Starting from scratch - leveling ground

[PoolDoc]

This is not really the sort of question we can often answer well -- as you note, there's a LOT of variation.

I can tell you that, bang for the buck, if you get an Intex Ultra in that size, they do very well. You'll need to replace the filter or the cartridges, to get better filtration, however. The good news is that all that stuff is on clearance right now. If you visit the Walmarts, KMarts, Targets, etc. in your area, you can probably find one. If you have to travel to a larger city, call to check stock.

What a lot of people have done is spent less than $1,000 on an Intex, used for 2 - 3 years, found that they really liked pools, and upgraded to a larger pool with a deck. (Of course, we don't hear from the ones who got the Intex, found they did NOT like pools, and moved on. But even so, it's better to spend ~700 making that discovery, than $2,000)

Good luck!