Need help locating a contractor in DFW for inground vinyl liner pool

[Nallec]

DH and I are about to purchase an inground vinyl liner pool kit. We will most likely be buying 18 x 36 play pool 3 x 5 x 3 depth. We have located a reputable excavator, plumber, electrician but we do not know how to find someone who can do the actual installation of putting the pool together. DH wants to do it, but he has MS so that is not really a possibility. I have called all the pool places and no one does this. Only one place I found that does vinyl liner pool installations, but only do the ones they sell and they are only a rectangle that is 4 feet deep. I really do not know how to proceed.

[GTakacs]

I really don't think vinyl pools are too popular in TX. I have seen an ad for "$99/month you can swim in your own backyard" the other day on TV and it was for a vinyl pool but I have not seen any pool company around here actually doing vinyl pools. If I were you I'd stick with what everyone else goes with here which is gunite. Soil just moves too much around here. Sounds like you want to do an owner builder pool, I would definetely stick with gunite that subs can do in their sleep, I would not try to be adventurous and go with something noone has experience with.

I don't know how much the vinly and support costs and if you're considering it due to the possible cost saving over gunite. Steel for a pool you're describing is probably around $2k and it will probably need 25-30 yards of gunite at $140/yard. Peble Tec is probably another $5k so it's about $11k for the steel+gunite+pebletec. The rest of the pool cost (excavation/plumbing/electrical/coping/decking) would be the same as on a vinyl pool.

The old saying "you get what you pay for" always stands true. Oh that $99/month "deal" included ZERO decking. I really don't know who would buy a pool with no decking.

My father is in the gunite business in Europe and I am in the process of having a pool built. I was considering owner-builder for a possible cost saving but unfortunately banks don't like to loan a 3rd mortgage for such a risky endeavour. I called every sub and based on my calculations my builder is making probably around 15% profit which is not too bad from either of our standpoints. I think it's a fair profit and I'm sure he can make a living off of it.

[adillenal]

We are near Austin and there are quite a few vinyl liner pools in this area as well as contractors that install them.

We also bought an inground vinyl liner pool "kit" . We did all the work ourselves except the electrician, concete contractor and the man that dug the hole. Hit rock at 4 feet so it took all summer to complete due to extra work involved. The companies here do not want to install a pool kit that the homeowner purchased. Many reasons but I certainly understand them.

My husband, an adult friend, a 16 year old and another part time 18 year old did all of the work on the pool. Hot, hard work but we saved a bundle and now have a beautiful 25'x44' IG pool that we could not have afforded if we had gone with a gunite pool installed by the local pool builder. Why did we build such a big pool? I didn't know any better and thought if we were going to dig a hole it might as well be a big one. But I am glad we did since we have a teenager and they take up a lot of room in a pool.

Perhaps the excavator can suggest someone that has built their own vinyl liner pool that you could talk to. The man we called about excavating, had just finished doing the same thing for someone 20 miles from us so we went for a site visit. Perhaps your husnad could supervise and hire a few people to do the actual hard labor. We figured out how to do it with thorough research on the Interent and visiting the in progress pool near us.

Good luck in your search.