Every year I get questions about our pool and I’m finally sitting down to write out the answers to the most asked questions in this post for you guys!
Let's get to it—but first a little background...
We started building the pool in December of 2019 right before the pandemic hit! Lol, perfect timing, right? 😅
We have talked about putting a pool in since we moved in this house 9 years ago and finally took the plunge and were so excited! We've had a pool (above ground) at our previous house and loved it, so we knew it was not something we would regret.
Since living in this house, we have missed having a pool for the kids to swim in and for us spend the summers together around the house more.
If you're even thinking about a pool, I say go for it ASAP because looking back I wish we had put it in a few years earlier so they could have enjoyed it longer. 😢
I love having a house full of their friends over listening to them laugh and giggle and knowing they'll be making memories every summer out at the pool together.
“What size is your pool?"
Ours is a 20x40 with the built in entry steps all the way across the shallow end.
“What liner did you use?"
I had the hardest time finding a liner that I loved that wasn’t that bright blue look. I loved the look of Gunite pools, but let’s be honest that was way out if my budget. So, I was on the hunt for a liner that had a more natural look to it without breaking the bank!
I finally came across the GLI Dark Grey Mosaic and it was PERFECT. I absolutely still love it 3 years later and would pick it again.
“How deep is your pool?"
It’s 8ft deep in deep end 3.5 ft in shallow
“Salt or Chlorine?"
Salt! We love salt systems. I know everyone has their own preference, but we had an above ground pool at our previous house and had salt there as well and it was so easy to maintain and much more affordable than chlorine.
However, I do think your surroundings matter and affect that. For both our pool situations, we've not had a lot of trees or or anything around them, so they don’t get a lot of debris in them such leaves limbs etc.— and this may make a difference in your decision.
The other thing I love about salt water is that it is so much softer on your skin and eyes vs. chlorine. It doesn’t dry my skin out at all!
“What do you love the most about your pool?"
I would definitely say the liner and the full bench entry steps we had built in. It’s perfect for little kids to sit on the steps and play in the shallow end.
“Anything you would do differently?"
Yes. Looking back, I would have added the tanning ledge because it was not that much more! 😭
“Who installed it?"
We used Tri-State Pools & Spa Inc. located in Scottsboro Alabama. We, personally, haven’t had any issues with ours nor during the installation, so I would recommend them!
“How long did it take to install?"
We started at the end of November and it was finished by March.
“Do you have a pool heater?"
Yes! We just got a natural gas heater by Hayward. It was worth it to us to be able to use our pool a few extra months out of the year. Basically, we will only use the heater starting around first of May on the weekends while the kids are out of school.
Typically, the average temp of the water in May is in the low 70’s which is WAY too cold for me lol. 😂 So, if there is a day we know we are wanting to use the pool, we will turn the heater on and it will heat up about 2 degrees every hour! Once the temperature hits the mid 80’s, we turn it off and enjoy!
In our area it runs us about $3.00 a degree to heat. So, if we go up 10 degrees it will roughly cost $30 to heat it for the day and we might do that 3-4 times in May. Knowing that, you probably wouldn’t want to heat it from 40 degrees to 85 in January or you would go broke! Lol
The way we look at it, it's worth it to get to enjoy it more in the Spring and Fall on the weekends once the kids go back to school.
And, that's a wrap!
I hope this was helpful for you guys and as always thank you so much for following along on Instagram and here on the blog. I love chatting with you each day and reading your comments and messages.
