Above or Inground that is the question

I think my brain has reached maximum saturation from doing research. We are in Northern New Jersey and are needing a pool. The dilemma is above ground or in ground. Much to my surprise I'm leaning toward above ground so it can be taken down and lawn re-sodded when it is time to sell house. My husband's argument is we live here now and an in ground pool would a) look better and b) be safer for me to access (I have trouble with my joints.)

Any opinions on Above or Inground? Any recommendations for installation companies/contractors for both or either?

I have had an AG pool for awhile. When it was time to replace it a year ago, I debated putting in an inground but decided against it for several reasons:
-- Could be taken down if at some point I no longer want a pool. (Not sure that day will ever come, though! I love having a pool! ;) )
-- Safer for my 3 golden retrievers. The pool walls provide another barrier that keeps them out.
-- Easier to clean the skimmer out since it is on the outside of the pool wall and can be accessed easily. (On an inground, you would have to be down on your knees to clean it out.)
-- MUCH cheaper! I have a 27 ft AG with 54"walls. The cost of the pool and installation was around $6K (this cost did NOT include the pump and filter which I already had) which is WAY cheaper than what it would have cost me to put in an inground. It would have been quite a bit cheaper but I chose to buy an inground pool liner instead of an AG liner which was a higher cost. Didn't like the pattern choices they offered for AG and decided I'd rather pay a little extra and get a liner I liked (also a little sturdier liner) rather than settle for one I didn't really care for.

As far as an inground being safer to access --- you will probably have steps or a ladder either way. I have a deck built around my AG. I have something similar to wedding cake steps instead of having a ladder that sits on the ground. It is much easier to enter on these type of steps than to climb a ladder.

-- Didn't have to worry about these for my situation but some other things that might need to be checked out for your area: increased insurance needed on an inground? Higher real estate taxes because an inground is a permanent structure?

Hope this helps some.

Welcome to the Pool Forum, by the way!

Hi Sue!

I, too, am in Northern NJ. There are a lot of factors, but my AG pool is built into my deck and I use wedding cake stairs to get into it. Here, in NJ, the tax bite on your assessment for IG can be substantial, and the resale value is dubious. A pool is only a plus if the buyers want one. Otherwise it's a problem they want to be rid of.

I cannot really recommend a dealer/installer. My one experience with the warranty replacement of my liner was not great.

Another factor of AG pools is that they generally tend to be used more by owners....because if they are not using it, they take it down. Harder with an IG.

Of course, with bad joints (I'm now "bionic" myself :) ) swimming is really low stress, so you'll want length, more than width, probably. Perhaps a long, skinny lap pool is for you. Again, mine was a custom build. It came as 16x32 or 20x40 but they were able to build it as a 16x40, which has worked GREAT for 11 seasons. I'm now working on repairing some damage from our miserable winter that converted the snow into ice on the winter cover.

FYI, my pool is a FantaSea...technically an AG, but not much different than an IG as it is rectangular and has a deep end...and is built into the deck. Looks like the old redwood pools. Oh, and the FantaSeas are solar heated.

. . . membership updated.

The arguements for the AG are very persuasive! When read these to my husband he too had to admit there are points here we had not even considered such as the impact to our taxes! We know we do not plan on staying in our home for more than 3 - 4 more years tops so I think the AG is making a lot of sense.

Any recommendations for installation companies? Our yard has a slope to it and is going to need to be leveled and filled for a AG, maybe even a small retaining wall around it. Also, do the AG installers also take care of hiring the water tank folks for filling or is that homeowners responsibility to contract a water tank company?

Years ago my father dealt with Branchburg in Newark. I think there was another one there too across from the park on Bloomfield Ave. Now I have no idea where to go. I'm going to head over to State Fair in Belleville to take a look at AG set ups and ask them if they know any contractors.

I'm glad you received some advice you found helpful, but I'd recommend you not wait for similar help on finding a contractor. There's a lot of traffic at PoolForum, but 95% of it is non-registered 'lurkers' -- nothing wrong with that! -- but that means it's not likely that there are enough folks here from your area, to offer advice on which contractor.

Best wishes!