Swimming pools are amazing, and in most cases, the dream for every person living in a house. We don’t appreciate these things enough, but once summer finally arrives, it’s an entirely different story. Having the ability to cool off in a chilly water whenever you start feeling hot is a great opportunity, but not everyone has it.
Statistics say that those who live in a house considered investing in a swimming pool at least once in their lives. But, things are not as “black and white” when it comes to making the right purchase. First of all, not everyone is experienced in choosing the right type of a swimming pool. Second, it costs quite a bit, so once again, it’s not something that you can decide in a matter of a few seconds. And, last but not least, there are so many different materials that can be used in your swimming pool build, and this part is what scares most people off.
Everyone is afraid of investing in something that won’t last for a long time, which is why we decided to write today’s article. Fiberglass vs concrete pools is a subject that seems to be getting a lot of attention lately. Whether this is induced by the recent quarantines and people are just going crazy at home, or there is a natural surge in swimming pool popularity, we can’t really say. But, we decided to do the homework for you. Let’s take a look at these comparisons.
Source:edenpool.net
Cost to build everything from scratch
As we said above, one of the main “limiting” factors when it comes to making such an investment, or any investment at all, is your budget. This is why many consider purchasing fiberglass pools for their backyards instead of concrete ones. Yes, fiberglass pools are less expensive, but when it comes to build quality, they don’t differentiate a lot.
On average, and this doesn’t apply to every single country in our world, a DIY fiberglass pool can cost somewhere around fifteen thousand dollars. For a concrete one, you’ll probably have to pay around thirty thousand.
We’re talking about a from-scratch build with all the required installations and things needed to get it up and running instantaneously. Also, we’re talking about good-looking pools. Not just a hole with water. Of course, you can cut down on costs, but then build quality will decrease and aesthetics won’t be as pleasing. Anyway, when it comes to costs, fiberglass pools win the battle.
Source:woodfieldoutdoors.com
Time required to get it up and running
It might sound a bit difficult to believe, but trust us on this, a fiberglass pool can be set up from scratch in less than four weeks. Of course, this time may vary due to numerous factors, especially now with the global pandemic, but, it’s a lot faster than setting up a concrete one from scratch. When it comes to concrete pools, this procedure can sometimes take more than three months. And, your backyard will constantly be torn up and it’s all going to look like one huge crater. Trust us, it will be chaotic. If you are a person who cannot tolerate a mess, we don’t recommend this at all.
But then, which one provides a better feeling when you’re in it? After all, a swimming pool is all about comfort and feeling good while you’re having fun swimming during the summer, right? Well, worry not, because we’ll compare these in that particular category in just a moment. Before we get to it, take a look at capitalcountrypools.com.au if you happen to be looking for a second opinion from a professional. Now let’s get to what you want to know the most, which is fiberglass vs concrete in terms of feel.
Interior texture – How it feels
So it’s not a secret that concrete is a rough material. Sure, it is indeed sturdy and very durable, and it takes quite a long to cause any damage to it. But, is it the most pleasant thing that you can feel on your naked feet while you’re inside the water? Not really.
Source:riverpoolsandspas.com
Fiberglass pools provide a much smoother feeling by utilizing a texture called “the gelcoat”. This texture is very smooth, and you’ll feel that once you start walking on it barefoot. On top of that, an anti-slip material is coated right on it to make everything slightly more “stickier” so that you don’t slip and fall into the water while on the stairs, as well as while you’re inside.
Now, we don’t want to bash on concrete so much, because most concrete pools use something called an exposed aggregate to prevent slipping and all that, but it’s still not as smooth as a gelcoat, sadly. If you have children for example, the pebbles can hurt their feet if they step on it a bit harder than they should.
Overall availability
Last but not least, the last category should be overall availability. It’s not a secret that concrete pools are a lot more popular than fiberglass ones, one of the reasons being that they appeared a lot earlier on the market. So, in some countries and places, you are probably not going to be able to order a fiberglass pool for your backyard. But, concrete ones will always be available. In this particular category, we have to give it to concrete ones, but in all the others we feel like fiberglass models are simply superior. It’s not quite easy to convince all the customers about this because most of them find it a bit difficult to accept “new” concepts, but we feel like this will change as time goes by.
Conclusion
Fiberglass pools have a lot of advantages and they are usually the more convenient solution for your backyard. But, in order to prove that, we decided to make a comparison guide that’s going to list all of the pros and cons of both types. Above you can find our honest comparison in multiple categories. We tried to keep things as simple and easy to understand by the average consumer and included only those factors that have the most importance when making such a purchase. We wish you the best of luck with your future investment.
