WHAT THE HECK IS LIFE CYCLE COST & WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?
Life cycle cost is the complete cost you can anticipate on spending for the lifetime of ownership of a specific product. In this case we are talking swimming pools. At Pool Pros we believe in giving our clients all the information good or bad, to make a completely informed decision on if pool ownership is the right choice for them and their family and then what type of swimming pool may be best for them as well. There is alot that goes into calculating the life cycle cost of any swimming pool and alot of this typically wont be covered by the pool company you buy the pool from or is glossed over quickly without a true in depth break down. To help clear the air on what swimming pools truly cost to own Pool Pros has put together a quick article covering every single aspect that affects the life cycle cost of each type of swimming pool, so at the end of the day you will know exactly what to expect.
ABOVE GROUND POOLS
Before we can break down the life cycel costs of an above ground swimming pool, we first need to define the average lifespan of a fiberglass pool. The average lifespan of an above ground pool is 15 years. Now to break down the life cycel cost we need to add up the following costs. The purchase price of your above ground pool, the installation cost of your above ground pool, the cost of replacing your pool liner at least 2 times during that 15 year period. The cost to have your pool filled up when installed, the cost to have your above ground pool filled with each liner replacement, the average cost of pool chemicals per season for 15 years, the cost to open and close your above ground pool for 15 years, the replacment of filter cartridges at least 4 times over 15 years and replacing your pool pump at least 1 time over 15 years. We also need to calculate the average cost of a pool deck. Lastly we need to factor in the cost to remove the pool, the deck and fill the hole in and seed it over with grass after 15 years.
ABOVE GROUND POOL KIT COST $12,000.00
ABOVE GROUND POOL INSTALLATION $3,500.00
WATER TO FILL ABOVE GROUND POOL 3 TIMES $3,600.00
2 LINER REPLACEMENTS FOR ABOVE GROUND POOL $6,000.00
AVERAGE POOL DECK COST $20,000.00
REPLACEMENT OF FILTER CARETRIDGES 4 TIMES $600.00
AVERAGE ELECTRICAL COST $2,625.00
REPLACMENT OF POOL PUMP 1 TIME $1,200.00
AVERAGE COST OF POOL CHEMICALS PER SEASON x 15 YEARS $4,500.00
COST TO OPEN POOL FOR 15 YEARS $3,000.00
COST TO CLOSE POOL FOR 15 YEARS $3,000.00
COST TO REMOVE ABOVE GROUND POOL $700.00
COST TO REMOVE POOL DECK $5,000.00
COST TO FILL IN HOLE & SEED THE LAWN $5,000.00
TOTAL $70,725.00
VINYL LINED INGROUND POOLS
Vinyl Lined Pools last quite a bit longer than above ground pools and if properly cared for can last about 25 years. There are alot of commonalities between an above ground pool and a vinyl lined pool so we will break them down for you here.
VINYL INGROUND POOL PURCHASE PRICE (with installation and water fill) $65,000.00
LINER REPLACEMENT 2 TIMES $14,000.00
COST TO FILL POOL 2 TIMES $2,400.00
REPLACEMENT OF FILTER CARETRIDGES 5 TIMES $2,000.00
REPLACMENT OF POOL PUMP 2 TIMES $3,000.00
REPLACEMENT OF POOL HEATER 1 TIME $5,000.00
AVERAGE COST OF POOL CHEMICALS PER SEASON x 25YEARS $7,500.00
COST TO OPEN POOL FOR 25 YEARS $7,500.00
COST TO CLOSE POOL FOR 25 YEARS $7,500.00
COST TO REMOVE VINYL LINED POOL $15,000.00
COST TO FILL IN HOLE & SEED THE LAWN $6,000.00
AVERAGE ELECTRICAL COST $4,375.00
AVERAGE HEATING COST $7,500.00
TOTAL $146,775.00
CONCRETE IN GROUND POOLS
Concrete In Ground Pools last 40 years on average and have similar life cycle costs to the Vinyl In ground Pools only the needed maintenance is more labor intensive. Take a look.
CONCRETE POOL PURCHASE PRICE (with installation and water fill) $85,000.00
PLASTER REFINISHING 2 TIMES $50,000.00
COST TO FILL POOL 2 TIMES $2,400.00
REPLACEMENT OF FILTER CARETRIDGES 10 TIMES $4,000.00
REPLACMENT OF POOL PUMP 5 TIMES $7,500.00
REPLACEMENT OF POOL HEATER 2 TIMES $10,000.00
AVERAGE ELECTRICAL COST $7,000.00 AVERAGE HEATING COST $13,000.00
AVERAGE COST OF POOL CHEMICALS PER SEASON x 40 YEARS $12,000.00
COST TO OPEN POOL FOR 40 YEARS $12,000.00
COST TO CLOSE POOL FOR 40 YEARS $12,000.00
COST TO REMOVE CONCRETE IN GROUND POOL $24,000.00
COST TO FILL IN HOLE & SEED THE LAWN $6,000.00
TOTAL $244,900.00
FIBERGLASS IN GROUND POOLS
Fiberglass Pools have an indefinite life span when care for properly. That beingsaid we need a quantifiable number for this excercise so fiberglass pools average lifespan is 60 years.
FIBERGLASS POOL PURCHASE PRICE (with installation and water fill) $85,000.00
COST TO FILL POOL 2 TIMES $2,400.00
COST TO REFINISH A FIBERGLASS POOL 1 TIME $18,000.00
REPLACEMENT OF FILTER CARETRIDGES 12 TIMES $4,800.00
REPLACMENT OF POOL PUMP 6 TIMES $9,000.00
REPLACEMENT OF POOL HEATER 3 TIMES $15,000.00
AVERAGE ELECTRICAL COST $10,500.00
AVERAGE HEATING COST $18,000.00
AVERAGE COST OF POOL CHEMICALS PER SEASON x 60 YEARS $18,000.00
COST TO OPEN POOL FOR 60 YEARS $18,000.00
COST TO CLOSE POOL FOR 60 YEARS $18,000.00
COST TO REMOVE FIBERGLASS IN GROUND POOL $5,000.00
COST TO FILL IN HOLE & SEED THE LAWN $6,000.00
TOTAL $227,700.00
AVERAGE COST
Now that we have the life cycle costs for each type of pool, we will average that out over the lifespan of the pool to give you an annual average cost of owning each pool type.
AVERAGE ANNUAL LIFE CYCLE COST OF AN ABOVE GROUND POOL $4,725.00
AVERAGE ANNUAL LIFE CYCLE COST OF A VINYL LINER IN GROUND POOL $5,871.00
AVERAGE ANNUAL LIFE CYCLE COST OF AN CONCRETE IN GROUND POOL $6,122.50
AVERAGE ANNUAL LIFE CYCLE COST OF A FIBERGLASS IN GROUND POOL $3,795.00
MORAL OF THE STORY
As you can see there is alot more cost involved in owning a swimming pool than what most people would have at first expected. The life cycle costs vary based on average lifespan but the pool with the lowest life cycle cost is the Fiberglass Pool. However now that you have a realistic cost of ownership of each type of pool you can make an informed decision on if a pool is right for you and if so what type of pool best suits your needs.
SHAMELESS CALL TO ACTION
If you still have questions about life cycle costs of swimming pools or are ready to take the next step into pool ownership give our in house pool designers a call today @ 920-771-0117. We are ready and waiting to help you get started with your pool project. When Quality Counts, Count on Pool Pros.
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