Swimming Pool Types and Which To Choose

The two main swimming pool types are a vinyl swimming pools and concrete swimming pools. Let’s see what the differences are.

Concrete Swimming Pools & Costs

Vinyl swimming pools are less expensive than concrete swimming pools. As the name indicates, they have a vinyl liner on the interior rather than concrete.

Years ago you could definitely tell the difference in swimming pool types since the liner pools had a plastic coping all along the edge. Things are very different today.

Generally speaking, you can plan on saving about $15,000 to $20,000 if you were to select a vinyl liner pool rather than a concrete swimming pool.

Swimming Pool Types & Shapes

While concrete pools do have some standard shapes, they can easily be customized. Vinyl liner pools come in certain standard shapes. It is not the norm to make modifications, but it can be done for an additional cost.

Pool Copings

Today, you can install beautiful copings with a liner pool. Actually, you can use the same copings that are often used in concrete pools. The coping is the material adjacent to the pool edge. It can be brick, natural stone such as bluestone, travertine pavers, concrete pavers, or concrete. The balance of the pool paving can be the same material or it can be different.

For example, you might use concrete for the pool decking but bluestone for the coping. If your pool paving is concrete, and you use the same concrete coping, there are two different ways that the coping can be designed.

It can be separate from the rest of the paving, where there is a joint that actually separates the two. Or, you can run the concrete in one piece right up to the water’s edge to create a cantilevered coping. I prefer this look, although some pool contractors feel more comfortable, construction-wise, with the separating joint.

Vinyl Swimming Pools & Liner Replacements

Pool liners in vinyl swimming pools of today normally come with a guarantee for many years. However, worst case scenario, is that over time it will have to be replaced. It is relatively easy to have done, but there is a cost involved. There is a very wide selection of liners, and some are quite nice.

Steps

Both swimming pool types can have interior steps.

• In concrete swimming pools, they are always on the inside, and therefore the shape of the pool is continuous and not broken up.
• The steps of a vinyl liner pool are usually on the outside of the pool, but you can request that the steps be built on the inside. This will add an additional cost onto the project.

Pool Waterfalls

If you would like a pool waterfall as part of your pool design, it can certainly be done with liner pools. It may be built a little differently, but nevertheless, you can still get a great looking water feature. So don't let this deter you when making your choice of swimming pool types.

Sometimes swimming pools can be built where a wall is built up higher so that it can double as a retaining wall. I sometimes design this way when there is a higher elevation behind the pool. By the way, a waterfall elevated above a raised wall becomes very dramatic! Instead of just building the pool, and then creating a retaining wall behind it, I create the retaining wall as part of the pool’s structure. This can’t be done with a vinyl liner pool. However, you can build this wall directly behind the pool edge…very close, so that you get a similar effect.

• Beautiful coping
• Steps on the inside of the pool
• Waterfalls
• Retaining walls as part of the pool

Features only available in concrete swimming pools:

• Tile along the inside walls
• Actual raised pool (bond beam) wall
• Very customized shapes
• Vanishing Edge

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