Should I invest in a premade fiberglass pool or a custom inground pool made from gunite? This is a common question homeowners face once they decide to take the plunge of adding a pool to their backyard. Both fiberglass pools and gunite are great long term choices for different reasons.
Fiberglass Pool Advantages:
Durability: Today’s fiberglass pools are beautifully crafted, incredibly strong and will last decades or up to a lifetime. Choose this option and your fiberglass pool will arrive at your house in one monolithic shell on a flatbed truck. This is the complete pool, including cutouts for the drain, skimmer, and returns. It is lowered into a carefully measured pre-dug hole by a crane. Skilled workers will quickly and efficiently convert the shell into a wonderful watertight oasis soon ready for swimming. This type of fiberglass is made from durable reinforced materials and the shell is covered with a watertight protective gel coat that will last up to 25 or 30 years. This material is very resistant to algae, reducing maintenance time and costs. Additionally, fiberglass is highly resilient to wear and tear, ensuring your new pool will look beautiful for years to come.
Faster Installation: Compared to traditional pool installation timelines, a fiberglass pool can be ready for swimming in as little as 2 to 5 weeks depending on the slope of the yard, soil conditions and weather.
Affordability: The creation of a fiberglass pool is a much simpler process than gunite. This saves the customer money on the fabrication of their new pool. Less maintenance over time also leads to lower expenses.
Easy care: One of the best features of a fiberglass pool is that they are known for their easy care. Because they have a smooth nonporous surface. This results in less algae growth meaning less time spent cleaning.
Comfort: The soft gel surface is gentle on the skin versus the porous surface of a traditional pool. This smooth surface is an attractive feature and is especially ideal for families with children.
Gunite Pool Advantages:
Customization: Another great pool option is a gunite pool. Homeowners who want a completely custom pool with specific or special features often choose to go with gunite. With this option, a custom pool builder will construct your new pool on site with a team of skilled workers and heavy machines to create the unique pool you’ve always dreamed of. Obviously, the Inground pool construction for a custom pool is a bit more complicated than that of a fiberglass, but choose gunite and your pool builder can create almost any exciting custom features you can imagine such as a swim up bar or a a lazy river complete with cliffs and waterfalls. With this choice the pool builder will install steel bars, called rebar, around the sides and bottom of the excavation to create a perfect mold for the pool’s special shape and to reinforce the concrete. Pebbletec is usually added for a beautiful finish and comes in a wide assortment of brilliant colors. The end result is stunning.
Whether you choose to go with fiberglass or gunite, Coogan’s Design-Build has provided Charlotte homeowners with fabulous watertight pools for over 27 years with a proven track record of thrilled customers. If you’re ready to take the plunge contact Coogan’s today for a free onsite pool consultation. We make it easy!
