The biggest trend in the last 5-6 years in vinyl lined swimming pools are the new generation of swimming pools that are engineered to be versatile enough to be installed above ground, half way in the ground, or completely in ground.
Now I know what you are thinking. Why not just put a traditional pool in the ground,right? We covered this in a previous article you can find on our above ground pool portion of our blog. There is a good reason you should never put a traditional pool in the ground and that is beacause they are not engineered to withstand the stress of being in the ground and it will void all waranties form the manufacturer. Not only that but the pool will only last until you need to replace the liner which is typically 8-10 years! Not a great investment to only last 8-10 years!
Now that we got that out of the way lets talk about what makes these new pools work in the ground. First and foremost these pools are designed as in ground pools first. They are heavy duty individual steel panels that bolt together in the same fashion that any vinyl in ground pool would be.
Pool manufacturers and builders have known for quite some time that there was a huge gap in options from above ground pools to in ground pools. Not only in cost, but size options. In the above ground pool market, traditionally you have the round and oval pools that need to be installed on a level surface. There are a lot of home owners who have yards with pretty aggressive slopes that would require quite a bit of excavation and retaining walls to protect an above ground pool. This drove prices for completed projects through the roof.
The Fox Ultimate Pool took care of that problem. The Ultimate Pool is a galvanized steel panel pool that is then powder coated to aid in weatehr resistance. This pool is the heaviest duty steel panelled pool on the market. Once the individual panels are bolted together this thing is a tank. The strength of this pool is what makes it so successful for installing in hills with no retaining walls, or completely in the ground. By the time you factor in the cost of a retaining wall which is typically over $3,000.00 the cost difference between a trditional above ground pool and a Fox Ultimate Pool is a wash. The plus side is that you are getting a pool that will last you twice what your traditional above ground pool will and no worries about a a retaining wall failing.
While the Fox Ultimate Pool is the most expensive of this type of pool it has the best quality panels, best warranty and longest life span.
ADVANTAGES:
1: Most versatile pool on the market. Above Ground, Semi In Ground, Completely In Ground
2:Best Warranty = Lifetime. The pool does not need to be completely full at all time to maintain the warranty like other nrands of pools in this style. The Radiant Pool's warranty cleaerly states that the pool must be kept full at all times to retain original warranty. This is not possible here in the midwest. We need to lower the water level below the skimmer to thoroughly winterize the pool and all of its equipment to protect from freeze damage. Do winterize a pool properly with a Radiant Pool, the warranty will be void in the first year.
3: Corrosion Resistant Powder Coated Panel: The Ultimate Pools panels are powder coated to protect against elements. This wont be found on any other manufacturers pools.
4: Coping Options: The Ultimate Pool has 3 different coping options. One is a composite lumber coping to match with a wood or composite deck. The other is a concrete recpetor coping or CP2 coping for pouring concrete right over the top of the pool. The last is a bead reciever only for use if your are pouring a cantilvered concrete pool deck.
5: Shapes: Oval, Round and Grecian
DISADVANTAGES
1: Cost: The Fox Ultimate Pool is the most expensive pool in its class. It is not short on value but the cost may be an issue for some pool owners
2: Sizes: The ultimate Pool is available in several sizes but only 3 shapes. The Oval, round and grecian pool.
For pricing options take a look at our Above Ground Pool Page or schedule a free in home consultation to go over your potential project.
