If you’re looking to spruce up your backyard and add value to your home, adding a fiberglass inground pool is a fantastic and fun way to do both.

Buying and installing a new pool is an exciting experience. It’s a one-time thing for most people, though. Not everyone’s familiar with the process.

If you’re looking at getting a fiberglass pool, it’s important to know what the process and costs look like. Although every situation is completely unique and costs vary significantly, you’ll still be better equipped to compare pricing across different installers.

To help give you an idea of what to expect, we put this handy little guide together. Check it out!

What Are the Installation Steps

Fiberglass pools are the easiest and fastest type of pools to install. Everything’s done in a matter of days, so it’s not a long, drawn-out thing. Let’s take a look at the process.

Design

The first step is assessing your backyard and choosing the right type of pool for your situation. We have different sizes and styles of pools for just about any layout.

You might have a good idea of what you want in terms of pool size and shape, decking or tiling, and other features. But if you don’t, our professional designers will help you come up with your dream backyard.

Excavation

Once we have the design, we get to work on leveling and excavating the pool site. We plot the layout of the pool and use heavy machinery to dig a big ol’ hole on level ground and pack it down so the pool shell fits nicely inside. This usually takes a few hours in ideal conditions. However, if there’s a lot of clay and/or rocks, the excavation could take another day or so.

We’ll also need somewhere to put all the dug-out dirt. You’ll want to either arrange some (legal) dumping area ahead of time or let us find somewhere for you. We’ll add the cost of the dump to your final invoice.

Installation

The hole’s dug and the floor is leveled and packed with sand. Now it’s time to bring the pool in! Your pool is delivered on a flatbed truck, and a crane will lower it into place.

Backfilling & Water Fillup

Next we backfill the hole around the pool so it sits nice and snug. At the same time, we begin filling the pool with water. The weight and pressure of the water ensures the pool settles into the floor and backfilling evenly.

Plumbing & Electrical

These steps will take a few days, but we’re getting closer! Now that the pool is full and settled, we run the plumbing and electrical work and complete any appropriate inspections.

Then there’s a small waiting game. We let the pump filter run for 4–5 days to let the pool settle further and monitor the water level for leaks. You don’t want to pave over everything if you’re losing water. That’s an expensive mistake.

Concrete & Landscaping

Now we’re in the home stretch. We pour concrete around the pool to create a seal and lock the pool in place. Once the concrete’s dried, we move on to the fun stuff—landscaping! Here we’ll lay the decking and plant any gardens you might have planned.

The last thing is to take care of the initial water treatment and go over your routine cleaning and maintenance duties.

That’s it—we’re finally done! It’s time to kick back and enjoy your backyard oasis. You’ve earned it.

What Are the Costs

This is the big question. Pools are an investment. It’s a difficult question to answer, though, because everyone’s situation is unique. Pricing depends on a variety of factors:

  • The size and shape of the pool. Smaller pools obviously cost less, and they’re easier to install.

  • The composition of your pool site. If the area is fairly level and the dirt is nice and sandy, it’ll be a pretty quick job. If it requires a lot of leveling or the soil has lots of clay or rocks, it will take longer and cost more.
  • Additional features. Options like water features, jacuzzis, heat pumps, salt chlorinators, and perimeter tiling can add significant costs.

  • Turn-key service or DIY. We’re more than happy to take care of the plumbing, electrical, concrete work and landscaping, but you’re also welcome to provide your own labor. If you know what you’re doing or know someone who does, you could save a lot on this step.

Let’s break the costs down a little further.

Basic Installation

A basic pool installation will cover everything from start to finish. We’ll handle the excavation, installation, plumbing, electrical and foundational concrete.

To get a ballpark estimate of how much this would cost, a good general rule of thumb is $1,200–$1,500 per linear foot. A linear foot is simply the length of the pool, excluding the width.

An 8-foot wide by 16-foot long pool is 16 linear feet and would cost $19,200–$24,000. On the other end of the spectrum, a 40-foot pool will run you $48,000–$60,000. Extra work like decking, landscaping, and installing additional features—which we’ll cover below—will add to those figures.

Additional Features

If you’re building a pool, you might as well do it the right way from the beginning. We’ll run through some pricing for some optional features you may want to add to your setup

Heat pump $5,000–$6,500
Salt chlorine generator $500–$950
Automatic vacuum system $85–$850
Pool security cover $550–$3,000
Pool lights $700–2,000
Perimeter tiling $2,300–$3,500
Gelcoat surface colors $50–100 per gallon of paint
Slide $100–$2,300
Diving board $300–$800
Hot tub or spa $2,000–20,000
Fountain or waterfall $200–$15,000
Retaining wall $2,450–$6,650
Fencing 15–$30 per linear foot

These are very general numbers, but it should give you an idea of what you’re looking at to get what you want. You can start big and scale down depending on your situation.

Operation & Maintenance

The costs don’t stop once the pool’s built. Thankfully, fiberglass pools are not only the easiest to install, they’re also the easiest and cheapest to maintain.

Your only maintenance costs are about $200 per year for utilities and $175 per year in chemicals. Every now and then you’ll want to service your pool equipment, which will run a few hundred dollars every 5 years or so.

For a grand total of about $375 per year and another few hundred every 5 years, you’re looking at about $5,000 over 10 years in maintenance and upkeep. For comparison, a vinyl liner pool will hit you up for about $12,000 over the same span. A concrete pool will take about $27,000.

Alaglas of Charleston Can Do It

We know that buying a pool is a big and exciting thing. It transforms your space, adds value to your home and enhances your daily lives. Alaglas of Charleston is here to help you realize your dreams.

Contact us here or call us at 843-789-9469 to get started!