When building a backyard pool, you wonder about the financial consequences of construction or installation and maintenance. Is it more expensive to make an infinity pool than a regular one?
One or more walls stop at the water level and slope down in a vanishing deck pool. Water that flows over the edge goes into a catch basin below. This design gives the appearance of endlessness because water seems to blend with what lies beyond it; a beautiful view helps but is not mandatory.
Zero edge pool VS negative edge pool
Note: Do not mix up infinity pool and endless pool. The second one is smaller. It is a stationary pool, and a current allows you to swim without turning.
What is the price of an inground pool?
An in-ground pool is more durable than an above-ground pool but implies a larger budget. On the other hand, various studies show that homeowners sell their houses with an in-ground pool quickly and at a better price, so why not take the plunge.
Which model best fits your budget between the shell pool, the steel or composite kit, or the concrete swimming pool?
The kit pool
You can find PVC or metal panels that you will have to assemble on-site following an installation guide provided by the manufacturer. The inner coating must be a vinyl liner to ensure the pool is watertight.
The price range is $10,000 to $30,000. The installation can be done in a few days by yourself if you are a handyman with the help hand from friends.
Be careful. Hiring a professional to install the pool for you almost doubles the price.
The preformed shell fiberglass pool
It is made of polyester or acrylic. The price range is $10,000 and $20,000; the acrylic model is the most expensive, but it has a better resistance over time. A shell pool is usually made in one piece and delivered directly to your home. It also only takes a few hours to be installed.
The concrete inground pool
It is undoubtedly the most widely used material for constructing in-ground pools today; different concrete construction methods affect the pool building cost.
The national average price of installing a vanishing edge pool is $80,000, with a typical range of $55,000 to $150,000.
Shotcrete or guniting is a well-known method but requires specific equipment. The concrete is sprayed onto a vertical steel reinforcement that takes precisely the future pool’s shape.
By using hollow concrete blocks, you can build any pool size. You are free to choose the shape and the coating. Concrete is poured in hollow blocks that have been previously steel reinforced to form the pool’s walls. This building method does not require special equipment.
Regular pool or infinity pool: what is the price difference?
Even though we have communicated above the average prices of infinity pools, the price can range dramatically depending on the country of construction. Therefore, when talking about the additional cost, we prefer to mention a percentage compared to the price of a regular pool.
With the same building system, the extra cost of an overflow pool is about 20%. This difference corresponds roughly to the additional cost of the overflow channel and balancing tank.
As far as the filtration system is concerned, it is almost identical. It is sometimes necessary to slightly oversize the filtration, especially in the case of peripheral overflow. But let’s be clear, there is no question at all of the doubling the pump’s power, as we have sometimes heard.
We want to add that the probes control systems are efficient but expensive. Fortunately, there are various cheaper and just as effective options.
The pool’s interior coating price will also be subject to an additional cost, mainly due to the increase in surface area due to the overflow channel. The inside surface of the balancing tank, which is generally not visible, can receive only a waterproofing treatment.
Tangibly, to swim in a negative edge pool, you will have to add an average of 20% to the work costs.
Why is an infinity pool so expensive?
The first explanation found on the Internet is that you have to build two pools instead of one for a regular pool. It is not valid. The catch basin volume is approximately 5% of the pool volume.
Another explanation provided by the pool builders is that a second and occasionally a third pump are necessary. Again, it is not valid, as we explained above. Most residential vanishing edge pools or zero-edge pools work with only one pump.
Furthermore, the lack of experience of the companies consulted mostly explains these extra costs. When you don’t know your subject well, you take precautions and overestimate the work cost.
What does affect the cost of building an infinity swimming pool?
Before choosing the design of your pool, take 5 minutes to read this :
- The size and depth: The excavation is more extensive and expensive to build a deep pool.
- The shape: it is cheaper to build a square pool than a free-form one.
- The choice of coating materials: people can choose from the more affordable vinyl to the most expensive, like fiberglass coating or luxurious glass mosaic.
- The material installed in the pump room: don’t go to the new model very sophisticated.
- Pool heating. If you decide to heat the pool, consider covering it.
- Adding a glass wall is a brilliant option, but out of price. The cost is from $1,000 by the square foot. More the surface of the glass is extensive, and more the price in the square foot is high.
How to save money building an infinity pool?
You can save some money by buying a kit or a shell, but they aren’t easily customizable. You will be limited in the choice of sizes and shapes.
Another option is to build your own overflow pool. We don’t speak about installing a kit or buying a shell. By making your own pool, you will have, of course, the choice of design, size, and features.
If you already have a regular pool, you can modify it by adding an overflow. You will have the pleasure of swimming in an infinity or zero deck pool without breaking your piggy bank. You can read this post to know more about this option.
How can you build your infinity pool?
Even if you have already built a regular pool, you should know that constructing an infinity pool requires specific knowledge. You can ask professionals to assist you in landscaping your backyard, designing the pool, and providing all the drawings. You can then call on masons and plumbers who are not pool experts instead of asking a pool builder. If you have time and good experience in construction, you can even build your own pool.
Although an infinity pool is technical, companies that do not specialize in swimming pools can build it. You will have the project you like at the cost of about 30% less.
How long does it take to build an infinity pool?
Typically, it takes 12 to 20 weeks to install and complete an infinity pool, depending on its size, design complexity, materials used, and other features.
Is that more expensive to maintain overflow pool water quality?
Whatever the pool type, the water maintenance is nearly the same. People have to disinfect the water manually or with automatic equipment. To swim in good quality water, it is also essential to regularly check the pH level.
The vanishing swimming pools work according to the principle of reverse hydraulicity. It allows a more significant chemical mixing; moreover, the continuous skimming of the water surface prevents the dirt from falling on the pool floor. In this sense, we can say that the overflow pool saves on chemical products and reduces the need for sweeping.
A system of probes or floats controls the water level; you choose the type of material depending on your budget. However, this equipment doesn’t need any special maintenance but avoids losing water.
Our objective is to reduce the cost of the zero or negative edge pool to make it accessible to the most significant number of people worldwide.
We aim to provide you with a personalized design of your project, complete plans for the construction and the hydraulic circuits, and advice on the implementation and the best materials to use.
