Vinyl Pool- concrete or polymer and steel walls

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nbrogan

Member
Apr 6, 2024
18
Alpharetta, GA
Recognize that this topic has been discussed previously; but have some specific questions based on region.
I am considering wo vinyl pool bids: one will be built with a 10" concrete wall; the other will be built with polymer or steel walls (dependent on shape) with 3 foot concrete footer. The location is north of Atlanta so ground is red clay. We will need a retaining wall based on yard topography. Appreciate any input regarding whether one or the other construction is better. Thank you.
 
nbrogan said:
Recognize that this topic has been discussed previously; but have some specific questions based on region.
I am considering wo vinyl pool bids: one will be built with a 10" concrete wall; the other will be built with polymer or steel walls (dependent on shape) with 3 foot concrete footer. The location is north of Atlanta so ground is red clay. We will need a retaining wall based on yard topography. Appreciate any input regarding whether one or the other construction is better. Thank you.
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Assuming the 10” concrete wall is the thickness and not the height? Concrete always lasts longer than steel. No fiberglass options?
 
I built 2 of the concrete / vinyl pools and they're basically a house foundation that you can fill. They'll last forever.

20220421_160508.jpg
 
We have a nearly 30 year old vinyl pool with polymer walls. We didn't build it - we bought the house with it about 3 years ago. Still solid, walls are a bit wavy, but otherwise still looks good and appears to have a lot of life left in it. I would prefer not to have the white thermoplastic stairs, because they are starting to blister, but overall, while concrete is the far more durable choice, the polymer option could serve you very well. (and we have similar soil here in NC...)
 
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Is there an appreciable cost difference? When we built my 1st pool, I wanted a lifetime pool and went with concrete.

10 years later, a 30 year steel wall pool was effectively a lifetime pool, needing replacement when I was in my late 70s or early 80s. So it was back on the table.

The local builders I would have used had all switched to concrete so I priced out getting a steel kit and finding my own subs. The cost of the steel wall kits (in 2021) were close enough by the time I had to hire crews so I built another concrete pool with my preferred builder.

If it's only a couple thousand off, why would you even consider the polymer ? (IMO). The polymer companies are high end and fetch top dollar. So start there and it may be a non decision from the get go.
 
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Thank you very much for this information. The builder who will use 10" concrete walls is approx. $20k less expensive than the builder who will use either polymer or steel. I truly had no idea about the relative durability of each but it sounds like it is an easy choice to go with the builder using concrete for the same size/shape 18 x 36 (rectangle) at a lower cost.
 
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Save $20k and archeologists will one day find your still intact pool shell ????? That's a no brainer beyond a no brainer :ROFLMAO:

The liner needs replacing at the same interval based upon your local UV, chemistry and liner durability. That's identical between shell styles for each of us.
 

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Agree, no brainer. Permanent concrete structure for less money - can't wait to see it when it's done!! :)
 
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