Buyer's Guide

Know Where Your Kids Are

Did you know that the average American family spends close to $100 a week on each child to entertain them while home from school during the summer? The cost of sports and activity camps add up quickly, and so can memberships at town recreation facilities, trips to water parks, or expensive vacations to the beach. With a swimming pool in your backyard, however, your kids have endless entertainment right at home—and you don’t even have to drive them to it!

Work Out, Calm Down, Make Peace

In addition to serving as a summer haven for your kids, owning a swimming pool can benefit your health—swimming can burn more than 400 calories per hour! A quick dip after work can help you de-stress and relax. Even just sitting out by the pool on a quiet summer evening with a glass of iced tea and a good book can be a source of immense calm.

Entertain With Style

You’ll become the envy of the neighborhood when you entertain in your new backyard. Whether it’s a family-friendly pool party with Marco Polo and pool volleyball or an adult-only gathering with wine, grilling, and good conversation, a swimming pool provides the perfect atmosphere to enjoy the summer sunshine and good company. Close a business deal after entertaining customers in your backyard. Host a bridal shower for your niece. Throw a birthday party for your daughter. Invite the neighborhood over for a fundraiser. Your pool becomes the go-to venue for all of your entertaining needs.

Timing

It’s never too early to start planning… We promise; there is never a bad time to plan for your new in-ground pool. If you’re building a new house, we can use your plot plan/site survey to help design your pool area. The same is true if you’re in the process of buying an existing home. If you’re planning for a new pool for a few years down the line, getting an estimate will clarify the expectations and expenses that you’ll eventually incur, allowing you to further plan for your backyard dream.

In fact, many people start too late when looking into having a pool installed. Parnell Pool & Spa is fortunate to always have a continuous flow of new clients awaiting new in-ground pool construction. So give yourself a realistic time-frame. If you’re calling us around Memorial Day looking to have your pool built by Independence Day, you’re going to be disappointed. Start as early in the season as possible, and possibly a year ahead.

Having A Plot Plan/Site Survey

Everything begins and ends with this. Without knowing where easements/setbacks, sewer lines, septic tank and lines, power lines, etc. are, we can only guess as to where we can build your pool and how much space you have to build on. Plot plans/site surveys can usually be found with your financing papers from the title company when you purchase(d) the house.

If you do not have these things, you can check with the city, township, or county where you reside or a survey company can be hired to conduct one. In addition, it is recommended that you have any underground utility lines marked by calling NC811. Parnell Pool & Spa can help with the aforementioned items.

Above-ground Pools

Above-ground pools are typically the least expensive type of pool that you can purchase. They are the summer-fun answer for those who don’t want to make the larger commitment of an in-ground pool. If you’re ready for a ton of backyard fun but aren’t quite ready for a permanent structure in your yard, then an above-ground pool may be the way to go.

COST: $5,000 to $15,000 installed. Average: $7,000 to $11,000

In-ground Pools

In-ground pools are more expensive than above-ground, but they are also a permanent home improvement. They add aesthetic, as well as intrinsic, value to your home. And when it comes time to sell your house, an inground pool is generally more appealing to potential buyers.

Inground pools range from play pools with depths of 3-to-5 feet to diving pools with deeper depths appropriate for the divers in your family. Before you purchase an inground pool you need to think about how your family will use it. Do they like to play a lot of water sports? Then maybe a play pool with sports set-ups is the answer. Do they like to swim laps? Perhaps a rectangular design is best for you. Or do you have a combination of swimmers and splashers? How about an L-shaped pool so everyone is happy? Thinking about usage and then designing with those needs in mind is the key to building a pool that your entire family will be happy with for years to come.

Okay, let’s assume you’ve decided how your family will use the pool and what your approximate budget is. Now, let’s talk about your primary options in an inground pool.

Fiberglass Pools

A fiberglass pool is factory-manufactured and then installed in one piece in your backyard when your excavation is completed. Fiberglass pools are generally more expensive to purchase than vinyl inground pools but can save you money over the life of the pool. This is because they typically require fewer chemicals and also avoid future liner replacement costs.

