We think it’s safe to say that Baltimore is a place where things are going on. Baltimore has a lot to offer. It has a lot of tourist attractions, is home to many corporate headquarters, and has the most people of any city in North Carolina. The summers here are hot and sticky, so there’s no better way to cool off than to jump in Lake Wylie. We’ll do you one better: you could swim in your own in-ground pool in your own backyard!
We make one-piece fiberglass pools at Baltimore Swimming Pool Pros and install them all over the United States, including in Baltimore. People often ask us, “How much should I plan to spend on a fiberglass pool in Baltimore? and “Why should I buy a fiberglass pool?” And we love to tell them the answers. If you’re thinking about getting a fiberglass pool for your home in Baltimore, we’d like to share some tips and our own knowledge about how to budget for a pool project in this area.
We won’t keep you wading (see what we did there?)…get let’s into it.
Getting a Pool in Baltimore on a Budget
“How much should I budget for an inground pool?” is one of the most common questions we get. And if you came here with this question, we just want to say that we’re glad you did your research. Most people are worried about how much they’ll have to pay for that new pool, but it’s easy to forget important parts of the budget. When deciding how much to spend on a pool, people often ask things like, “What size pool can I fit in my yard?” “Is a fiberglass pool a good investment?” or “What accessories do I want for my pool/yard?” Baltimore Swimming Pool Pros has been in business for more than 20 years and has been serving the Baltimore area for two years. We will talk about what you might want to think about for your fiberglass pool budget.
Compare Your Budget To Your Home Value
This is important: we often tell homeowners to think about their budget in relation to how much their home is worth. This helps put the budget for the pool in a real-world context and gives a point of comparison. We can say, “This is about how much other people are spending,” but how will that affect your project and finances? You know how much your house is worth, and that can help a budget number make sense for you.
From what we’ve seen, homeowners in Baltimore spend an average of $76,000 on their pool project. A base package, which doesn’t include a heater, accessories, coping, or decking, costs closer to $55,000. (It’s important to remember that neither of these numbers includes landscaping.) With an average home value of $565,000 on our projects, this means that people have put about 14–15% of their home value into their pool. Another important thing we want to point out is that we have customers who financed their projects and others who paid cash. There is no “right” or “best” way in the big picture; the only right way is the one that works best for you.
As we said, these are numbers based on our experience, and they may not work for you (which is fine!). Your pool builder will look at your budget and help you figure out what your options are. They are there to help you find a pool that fits your needs.
Things to think about when making a budget for your Baltimore pool
When thinking about your budget, we suggest looking at the items or accessories that have the most value (not just in terms of money) and figuring out if you think you’ll get your money’s worth out of them. For example, if you spend money on deck jets but only use them every other year, you might not be getting the same value for your money. Here are some other things we see people putting money into:
Heaters
We’ve already said that Baltimore’s summers are hot, sticky, and heavy. But because this is a temperate climate, you can usually only swim here for about 5 months. Many people in the area put a heater in their budget, and we’ve seen it almost double the amount of time people can swim to about 10 months. This means that no matter how much you put into your pool, you will have that money for 10 months instead of 5 months (think of it as a cost-per-usage concept). Adding an extra $5-$6,000 to your budget for a heater could basically double the amount of time you can swim during the year.
You might think, “Okay, so heaters are good. But what kind?” We’re glad you asked! We tell our customers in Baltimore to get gas heaters for a few simple reasons. One reason is that gas tends to be pretty cheap. Gas heaters will also work well in the “shoulder months,” or colder months, when the average temperature is between 55 and 65 degrees.
The Things You Need
Adding things like bubblers and lights can really make your pool look nice, but you need to plan for them in your budget.
We also think that automatic pool cleaners and leaf nets could be good additions to your budget for a fiberglass pool in Baltimore. Most of the time, automatic pool robots do a good job of cleaning fiberglass pool surfaces. Plus, fiberglass pools are usually easier to keep up than other types of in-ground pools, so this can make maintenance even easier.
Leaf nets are great if you have a beautiful tree in your yard that you just can’t bring yourself to cut down or trim. If your pool is under it, you’ll have to spend more time scooping leaves out of the water. During the fall, you can put this item over your pool and then pull it off to get rid of leaves. Instead of spending a lot more money on an automatic pool cover, which can be useful and safe in some situations, you can easily buy these nets online for as little as $150.
Landscape and other things outside the pool
If you ask us whether we’d rather be in or out of the pool, we’ll always say “in.” We won’t, however, ever forget how important the rest of the backyard is to the pool experience. We bring this up because if you want to improve more than just the pool area of your backyard, your budget will have to take that into account. Adults often choose to spend more time lounging by the pool than going for a swim. Depending on how much time you plan to spend outside of the pool, you may need to spend a big chunk of your budget on landscaping. Check with the person who put in your pool to see if they offer these services. If they don’t, ask them if they know anyone else who does.
Fiberglass in Baltimore: Making a Choice
If you’re reading this blog, you may have already decided that a fiberglass pool is what you want. If so, that’s great! Don’t worry if you’re still shopping around. After talking about the cost of so many different parts of a fiberglass pool, it’s natural to wonder, “Is a fiberglass pool worth the money?” You probably already know what we would say, but this is up to you. Here are a few reasons why fiberglass pools are a good short-term and long-term investment:
- Less work to do
- Less expensive to own over time
- Installing things faster
- Made in a controlled environment
- Surface is smooth
If you care about these things, a fiberglass pool might be worth your money.
But it wouldn’t be fair to just talk about the pros of a fiberglass pool and leave out the cons. Here are some to think about:
- fewer shapes and sizes to choose from
- Because it was made in a facility, there may be more shipping costs.
- The manufacturer decides which features to include and where to put them.
What you want from your inground pool will determine which type is best. Fiberglass may be what you need if you want a pool that is easier to clean, has a smooth surface and takes less time to put together overall. Or, a gunite/concrete or vinyl liner pool may be the best choice if you want to put the tanning ledge and steps exactly where you want them in your backyard. Fiberglass pools are becoming more and more popular in Baltimore, but we really think you should look into the other types of inground pools so you can be sure of your choice.
Conclusion
Aaaaaand…cut! The post for today is over.
We won’t pretend that a fiberglass pool is perfect for everyone, and we can’t give you a solid number for a budget, either. There isn’t always a single answer to the question of how your budget should look. Anyone can give you a range, but what matters is what you want your yard to look like and what makes sense to put in it. Checking out what different manufacturers of fiberglass pools have to offer can help you figure out what options are available and what you can afford.
Find our inground fiberglass pool designs here if you want to learn more about what KBL Pool and Spa Pools has to offer.
