaster probably. Aren't you up in OK? Prices might be a tad lower up there unless you are pretty rural. That's not going to include new tile or coping though.
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Kiroy
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TheBeagle
So I got an older pool with old galvanized. About 25k gallons and the old kidney bean style, deep as shit, like 4ft shallow 9ft deep end. Bottom suctions already been capped, one of the two returns has collapsed, so I've got one return and one skimmer for suction. I leak about half inch a day, i'm thinking it could be the collapsed return, also could be some microcracks in old plaster.
To fix, is about a 30ft trench from equipment pad to the area of both returns, and slap in another skimmer on the way to give me two returns two suctions. All the quotes i've gotten are 15k plus. Fuck that. I'm going to cut the trench and drop the new pipe myself. I've done a lot of pvc irrigation work and other pool piping work (above ground) at our old ranch so I figure with that, some AI help and some advice from you I can do this myself.
Fucking resurface is like 35k. This is western wa so with fewer pools, a lot less competition around here. Prices seems bonkers to me and imma have to suck up the resurface job eventually.
TheBeagle
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What do you mean by galvanized? What kind of resurface?
So I got an older pool with old galvanized. About 25k gallons and the old kidney bean style, deep as shit, like 4ft shallow 9ft deep end. Bottom suctions already been capped, one of the two returns has collapsed, so I've got one return and one skimmer for suction. I leak about half inch a day, i'm thinking it could be the collapsed return, also could be some microcracks in old plaster.
To fix, is about a 30ft trench from equipment pad to the area of both returns, and slap in another skimmer on the way to give me two returns two suctions. All the quotes i've gotten are 15k plus. Fuck that. I'm going to cut the trench and drop the new pipe myself. I've done a lot of pvc irrigation work and other pool piping work (above ground) at our old ranch so I figure with that, some AI help and some advice from you I can do this myself.
Fucking resurface is like 35k. This is western wa so with fewer pools, a lot less competition around here. Prices seems bonkers to me and imma have to suck up the resurface job eventually.
I can't believe a 25k gallon pool would be built with only 2 returns. That tells me all the plumbing is probably not amazing and the builder was pretty half ass. PM me a few pics.
Obviously the first and easiest thing to do is fix plumbing in the ground, if it's not under decking. But if it's a leak there, your ground will be sopping wet around the leak and you'll find that quick.
Do you have a pool light? Those old big lights leak a lot. Get on Amazon and get some leak detection dye. Once you have that, get a snorkel, turn the pool off, jump in, and start squirting. The dye will follow the leak and you can go from there.
Kiroy
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The lines are galvanized steel or copper so all degrading. had a bottom 2 inch suction but that failed and has been capped. So right now even though theres the skimmer and two returns only one return is functioning the other is collapsed and im guessing the leak is there. All concrete decking so super great way to confirm. Built in 70s so its an old timer.
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