Our goal with this buyer’s guide is to educate and inform you about InGround pools, including planning, preparation, pricing, and our buying and installation process! We hope that after reading this, you’ll have a better understanding of what you can expect leading up to your InGround Pool Project!
What You Should Know
Buying an InGround Pool should be the beginning of a very fun endeavor! Before you dive in, we hope to give you an idea of what you’ll want to know ahead of time! Then feel free to jump on in -the water is warm!
Planning & Preparation
Every backyard is unique. The goal is always to find what’s best for you and your family, based on the size, shape & style of the pool, as well as the overall scope of the project, including the amount of decking (concrete, stamped concrete, pavers) will be around your pool.
Permits & Regulations
Every town is different! A permit will be needed from your local village (or county) and possibly an engineering blueprint (needed in most cities we work in). This can take anywhere from 2-8 weeks to obtain. A good pool builder will be familiar with most of the towns or counties’ rules/regulations for InGround Pool projects!
Survey & Utility Marking
To determine what can best fit in your space, you'll need your home's Plat of Survey. This helps to identify easements or other factors that may impact installation. Finally, JULIE or a utility marking company should be scheduled to mark and identify any utility lines throughout your property. This will ensure that underground utility lines are accounted for before construction begins.
*Note* Mud Turtle Pools does obtain all permit and engineering requirements for all our projects!
What Type of Pool Do I Want?
In this section, we’ll do our best to help identify areas in the InGround Pool Industry that you
may have questions about and want to learn more about before you contact a builder!
There are a few different options, but here we will focus on Vinyl Liner & Fiberglass Pools.
Vinyl Liner Pools – Construction of these types of pools consists of excavating the pool location,
sculpting deep end of the pool out as precisely as possible, assembling steel (or polymer) walls
around the perimeter of the pools shape, pouring a concrete footing around the steel walls,
prepping the pool bottom more perfectly, then finishing it with a pool krete (or similar product)
and installing a liner. Throughout construction, backfill, plumbing and electric are completed (low
voltage lighting is common today) and a trench is dug out for the plumbing and electric back to a
filter pad location.
Pools built this way are very common and have been around since the 1950s (starting with
concrete or masonry block walls, into the 60s with treated lumber and then finally with steel
walls (when the industry boomed) in the 70s and 80s.
Better technology allowed improvements to the steel fabrication industry and more shapes are
available than ever to construct your perfect pool shape, size and style. A Viny Liner Pool offers
a considerable amount of customization in size, shape, style and pool bottom depth. It is
common to replace a liner (depending on conditions) every 8-12 years but also gives you an
opportunity to refresh the look of the pool with a new liner, years down the road!
Fiberglass Pools – Construction of these types of pools consists of excavating the pool location,
laying down 4-6” of a stone base for the pool to set onto, and a large excavator or crane setting
the fiberglass pool into the excavated hole, then adjusting slightly to ensure the pool is set
perfectly level and at the appropriate elevation. Then the backfill, plumbing and electrical are run
into the trench to the pool equipment.
Fiberglass pools have existed since the late 1950s as well but did not become popular till the
80s and 90s and manufacturing technology allowed for more shapes and sizes. Following that
boom and into the 2000s, increased technology added color, waterline tiles and other features
that made fiberglass pools even more attractive to homeowners. Today there are considerable
options for fiberglass pools from shapes, sizes, depths and color options.
To find out more about Fiberglass Pools and Vinyl Liner Pool check out our blog here.
How much does an InGround Pool Cost?
Although it is difficult to answer, we will do our best to help answer this question for you! The cost of an InGround pool can vary immensely depending on many factors that we’ll try and
convey here for you.
Pool Type:
First, the costs vary between the two types of pools alone, sometimes as much as 20% more for fiberglass. Between steel production abilities and shipping ease, fiberglass pool production and shipping costs, a similarly sized fiberglass pool is traditionally 20% more than a steel pool. As a reminder you’ll have the cost to replace the liner itself somewhere down the road.
Pool Cover:
One of the other significant decisions that affects cost is whether you select a safety cover for
your pool, or an Automatic Pool Cover. We’ll talk more about these items later, but from a cost
perspective, adding an automatic pool cover will increase your pool project cost dramatically, but is also a HIGHLY IMPORTANT product for safety, prevention of water evaporation and chemical loss, retention of heat and more.
Decking & Features:
Next, the area around the pool will further vary the project cost. From an essential few feet of
decking (concrete, stamped concrete or pavers traditionally) around your pool to a larger
increased footprint of decking around your pool, or even further considerations for added
entertaining areas like seating, fire pit or outdoor kitchens.
Retaining Walls:
Additionally, most backyards we encounter today have enough pitch to the property for water
mitigation, drainage etc., that often some amount of retaining wall is / will be required to build
the project the right way. While some builders look to avoid these as they can incur added
expense, it’s often the right thing to do and shouldn’t be ignored. Often today, engineering
(again mostly required in our area) and/or a village will require a retaining wall to be built once
certain elevation changes exist in backyard projects.
Additional Upgrades:
While those are the larger, more significant options that can make pricing variable, there are
many other items that you might consider. Those items might include:
Salt systems
Robotic cleaners
Outdoor music systems
Restoration of the property after construction
Landscaping around the pool / pool area
Fencing around the pool or property
....And more.
