How Long Will It Take To Install My Inground Swimming Pool?
Posted by
Jim Oliver on Tue, Jun 21, 2011 @ 06:36 PM
How Long Will It Take To Install My Inground Swimming Pool?
How long will it take to install my pool? This is the number two most asked question we get, right after “how much will it cost?’ of course. Once a homeowner finally makes the decision, I mean really makes the decision to have a pool installed; the next thing they want to know is how long is it going to take. And usually any answer other than “How’s yesterday? Is yesterday good for you?” will disappoint.
There are several factors that determine how long your pool installation will take. Once the contract is signed the first thing that needs to be done is the acquisition of the proper building permits. No work can begin until all the necessary permits have been filed and approved. Depending on where you live and your particular county’s Zoning and Inspection departments this could take any where from four days to four weeks. This is an unfortunate but true fact.
What Kind Of Pool?
The next factor is what kind of pool are you building? There are a few different options. I will list them from longest to shortest installation times.
• Gunite/Concrete: A gunite pool will generally take 8-12 weeks under the best of circumstances. Throw in a day or two of rain and you could be looking at 14-16 weeks depending on site conditions.
• Inground Vinyl Liner: This type of pool usually takes about 3-4 weeks. It takes a little longer than a fiberglass pool simply because it needs to be constructed on sight.
• Inground Fiberglass: A fiberglass pool in most cases shouldn’t take more than 3 weeks unless weather becomes a factor or a large stamped deck is part of the project. Because it comes in one piece (a large shell) it gets dropped in the hole by a crane thus eliminating the building process.
• Above Ground Vinyl: This should only take about 2-3 days. Adding a deck around part of the above ground pool can increase the construction time, but you can be swimming while the deck is being built.
Every Project Is Unique!
Please understand that these time lines do not include permitting, no work starts until all permits have been approved. Nor does it include delays due to the weather. Depending on each individual site’s soil conditions, rain can add several days and sometimes a week or more to the installation time. Other items that could lengthen the installation time could be an automatic cover installation or a large Kool Deck application or stamped concrete deck.
To give you an idea, here are the steps for a typical fiberglass pool installation: excavation, placement (or drop) of pool, plumbing, water fill & back fill of pool, electric, form concrete, pour concrete, remove forms, clean & detailing of pool, fence installation (if required), irrigation systems and landscaping of yard.
Our goals and your goals are one in the same!
It’s important to know that no pool builder wants to take a long time installing a pool as most pool companies have many projects in the queue during the busy season and cannot afford to be “bogged down” by any one project.
Many homeowners feel like the project is never moving along fast enough because they can’t wait to have a finished back yard and start swimming and enjoying there pool. We want the same thing but it’s important to keep in mind that installation takes only a few weeks where the pool will provide a lifetime of enjoyment!
Most homeowners understand this and when the project is over they couldn’t be happier! It will serve you well to educate your self as much as possible while researching your pool and pool builder. The more you know the happier we are and the smoother the installation. Happy swimming!
