Dear Expert: When it comes to swimming pools, what’s better—vinyl or concrete?
A: We get asked this question quite often. Vinyl has improved immensely over the past five years to compete with the look and feel of concrete pools; but when you get down to it, it comes down to time frame, price point, and how customized you want your pool to be. Concrete pools take about three times as long to construct, but can be customized with sundecks, sunken/connected spas, unique tile, benches, curves and angles, and various textures. Vinyl pools also allow some customizing with liners, benches, and stair options.
Long-term maintenance is about the same. After about 10 years, a vinyl pool may require a new liner and a concrete pool may require resurfacing.
If you took a rectangle pool around 40-by-20 feet, the cost of a concrete pool would be about 30 percent more expensive than vinyl.
The one nice thing shared by both types of pools is the ability to have auto covers installed, which helps with heating and pool maintenance (keeps debris out).
When deciding between the two types of pools, I suggest making a list of what’s important to you and what your budget and timeframe look like. Make sure you choose a well-seasoned designer and installer that can help you make the correct decisions for your tastes, budget, and lifestyle.
—Dave Kopfmann, Yardscapes owner/president and Clayton Johnson, senior designer
952-887-2794 • yardscapesinc.com