Concrete vs. Fibreglass Pools: What’s Right for You?

If you’re thinking about installing an in-ground pool in your backyard, at one point you’re going to have to ask yourself the age-old question – concrete or fibreglass? Both options remain enduringly popular, offering their own set of benefits and drawbacks and making the lives of people like yourself just that little bit more difficult.

Well, we’re here to help. Below, we’ll go over several determining factors in your final choice and how both concrete and fibreglass pools compare. Let’s begin.

Cost

For most of us, one of the most important aspects of choosing a new in-ground swimming pool is the price. While the initial cost of installation is important, don’t forget to also take into account the ongoing maintenance costs that will build up as the years go by.

When it comes to fibreglass pools, they tend to be the cheaper option. This is because they come pre-built, and simply have to be placed into a hole in your backyard. Concrete pools, on the other hand, are custom-built from scratch to your specifications, meaning a more complicated (and more expensive) construction process. Concrete pools can also be more prone to issues such as algae and wear and tear, so consider this as well.

Other elements such as your chosen filtration system, additional landscaping, decking and lighting will also add to the final cost, however, these are generally the same across both options so their presence won’t directly affect the price one way or another.

Installation

As we touched on above, concrete and fibreglass pools have vastly different installation processes. Fibreglass swimming pools are pre-made and delivered to your property straight from the factory, which means that the only on-site work done in your backyard is digging the hole, putting the pool in and connecting the various systems such as filtration, lighting and heating.

While this pool installation process will only take a couple of days, building a concrete pool will more than likely take months to complete. This is due to it being built from scratch on-site, with everything from the metal framework to the spraying of concrete being completed on your property. This, understandably, means that a concrete swimming pool will take considerably longer to be up and running than its fibreglass counterpart.

Design

One of the benefits of concrete pools being custom-made on-site is that they have a much broader scope of size, design and shape than fibreglass pools. Fibreglass pools, after all, need to fit on the truck to be delivered to your property, so they tend to be much smaller and you won’t have the option to customise their shape, colour and size beyond what’s already on offer by your chosen pool company.

Conversely, concrete pools generally can be made in any shape or size that you wish, as long as you’re willing to pay for them. This makes them a more popular option for those with plenty of room to spare in their backyards, and who want to make the most of the space at hand.

Durability

Both fibreglass and concrete pools are incredibly strong and resilient chemicals, which is why they’re both such popular options for in-ground pools around the world.

On one hand, fibreglass tends to hold up better against long-term everyday wear and tear than concrete does. However, fibreglass is also more susceptible to damage and cracking from ground and soil movement. Concrete pools can also require resurfacing at some point during their lifespan to help them continue to handle general wear and tear, however, something like this should only have to happen every 10 to 15 years.

Ultimately, the choice between installing a concrete pool or a fibreglass pool in your backyard comes down to what’s right for you and your family. Are you looking for a smaller-sized pool you can have within a matter of days, or a larger, custom-built pool that’ll have to be installed over a matter of months? Whatever decision you make, ensure that you ask your prospective pool company to view some of their past work and read over their contract carefully before making any decisions.