Fiberglass or Vinyl liner

[Beesmom]

Thanks for the replies! If ours won't be ready until August, I'll just get a family pass to the local community pool.

-Sandy

[PoolDoc]

That works, too.

But, please understand, I did NOT say "your pool won't be ready till August". What I said was, that's what often happens.

In South Florida, where they crank out pools like crazy, they put pools in in 3 weeks, start to finish. But, I'm guessing North Alabama pool pacing is more like Chattanooga -- you don't have the skilled year round work teams you do in Florida, and you have much worse soil and rock conditions.

Also, a community pool is a very different experience than a home pool. I actually don't like small pools myself -- if I could build what I wanted, it would be a 2-lane 75' 6' deep pool with a 20' swim out for grandchildren. But a community pool is usually a social zoo, which is completely different than having your home pool -- not better or worse, just very different.

If you and your children like that, then I think that's a great option!

[CarlD]

Hi Beesmom!

I have NEVER heard of a 20x40 fiberglass pool. Remember: They are built in a factory and have to be transported and installed at the site. Vinyl and concrete are constructed at the site.

[Beesmom]

After looking at dozens of brochures - you're right, CarlD, there's no such thing as a fiberglass pool that big. Score 1 for the vinyl liner.

By the way, I just realized I never said whether the pool we're looking for is inground or aboveground. It's inground so this thread is in the wrong place.

You're right, PoolDoc, community pools can be zoos; that's why we're getting our own despite the community pool being only 2 miles away. It's pretty nice though (or will be - it is in the process of getting rebuilt they're pretty close to being done) but we got spoiled by having our own (I can't float around in a tube with a beer at the town pool without getting arrested).

My original question was if any one out there has worked on or owned both a fiberglass and a vinyl liner which do they prefer?

-Sandy

[waterbear]

San Juan does have about 8 models of pools that are 15'-16' wide x 40'-45' long so it's pretty close. It used to be that fiberglass was the most expensive pool you could get but the price of concrete has gone up so a fiberglass pool, even with trucking in, is competitive with shotcrete and gunite in many markets. Part of the cost of fiberglass is how far it needs to be trucked to the site so if you are not to far from a manufacturer then fiberglass is a viable option. If it needs to be trucked a long distance then it might not be the most cost effective pool. It is a much more resilient surface than vinyl and just as inert chemically, and next to a completely tiled pool surface (expensive!!!) it is my personal first choice.