I am in the same boat right now. (check out my other posts). My project is much smaller than yours, with the pool size being only 13.5 X 25. Local builders quoted me upwards of $28K (including standard pavers). So far, doing it myself, I can get it for $18,750 including travertine pavers. So as you could see not only am I saving close to 10K but I may end up with a better quality finish. This forum and www.howibuiltmyownpool.com helped me a bit. I also called a pool repairs company and offered to pay them a small consulting fee (south of $750) to have them serve as private inspectors throughout the project and to answer any real time questions that can't wait for forum friends' response.

Good luck!