Basic 27' above ground....quotes??

I'd like to snag a basic decent 27' above ground round for our yard.

I'm seeing lots of inexpensive basic pools on Ebay but I'm weary. I'm a complete newbie, and the install would need to be done by a pro. We live in North Carolina, I'm assuming our pool season would be from mid-April until October.

It seems I can snag a complete pool w/ filter etc for $2500 or so, some are even a bit cheaper. What about install? Whats reasonable to expect? I'm also weary of having an outsider install a pool I purchased online because they won't have any reason to stand behind it. Thoughts?

Keep in mind I'm a complete pool newbie. In-ground is out, as my wife and I are newly married, in a new-construction neighborhood, and don't have $40k to do it right. I would just assume spend $5k now and be happy, then possibly years down the road get an in-ground....

I'd like the pool to be as sturdy as possible. Certainly I want to be able to kick off the side of it when swimming and not worry about it falling over.

Thoughts? brands to stay away from?

I will tell you what I tell every would-be A/G pool owner:
Check out your site. You need a perfectly level site that can support the 77 tons of water your pool will have. If you don't have a perfectly level site, you MAY spend as much on the site as you do on the pool.

It's cheaper, by far, to dig down than build up, but in either case if you have anything under the site, like cables, gas lines or even sprinkler lines they need to be moved first.

I learned this hard lesson YEARS ago when I got our first pool: a 15' Intex donut round. I spent weeks building a platform for it--and had to get help. I used a lot of decorative stone we had around, rubble to fill it in, and finally a few yards of sand. Like a dummy I didn't line the site with landscape cloth so ever season was an exercise in re-levelling the sand. Still, I got by on the cheap, with a lot of sweat equity. I THOUGHT my plot was level, but it dropped almost 16" from one corner of the 16' platform to the far corner.

So keep your site in mind.

Our yard is a disaster. Its real hilly but I'll be having it leveled out before this is done. I have a few friends in landscaping/excavating so I'll probably have one of them make sure where the pool is going to be is absolutely level. Thats going to be my biggest problem for sure....

I did the same thing this spring. Really wanted a pool. Didn't have the money for an inground. I researched online and found a number of good reputable A/G pools that were reasonably priced. I ended up going with a local store just so I could have the install done by them and actually look/touch one that was on display. I was able to talk to the salesman and get his take on the different models available. That in itself can get you confused. ..Aluminum...steel...resin...lots of options. The warranty is very important..look into it. It cost me a little more but at least I got to see what I was buying. Do your research on this forum and you won't regret it. There is a lot of good advice about which type of above-ground pool to buy. However, be prepared to spend about $3000 to $5000 with everything. Our Artesian 18' cost about $2800 with all the bells and whistles...pool, pump, filter...ladder etc. However, when you start to add in the costs to have the site leveled..another $600..the deck added..the toys...the test kit..Things do add up for this luxury.

As it turned out, the installation never happened through the store. I had a yard that was sloped by over 3 feet and had to have it leveled with a stone retaining wall built. (it's just softball size rocks thrown on the slope). I had an excavator do it because I didn't want the Bobcat the store installers use as it tears up your yard. They just dump the dirt on the side of the site and leave it there for you to move. We didn't want that. We did our own leveling with a borrowed laser level and installed the patio blocks ourselves. I waited and waited for the pro install guys...but ended up getting lost in the queue. If I would have had the store install it...I maybe would have been swimming in August or September! I looked around for independent installers but had a hard time finding one. I got so frustrated, we ended up putting it up ourselves with a couple friends. We did it in a day. It can be done. Saved me some money too! Unfortunately, putting up a pool usually ends up being more work than you realize. If you're realistic and are willing (AND have people to help) you can have the pool of your dreams. We actually were able to meet our existing deck up to it. It's sooo nice now..but it was a long time coming. Good luck to you!