Originally posted by AGLA
If you had to do it all over again, would you not go with the fiberglass pool? (probably homeowner's choice).
The reason that I ask is that I dealt with one that someone else installed. It just plain did not come out level because it had a slight buckle. The installer felt that he had done everything he could, but it just could not be filled and backfilled that precisely.
It appears to me that it may have happened to you as well if the waterline is not giving me an optical illussion.
How did you make out for level on the pool edge? Do you think that it is managable to get a good level final pool edge? If so, it seems like a very cost effective way to do a pool.
The homeowner was my father who is a "DIY" kind of person. We took offers from people with concrete and lined pools and we just stumbled upon the fiberglass pool one day when my uncle saw one go down the road.
Like you mentioned, there is no optical illusion. I don't believe there was a problem with the install it self since we filled and backfilled similtaniously for over a week cause of the weather. We do have low and high spots in the fiberglass which i believe is more of a factory defect. We tried correcting it but there isn't much you can do.
the edge is OK so far, there will be high spots where it might be 1 - 2" higher than the other. this is spread out over 40' so it does blend a little. but you can still see it.
For the money i don't believe there is a better way to do a kidney shaped pool. we really like the shape. everyone's pools around here are rectangles and are lined or concrete. The pool itself is about 60% the cost of an installed lined square pool. (which we would have not been able to install this spring due to all the rain we had).
Would i do it again? absolutely. People absolutely love the shape and size of the pool and no one believes that its a pre-formed, one piece tub that came down the highway. The only thing i would change is i would talk one on one with the factory to really tell them i want a extremely level sided pool, or they're not getting paid.