The ultimate way to save money on an inground pool is to do it yourself. Fortunately, there are a lot of companies that offer inground pool kits that provide you with everything you need to install an inground pool. How much do they cost? Well, as you might imagine, the price varies depending on who you buy from, what materials you want to use, and what extras you choose. Generally, they range from $10,000-15,000 for an average pool.
One thing to keep in mind is that what comes “standard” with a pool kit varies from company to company. It’s a lot like buying a car – you can’t just look at baseline prices and expect to get a fair comparison. A better approach is to add up all your “must have” features in different pool kits and go from there.
But before we go any further, you may want to ask yourself something…
Are You Up to the Task?
Building an inground pool is not a small project, even if an inground pool kit does take some of the hassle out of it. A few questions to ask yourself before you decide are:
- What equipment will I need? Plan on renting some heavy-duty equipment like tractors or bobcats, and factor that cost into your plans.
- Will I need to subcontract some of the work? Very likely you will, but how much of it you need to subcontract will obviously have a major impact on the cost.
- Do I want to deal with getting the required permits for the pool? Depending on where you live, this could be a complicated and expensive process.
- Am I capable of doing all the digging and other heavy lifting required for this project? Building an inground pool calls for some serious digging. You need to be honest with yourself about whether your back can handle it.
If installing a pool yourself seems a bit much, you might consider going with a semi inground pool, which greatly reduces the complexity of the project.Those are just a few of the bigger questions to ask yourself. There are many other things to worry about that you will no doubt uncover if you do more research. Buying a kit does help a lot, and some advertise “easy assembly.” However, that should be taken with a grain of salt – there’s no such thing as “easy” when it comes to building an inground pool.
What to Look for in an Inground Pool Kit
Inground pool kits typically come with a lot of variable options you have to decide on when ordering. Here are some of the biggies:
Pool size and shape. Most companies offer a selection of preset pool sizes and shapes. Obviously with a kit, you don’t have the leeway to customize the pool to your liking.
Chlorination system. There are different systems available for adding chemicals to the pool.
Plumbing options. A wide variety of plumbing configurations are possible with an inground pool. With a kit, you may be able to select from different options.
Heater. You may be able to select the type of heater you want for your pool.
Extras. Pool kits often have optional extras like lighting, diving boards, slides, and all the other features you can add to an inground pool.
Those are just some of the essentials. Even with an inground pool kit, you have to do a fair bit of planning and research to make sure you have everything you need.
Inground Pool Kits Help with Organization
Kits are great for organizing your inground pool project because they include all the basic materials you need, and they take the stress out of hunting down each component individually. Even if you’re not planning to use an inground pool kit for your project, it’s not a bad idea to see what’s included in them – it could reveal something you were missing, or just give you some new ideas.