Estimated Price Range:
While we can only speak about our projects, the types of pools we build and the scope of work
we get contracted for, our Inground Pool Projects range anywhere from $80,000 to $200,000 +.
We look forward to working closer with you to help identify your perfect pool and the
options that might be best for you!
Process & Construction Timeframe
For a discussion about “The Process” we like to start from beginning! To start, we hope that
you’ve read this! Then, whether it’s a phone call, email, filling out a contact form or messaging
us on Facebook or Instagram, or even stopping by our store & design center in Mokena, we
look forward to hearing from you to discuss your project further!
Step 1: Initial Consultation
We'll start by discussing your goals and preferences to determine the best pool options for you and your family. With that, we’ll be able to narrow down that price range to give you a better idea of what your project might cost. While this still may be a preliminary range, we hope it refines it enough to get us to the next step!
Step 2: Backyard Consultation
The next step is the backyard consultation. This allows our designer to really spend some time with you to get an even better idea of the space we have to work with. With your backyard and pool goals in mind, we'll be able to create the vision for what you’re wanting for your project! At that time, we’ll also be able to take a closer look at things like the need for a retaining wall, if any underground utilities might be an obstacle, where your ideal location for the pool equipment might be and how long an electrical run or gas line run might be for the pool equipment. This gives us a full vision of the scope of work you’re interested in, allowing our designer to put our digital design together and produce a more final proposal!
Step 3: Design & Proposal The Grand Reveal! We will present to you a 3D rendering that our designer has put together for you, showcasing your perfect backyard! This comes with your proposal, but also helps
break down some of those options, allowing you to decide if it’s perfect, or if you might consider
some adjustments or changes! As we move in the right direction together, it’s common that a
store visit is planned to go through the design even more thoroughly, adjust in the moment and
tweak the design, layout, area around the pool and any other options until you’re happy!
Step 4: Permits & Scheduling
Once everyone feels comfortable, (sometimes small decisions are left to decide, like
paver selections, a few final decisions on those options items), a small deposit is made to add
you to our dig schedule, and we begin the engineering and permit work! For weeks to follow,
we continue to work through the engineering, permitting, final decisions like the pool shell color
(Fiberglass pool), liner selection (Vinyl Liner pool), Auto Cover color (if applicable) and other
details to get everything ordered and ready in time for your project start!
Step 5: Dig Day & Construction
Dig Day! We’ve made it to dig day and the fun starts! It’s time for us to get to work for you and
build your dream backyard! Over the next 8 weeks (approximately) or more, we’ll diligently work
through the construction of your pool and surrounding backyard. Throughout the process, we’ll
communicate effectively through each stage to ensure we have it perfect for you and make sure
you don’t have any questions or want to make any last-minute decisions before it’s too late!
Jobsite cleanup, rough grading of the yard or even final grading, Sod or Seed and blanket
restoration of the yard, landscaping services if you have us do that for you, we’ll be able to fully
complete your project by our agreement!
Step 6: Pool Completion & Orientation
Your pool is installed! It clean, clear, chemically balanced, and ready to dive in! Next, we’ll provide you with an approximate 90 minute orientation, walking you through all your pool equipment, showing you how to work everything and getting your Wi-Fi app all set up for easy homeowner use!
Then a little bit of homework! We don’t “Build and Bounce” as some pool builders do! Watercare
is important, so we want to make sure you understand just what you’ll want/need to do! We ask
that, at your convenience, you bring a sample of your water within the next few days into our
store in Mokena and go through a Chem 101 class! Don’t worry, there’s not a pop quiz! We have
a full slate of chemicals and computerized water testing to help ensure we teach you how easy
it is to keep that water clean and clear and ready to swim!
Step 7: Ongoing Support
We’re here for you long after that! For those weekly / bi-weekly water tests, any potential little
service items, openings, closings and more, we’ll do everything we can to be sure you have a
great ownership experience with your pool!
Construction Timelines
Another frequently asked question is how long it will take and we hope to answer it as best we
can again for you!
As costs can vary, so can construction timelines! Depending on the scope of work, our
traditional InGround Pool Project can vary anywhere between 6 – 16 weeks. Some factors that may affect construction time:
Pool Type (Fiberglass pools are typically completed faster than Vinyl Liner pools)
Automatic Pool Cover Installation (most of our projects include Automatic Pool Covers)
Concrete decking around your pool versus Pavers (most of our projects are pavers)
How much additional decking sqf is added around your pool
Need for retaining walls
Additional features like extended seating areas, seat walls, firepit areas or outdoor
kitchens
If a Restoration and Landscaping package is added
Weather-related delays
As you can imagine, these items can all add as little as 1 day up to significant construction time
to your project, but we can assure you that we will work diligently and efficiently through your
project from start to completion! We can’t wait for your first cannonball!
Final Thoughts
We hope this guide has given you valuable insight into the pool-buying process! With 15+ years of experience and over 600 pools installed, we have designed this guide to give you a good idea of what you can expect moving through the different stages. We hope this helps to prepare you for what’s to come, and to ultimately get you swimming in your own backyard InGround Pool!
We know there’s more questions, and we can’t wait to answer them, we look forward to hearing
from you!
Your Friendly Neighborhood Turtle,
Mud Turtle Pools