7 mistakes people make buying a fibreglass pool

Most of the expensive surprises in a pool project are decided before anyone pays a deposit. These are the seven we see most often, and how to avoid each one.

1. Comparing quotes that are not like for like

Two pool quotes can look thousands apart and turn out to be the same price, or the other way round. One might be the shell alone, picked up from a depot. Another is the shell, the equipment, the engineering and freight to your door. Before you compare, check each quote names:

• Freight. Is delivery to your address included, or extra?
• The equipment, by brand and model. A variable speed pump and a glass media filter cost more up front and less to run than a single speed pump and sand.
• The engineering pack. The shell drawing plus the compliance certificate your state needs. Your certifier will ask for it.
• The warranty. How many years on the shell, and does it hold if you or your own builder install it?

A quote that is one number with everything named is a quote you can actually compare. Our equipment page lists exactly what comes in each package.

2. Paying for a layer you do not need

A showroom adds its costs to the shell price: the display pools, the sales team, the install crew it keeps busy. That is fine if you want someone to take on the whole job. If you or your builder can manage the install, ask for the kit supply-only. It is the same shell from the same factory, delivered to your site.

Supply-only is not for everyone, and that is the point of asking: you get to choose. More on that in supply-only vs installed.

3. Choosing the pool before checking the block

The pool you fall for online has to fit your lot once the certifier has applied the setbacks. Easements, sewer and stormwater lines, the slope, and bushfire or flood overlays can all move it or shrink it. People find this out after they have committed to a size.

4. Finding out about access on delivery day

A fibreglass shell arrives in one piece. Whether it comes off the truck onto your driveway, gets lifted straight into the hole, or needs a separate crane over the house depends on your access, and that changes the cost. The basics to check now:

• A clear run for the truck, about 3 metres wide and 5 metres high.
• Side access for the excavator, ideally 2.5 metres, 900 millimetres at a pinch.
• Nothing overhead where the crane swings: powerlines, big branches.

The full picture is in our delivery and crane access guide.

5. Budgeting for the pool and nothing else

The pool kit is the biggest single item, not the whole project. Excavation, a crane if access needs one, plumbing, an electrician, fencing, paving and approval all sit on top. The surprises are usually in the ground:

• Rock in the dig can add $5,000 or more. A look at the site tells you early.
• Sewer or stormwater in the way: $500 and up to reroute.
• A crane allowance of $500 can become $2,000 when the truck cannot get close.

Keep 20 percent aside on top of your quotes and you will not be caught. Our pool cost guide breaks down the rest.

6. Heating the pool without covering it

Most of the heat a pool loses goes straight off the surface overnight. A heat pump without a blanket costs a good deal more to run for the same water temperature, and some buyers give up on heating altogether because of it. If you are heating, budget for a blanket and roller at the same time. A variable speed pump earns its keep the same way, on running costs rather than the price tag.

7. Leaving the order too late for summer

Everyone decides they want a pool in November. Work back from when you want to swim: approval usually takes two to six weeks, the factory needs about seven weeks from order to shell on site heading into summer, and the dig, plumbing, fencing and paving take one to three weeks once it arrives. To swim by Christmas, the order usually needs to be in by the end of October.

Common questions

What should a fibreglass pool quote include?

The shell in your size and colour, the equipment that runs it with brands and models named, the engineering drawing and your state’s compliance certificate, and freight to your address. If any of those are missing or vague, ask before you compare it with another quote.

Can I buy a fibreglass pool supply-only?

Yes. A supply-only kit is the shell, the equipment and the engineering pack delivered to your site, and you or your builder do the install. It suits owner builders and anyone who already has a builder or landscaper on the job.

How far ahead of summer should I order?

Work back from when you want to swim. Allow two to six weeks for approval, about seven weeks from order to shell on site heading into summer, and one to three weeks for the dig, plumbing, fencing and paving. To swim by Christmas, the order usually needs to be in by the end of October.