People ask us about above-ground pools more than you might expect from a custom builder, usually because they are weighing the two options honestly and want a straight answer. Here it is: an above-ground pool is the right choice for some families and yards, an inground pool is the right choice for others, and the deciding factors are not only the price.
Cost
An above-ground pool with a basic pump and filter is a fraction of the cost of any inground pool. Adding a deck around it, a heater, a better filter and a fence narrows the gap but never closes it. An inground pool is a construction project with excavation, a structure, plumbing, electrical, decking and permits, and it costs what a significant home addition costs. What drives the cost of a pool build explains where that money goes.
Time to swimming
An above-ground pool can be installed and filled in days. An inground pool takes weeks to months from permit to first swim. If the goal is swimming this summer and the decision is being made in June, the above-ground pool wins on timing alone.
Lifespan
An above-ground pool is a product with a service life. The liner is replaced periodically, and the wall and frame eventually corrode, especially in the Piedmont's wet, clay-heavy environment. When it fails, it is removed and replaced. An inground pool is a permanent structure. Its interior finish is renewed, its equipment is replaced, but the shell stays for the life of the house.
What it does to the yard
An above-ground pool sits on the lawn and is seen from every window. A deck around it helps, and a well-built deck with a screen of planting can look intentional. It is still a round or oval tank in the yard. An inground pool is designed into the yard, with the deck, the grading, the planting and the house all working together. This is the difference that shows up in daily use: people gather around an inground pool and its patio; they go to an above-ground pool to swim.
Resale
An above-ground pool is generally valued at nothing by buyers and is sometimes a negative, with the expectation that it will be removed. An inground pool in the Triad can add value in neighborhoods where pools are expected, though not its full cost, and can be neutral or slightly negative elsewhere. Does a pool add home value in NC? is the honest version.
Permits, fences and electrical
Both kinds of pools are subject to the barrier requirements and electrical code. An above-ground pool's wall can sometimes count as part of the barrier if it is tall enough and the ladder is secured or removable. Many jurisdictions require a permit for an above-ground pool above a certain depth, and a deck attached to it needs its own permit. Do not assume an above-ground pool is exempt; check first.
Winters
Both types are closed for a Piedmont winter. An above-ground pool's above-grade plumbing and wall are more exposed to freeze damage, and the closing has to be done carefully. An inground pool's plumbing is below grade and can be winterized or kept running with freeze protection. Winterizing a pool in North Carolina covers the inground process.
The semi-inground option
Some pools are engineered to be set partly into the ground, with the exposed side finished in stone or decking. On a sloped lot where one side naturally sits at grade, this can look close to a custom inground pool at a lower cost. It is a real category with real limits in shape and size, and it is worth a look if the budget sits between the two.
When above-ground is the right call
- The budget is firmly below an inground project.
- The family wants swimming this summer, not next year.
- The house is a shorter-term home.
- The yard cannot be excavated: rock, a septic field, an easement or no access.
When inground is the right call
- The plan is to stay in the house for years.
- The backyard is meant to be a place to live, not just a place to swim.
- Resale value and the look of the property matter.
- The yard has slope or design potential that an inground pool can use.
If the answer is inground, we build gunite, fiberglass and vinyl-liner pools across the Triad, including Burlington and Lewisville. Request a free consultation and we will give you the real number for your yard so the comparison is fair.