We are often asked from our customers, which is a better a fiberglass swimming pool or a concrete swimming pool< The question originates because of the upfront cost and the design or limit thereof. So let’s dive in pardon the pun. We believe that overall concrete is a better swimming pool over fiberglass for the two main reasons this question is often asked. 1.) The price of a concrete pool is typically going to be higher on the initial build out yet overtime the cost tends to be lower than a fiberglass pool. 2.) The design of a concrete pool has far more options than a fiberglass pool. For these two main reasons we recommend and build concrete pools.
As we move into the deeper end of this debate we can pull out more things to consider but please be sure to refer back to overall cost and design. Full disclosure we at Carolina Pool Consultant only build concrete gunite inground swimming pools and the reason we do not build fiberglass or vinyl is because we believe in building and delivering people that want a pool the best type of pool money can by and concrete is the best.
You see, many pool builders only install either concrete, fiberglass or vinyl pools. At Carolina Pool Consultants this is true, the reason we only install one type of pool is because we truly only want to deliver the best quality pool available on the market. This means we often will not get a customer that wants to go with a Vinyl or Fiberglass pool due to upfront pricing. We understand that, but in the long run we want our customers to have the quality and the craftsmanship only a concrete pool can provide. We often get people that have fiberglass pools or vinyl pools making the plunge to a concrete pool wishing they made this decision less then 10 years ago because the pool maintenance required is costing more and more each year that it is cheaper to go ahead and build a new concrete pool.
So let me clarify a few points for you now:
- Fiberglass may or may not be the right pool for you. It is NOT for everybody.
- Concrete (gunite) may or may not be the right pool for you. It is NOT for everybody.
Here are questions you need to ask yourself when deciding do you want the best or do you want to save upfront cost?
You should choose a concrete pool when you are looking for the following benefits:
- A VERY customized shape or size the reason is fiberglass pools do not provide this customized design option. An example of this would be an “L” shaped pool or a pool wider than a certain width typically 16 feet.
- You WANT a pool that will be DEEPER than 8′. A concrete pool can deliver on this while fiberglass can’t.
- You do not want to have expensive maintenance costs due to repairs from a fiberglass pool down the road you need to choose concrete.
- You want to create a much more customized feel in your backyard one that can benefit from natural rock features, grottos, even a “pond” appearance. Some people will always make an argument that my pool is better than your pool but lets face it facts are facts a concrete pool and a fiberglass pool are different and you can never get the customized curves, angles and look from a fiberglass pool that you can from a concrete pool.
- Imagine a fiberglass pool offering a beach entry…ok stop you can’t imagine that you can wish for that but it does not exist. You know where it does exist in a concrete pool. (There are a few fiberglass pools with something close to a beach entry, but it’s not the same design at all as a concrete pool beach entry.
You should consider a fiberglass pool if:
- You are looking for the LEAST amount of cost up front in pricing of installation.
- You are looking for a quick pool installation. Concrete Pools can now be done in under 40 days. (Although it still may take a little longer the wait not be as long as you thought.)
- You are looking for a pool on the smaller end of large. In other words, you are looking for a size that is roughly 16’x40′ or less.
We hope you find this helpful. Full disclosure we are biased and for good reason, we install pools year round everyday. After doing this for over 2 decades we do have the knowledge and the wisdom to be informative as to how come we have come to the conclusion concrete is better than fiberglass when it comes to swimming pools.