Pros:

• A quicker installation time than Vinyl or Concrete Pools, typically 2 weeks
• Attractive shapes
• Easier and less expensive maintenance cost over the life of the pool

Cons:

• More expensive upfront compared to a vinyl-lined pool

Vinyl Lined Pools

A vinyl-lined pool, or package pool, is furnished to the installer in kit form. After excavation, the panel walls are bolted or fastened together and supported at the bottom by a concrete footing. The vinyl liner is spread over the interior of the pool and covers the excavated floor and paneled walls. It is connected to the top of the panel walls by a vinyl rib at the outside edge of the liner. VInyl liners, when chemically maintained correctly, can last approximately 8 to 12 years. Construction time for vinyl-lined pools is typically 3 to 4 weeks.

Pros:

• A quicker installation time than a concrete pool, typically 3 to 4 weeks
• Attractive shapes
• Shape, size, and depth are customizable

Cons:

• More expensive upfront compared to a vinyl-lined pool

Identify a Trustworthy Pool Company

Is it worth it to have an in-ground pool – something that will be a part of your home for decades – built swiftly, but at the expense of quality? Or would you prefer to wait just a little longer to have your pool built the right way, using the right equipment?

Established companies, like Parnell Pool & Spa who has been in business for over 60 years and under current ownership for over 35 years, will always be around to be held accountable. A reputable pool company will be a member of the Association of Pool and Spa Professionals (APSP). Belonging to this organization ensures that it is a business that adheres to local, state, and international building codes. Additionally, APSP members have a code of ethics that they must abide by, and are more open to the realistic time frame of the process and everything that is entailed with it.

Work With a Company Who is Licensed and Insured

In a nutshell, any company who undertakes to bid upon or construct a swimming pool $30,000 or more must be licensed by the North Carolina Licensing Board for General Contractors, evidenced by the issuance of a certificate of license. Every potential swimming pool customer should request a copy of the NC Contractors License from the contractor that you are considering.

Equally important is obtaining a copy of an up to date Workers Compensation and General Liability Insurance Certificate. If your potential contractor does not have Worker Compensation Insurance and any person gets injured on the job site, you, the customer, is responsible to pay for the injured person. The same applies if the contractor damages your property or home, even if it is accidental.

Most consumers today do their research and find brands that they come to know and trust. You may buy the same make of car, dishwasher or television time after time because you’ve come to expect quality and performance from that manufacturer, and you trust their products.

It’s no different with a swimming pool – and perhaps even more important, considering the investment you family is making. So choosing swimming pool components from a well-respected manufacturer with a great reputation for quality and an outstanding warranty program should be a no-brainer. Fort Wayne Pools is a manufacturer that thousands of families throughout America have come to trust for our superior products and knowledgeable builder network.

When you choose a Sterling or Elite pool system from Fort Wayne Pools, you’ll join these families in years of worry-free swimming pool enjoyment, knowing that it was constructed from the best materials and using the most advanced and stringent techniques available. Relax! You’ve got a Fort Wayne Pool.

Maintaining a swimming pool is one of those things that must be done when owning a pool… But it does not have to hard or time-consuming. If you can allow 30 minutes a week towards your pool you can have a clean, clear and healthy pool to swim in.

With all the advancements in technology today, there are all kinds of maintenance aides available. Choose from automatic pool water sanitizers, automatic pool cleaners and/or automated controls.

Chemically treating your swimming pool is the single most important thing you can do to protect your investment and provide a healthy, comfortable swimming environment for all. Parnell Pool & Spa has trained Water Care Experts and the most sophisticated water analysis software available to help each customer with a custom plan to maintain their pool or spa efficiently and economically.

Smart pool owners always think safety first. They take specific steps to ensure that their family, friends, and guests are knowledgeable about the safe and sensible use of their pool. They also always ensure that:

• their pool is never used unless there is adequate supervision
• their pool is kept in good repair and is not used when there is a missing or broken drain cover or other components
• ALL CHILDREN using their pool are supervised constantly
• anyone under the influence of alcohol, drugs or stimulants that impair their judgment abilities does not use the pool
• their pool is protected by appropriate barriers to unsupervised entry including fencing with self-latching gates, safety covers, alarms, etc.

At Parnell Pools & Spa, we encourage you to talk with all members of your family about pool safety and we promote a “feet first” approach to entering your pool—much safer than diving.

Parnell Pools & Spa supplies each new pool owner with a number of very important items of safety literature and we strongly encourage you to read each item carefully and follow its instructions:

• Pool Owner’s Safety Handbook
• Association of Pool and Spa Professionals (APSP) “Sensible Way” book
• Vinyl swimming pool liner warranty information
• “Children Aren’t Waterproof” book
• “No Diving” labels
• Safety plaque and “Notice” card