California Inground Pool Cost: Understanding the Pricing of a Standard Pool
How much does a inground pool cost? Well, how much does a pig weigh?
As one of the top pool builders in Sacramento Califorinia, we receive this question A LOT. In fact, in the 15 year history of Sac Pool Pros, this might be the most commonly asked question.
If you’re interested in buying a pool, this is one of the more loaded questions you can ask a pool company. It’s also one of the most important questions for your search. And as such, it’d be unfair to leave you with an answer like “it depends”.
This article will explain the basic cost of a pool in the Sacramento area, what would increase or decrease your cost, and tell you what’s included in the cost. By the end of this article, you won’t know the exact cost of your custom pool, but you will have a much clearer understanding of what you might expect to pay.
First things first, cost depends on the type of pool
There are three main types of pools; shotcrete or gunite, vinyl liner, and fiberglass. The difference between the three different types is the medium between the ground and the water you swim in.
In California, the majority of the pools are inground and made of shotcrete & gunite . Shotcrete is a much more durable material and can withstand California’s extreme and dry climate.
For that reason and many others, Sac Pool Pro’s shotcrete pools. Because this is the best type of pool for California, we will focus specifically on the cost for an inground shotcrete pool for this article.
Sac Pool Pro’s standard pool starts @ 56,000.00 what that includes is as followed
- 80′ Perimeter (freeform or linear)
- 3 Color LED lights
- Salt Water
- 3′-6′ depth
- Fully automated with smart phone controls
- Autofill
- Cabo Shelf
- Umbrella Sleeve
- 500 SQFT stamped 1 color concrete
- Pebble interior with 10 year warranty
- Upgraded cleaning system booster with pressure cleaner
What factors can increase or decrease the price?
There are variables that affect the cost of your pool that will be specific to your site conditions. They include: access to the backyard, utilities, elevations, demolition, and city jurisdiction. These variables are not going to be included in this pricing as they are unique to every yard and will require an on-site visit to evaluate.
Factors that will increase the cost of your pool
- Access to the backyard. If the access to your backyard from the street to the pool location is narrower than 7’6″ feet, this will require a smaller piece of equipment to excavate.
- Removing walls or gates
- Elevation changes and retaining walls. If your yard has elevation changes or existing retaining walls we will need to determine what yard prep, demo, or engineering that will be required to build a pool.
- Special engineering, grading and drainage plans, retention engineering, and/or site plans
- Yards with drastic elevations, hillside lots, areas of difficult permit jurisdictions that have unpermitted work onsite or where we are building structures will require additional engineering costs to obtain permits.
- Demolition or pregrade work
- The area in your yard where the project is located needs to be free of all landscaping, grass, and debris.
- Soil conditions.
- Expansive, rocky, or kelechi soil will require additional costs with excavation and/or on the pool’s structure components.
- Different type of sanitation and cleaning systems
- This includes items like in floor cleaning systems (pop-ups), Salt water systems, and Ozone/UV sanitizers.
- Utility run longer than 50ft
- If the runs from your pool equipment to the electrical panel is over 50ft then additional costs will apply.
- Skimmer run longer than 15ft
- If the run between the skimmer to the pool equipment is over 15ft then additional costs will apply.
- More than the allotted sq ft of decking
- Adding more deck square footage then what is included with the standard play pool will be charged by the square foot.
- Larger pools over 80ft perimeter and/or pools over 6ft deep
- Larger and deeper pools will be charged by the increase in I.A. (internal area).
- Heater
- Adding a heater will include additional costs for gas lines, gas permits, and the heater itself. Or additional electric costs when installing a heat pump.
- Additional features on the pool such as: baja shelf, water feature, fire feature, or spa
- Because we are a custom pool builder the options are endless! Our designers will help you design the perfect yard to best fit your budget. Knowing your budget is critical to the design process.
- Safety Barriers
- Most cities will require safety barriers that prevent unauthorized entry to the pool area.
Decrease Cost
- Smaller pool. Designing a pool with a perimeter less than 75ft. Cocktail pools and spools are typically 60ft perimeter.
- Coping only. Choosing to not extend your decking material past the coping. Coping is usually a paver that is 12 inches to 16 inches wide that is installed around the outside edge of the pool.
- Downgrading interior material. Switching your interior from Mini Pebble to Standard Plaster can save you money without sacrificing quality.
- Manual equipment controls. Switching your equipment controls from a wireless remote to manual switches..
What’s included in the price of a pool?
Our entry-level pool is a play pool meaning that it is shallow at both ends with the deepest part in the middle. This is ideal for a family and activity pool. It has a 80ft perimeter with depths of 3ftx5ftx4ft. Depending on your style preference and the layout of your yard, we can design a freeform or geometric design and have options for the length and width of the pool.
Other factors to consider when buying a pool
Not all pool construction companies are the same. There are different types of pools, construction standards, product offerings and processes. Most bids are not comparable apples to apples because of this. When you receive a base number from a company, what is included? Size and options are important but warranty, experience, and quality of the product are priceless.
Items like communication, service, how warranty items are handled, and overall experience with the builder are not bid items. You can’t put a dollar amount on those but they may be the difference in price as you’re reviewing different bids.
Next steps
Here at Sac Pool Pro’s , we can build not only your dream pool but also your dream backyard. Now that you have an understanding of how much an inground shotcrete pool costs, the next step is to build your budget. Determining how much you are wanting to spend, is a crucial next step in the project planning process. When you’re ready to speak with a designer about your project, having your budget ready to go will allow you to have the most productive conversations with them.