INGROUND POOL BUYER’S STARTER GUIDE

Start with how you want to use the space rather than with a model. Everyday family swimming, entertaining, exercise, and a small plunge for relaxing each point toward different shapes and depths. From there, three things narrow the field quickly:

1. Your yard since size, slope, and equipment access rule some options out
2. Your budget including the deck, fencing, and features you want, not just the pool
3. Your timeline.

Thursday Pools manufactures the shell, and an independent local dealer handles the sale, installation, and service. That dealer walks your property, confirms what the site allows, and prices the actual project.

Once the site is ready, a fiberglass pool installs faster than any other inground pool type because the shell arrives finished. There is nothing to build in your yard. A dealer can typically set the shell, complete plumbing and backfill, fill the pool, and start the equipment in about three days. The full project timeline runs longer, since permitting, scheduling, excavation, decking, and any fencing or landscaping all take time and vary by location. Concrete pools, by comparison, are built on site and commonly take several months.

They are different, and the right answer depends on what matters most to you. Fiberglass pools install in a fraction of the time, have a smooth, non-porous gel coat surface that resists algae and typically requires fewer chemicals, and need no liner replacement or scheduled resurfacing. Concrete pools can be built in any shape and size, which is the trade-off, since fiberglass comes in manufactured designs. If long-term maintenance and installation speed rank high for you, fiberglass usually wins. If a fully custom shape is non-negotiable, concrete is the path.