While any shaped pool is possible with both steel-wall and concrete pools, a homeowner is more restricted with fiberglass pools. To decide which pool best suits your household, consider how your family will be using it.
Lap lane pools are becoming more popular for people who want a no-impact cardiovascular sport. Non-diving or sports pools, typically about 4 or 5 feet deep, are perfect for water sports and families with young children. These pools can be either above-ground or in-ground, a big difference in cost and installation time.
Beach-entry pools, in which the pool starts at zero depth and gradually deepens, are rarely built for residential use since the length of the pool typically needs to be extended.
Still the most common is the in-ground diving pool, great for diving, waterslide use and water sports.
About 95 percent of the in-ground pools installed in Minnesota are steel-wall pools with vinyl lining, according to Rob Anderson, owner of Poolside in Eagan and Little Canada. Like the concrete and fiberglass pools, steel-wall pools can last at least 30 years.
While the vinyl lining needs to be replaced every 10 to 15 years, the steel walls don't chip or crack in cold climates where freezing winter temperatures can damage fiberglass or concrete. These pools costs less than the concrete ones and, under ideal conditions, take only three to five days to install, about four weeks total after adding a fence and landscaping.
Concrete pools take about 12 to 15 days longer to install than the steel-wall pools. While they are also more expensive, the concrete walls allow for more structural options like built-in pool bars.
The rough concrete walls can make cleaning the pool more difficult, but Jeff Grotte, owner of poolguy.com, based in Maple Grove, Minn., eliminates the problem by adding a vinyl liner.
While any shaped pool is possible with both steel-wall and concrete pools, a homeowner is more restricted with fiberglass pools.
These prefabricated pools are constructed in the factory and shipped via truck to the homeowner's property, where the pool contractors place it in the hole and pack it back in. According to Anderson, the market for installed fiberglass pools hasn't yet developed in the Twin Cities, mainly because of the cost of transporting the large one-piece units.
A less expensive alternative is the above-ground pools, which typically last between 15 and 30 years and range from about $2,000 to $5,000, depending on the quality.
They come in round, oval and rectangle in nearly as many sizes as in-ground pools. Installation is almost immediate, taking only two to three hours to put up a pop-up version. And in some instances, a deck can be attached for about $8,000 to $10,000 so that the pool appears built into the ground.
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