How Much Does an Indoor Pool Cost?

For many homeowners, the biggest obstacle to getting a swimming pool in 2023 is the nagging feeling that they just won’t get enough use out of it. No matter how big your budget is, you can’t change the seasons or guarantee that Mother Nature will cooperate on any given day. The only way to be sure that you’ll be able to swim year round, rain or shine, is to build your pool indoors.

If this is your plan, be prepared to pay up. Indoor swimming pools cost a lot more than their outdoor counterparts, perhaps double or more the price. As the old saying goes, if you have to ask how much they cost – you probably can’t afford one. Here are some of the things that go into the (high) cost of indoor pools.

Materials and Installation

First and most obvious are the “normal” costs of building a swimming pool. You can generally use the same sorts of pool liners and other materials for an indoor pool that you can use for an outdoor pool. If anything, you might have more options for indoor pool construction because components such as decking don’t have to be strong enough to withstand an outdoor environment.

Another potentially significant difference is that you don’t have to install a pool fence or other safety equipment that may be required by local building codes. Of course, what the building code giveth, it can also taketh away. Depending on where you live, alternate regulations may apply when installing a swimming pool indoors.

Sunny indoor pool
Luxury like this comes at a high price.

Home Renovation

Here’s where the cost of an indoor pool begins to rise. In fact, you might say it skyrockets.

A swimming pool isn’t something most people can add to their homes without extensive – and expensive – modifications. Things are easier if the pool is part of a new home construction, or housed in a standalone structure. But one way or another, you’ve got to find space for the pool and all that goes with it, and that’s going to cost extra.

Indoor swimming pool in a cabin structure
Surrounding an indoor pool in its own standalone structure is the best (and often only) option for many homeowners.

Fortunately, a good indoor pool design can work wonders even in a modest interior space. That’s why, while it might cost more to hire a top-notch indoor pool builder, it’s likely worth the investment. It takes a special type of expertise to handle the challenges of building a swimming pool indoors.

Ventilation and General Maintenance

Perhaps the clearest difference between indoor and outdoor pool installations is that indoor pools need a special ventilation system that either exchanges or dehumidifies air. Without it, the humid air generated by the pool can quite literally wreck your home. Buying and running a dehumidifier system can get pretty pricey. An automatic pool cover is probably a good idea to help limit evaporation, but that’s another upfront expense.

Modern indoor pool with sauna room
Proper ventilation is key for any indoor pool.

However, in other respects, indoor pools are actually cheaper and easier to maintain than outdoor pools. They require fewer chemicals, less cleaning, and zero leaf-skimming. All told, you probably don’t need a pool service to maintain an indoor pool – an advantage that can save you a lot of money over time.

How to Save Money on an Indoor Pool

As with inground pools in general, there are too many factors to definitively answer the question of how much an indoor pool is going to cost. Nor is there a simple cost calculator. What we can say is that there are a handful of ways to lower the price you have to pay (most of which apply to outdoor pools as well).

Small, opulent indoor pool
As with any pool, the extra features you choose significantly impact the cost of an indoor pool.

One alternative is to get an indoor swim spa. These watery treadmills feature powerful jets that allow you to swim in place. Swim spas can be installed inground, but most often rest on the floor. That, plus their limited space requirements and lower maintenance costs make them a much more affordable option than a typical indoor pool (though the price can still rise into the tens of thousands depending on the model and features).

Another option is to use a partial or temporary enclosure. This could include anything from a roof that shelters the pool from rain, to a greenhouse-style structure that can keep the pool warm even in bitter weather. Again, these setups aren’t easy or cheap to build – that is, unless you’re comparing them to getting a full-blown indoor pool.

14 thoughts on “How Much Does an Indoor Pool Cost?”

  1. Indoor pool allows you to control everything about your aquatic
    environment–no matter what kind of weather Mother Nature sends your way. So if
    you are thinking about installing a new pool, consider making it an indoor one. Thank you sharing valuable information.

  2. “If you have to ask me how much they cost – you probably can’t afford one”

    I stopped reading there. I CAN afford one, but I’m not sure exactly how much they cost, WHICH IS WHY I’M ASKING”.

          1. lol yeah I agree with you. Just because you have a lot of money doesn’t mean you don’t have to be careful with it. That’s how people go bankrupt from their own arrogant, snobby stupidity. How HARD is it to give a simple estimate.

    1. I thought the same thing. It’s an old saying and still an obnoxious saying. I’m asking because I want to be informed, prepared, and objective, not because I can’t afford one.

      1. I agree! Just because I can afford one doesn’t mean I’m going to pay the price they want me to pay. Having adequate knowledge of the price range gives the customer more playing power to get the best quotes from different sources. What an arrogant response to assume you can’t afford one– if you want the best price. Just paying whatever someone tells you to pay is the best way to go broke. Lol

  3. GradualGerman H Argueta

    I built 2, the cost is similar to a ranch house per sq ft like anything depends on upgra

  4. gemstoneprincess

    I find it a horrible answer to say if I have to ask…Reality is I need to ask so I know and that should be the purpose of my reading this article. Not to be affronted. It is equal to walking into a Nordstrom’s in work clothes, dirty and having the sale’s people look like you can’t afford it…or when you pay with cash that you have no credit. I don’t need credit because I have cash. And I have left many items at the counter because the sale associate has kept insisting I get a card.
    Now that said. In all I read, I never saw, not one realistic ballpark figure. Show me a few pictures, give me a rough cost, high and low depending on locality and I can begin a considerate thought process…To begin to plan for myself what it is I want.
    On the bright side, I do like the idea of visiting the people at their location before inviting them to mine. I also like the idea of getting at least 3 bids.
    I personally want a saline pool. 9 feet the five feet and steps out to sit on or exit…I do not want a gradual down grade into the depths…but rather 5 feet to 6 feet to 9…with my drain funneled. I do want a nice windowed in closure, which means mostly beams and glass or concrete and glass. I have looked at tons of pictures. Now that I have come that far, I am interested in cost…but not to the point of building, maybe next year is my thought as again, it would be cash. So I am trying to figure out my game plan and financial layout.
    So if you ever decide to upgrade this article, I would hope you would be considerate of the inquiries and time of the people who read such. Thank you.

  5. I maintain my mothers indoor pool. It started as an outdoor pool. Then they added the cement type deck, outdoor carpeting and glass sunroom. then the solar water heater. It is super easy to maintain, but I can’t keep it warm enough even with the cover past the end of November up until April…sometimes June. We are getting old. I don’t think we would use it if it was still outside…….My problem….We are birds so dumb as to fly into the glass to get to the pool…..I have tried all kinds of foil and NEON colored strips. Now we started growing tropical plants in their like it is a greenhouse…It is wonderful except for the increase in roley poleys and lizards.

  6. This is a worthless site — it’s title suggests a reader might learn something about pricing a pool, maybe ballpark estimates and considerations — but this site gives nothing.

  7. Sic Semper Tyrannis

    I’d like to combine a greenhouse/indoor pool in a separate attached glass building.

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