Will you use it primarily for relaxing, exercising or entertaining guests? If you know how you’re going to be spending most of your time around the pool, it makes it easier to hash out the details on location, style and features later.

That pools are expensive should come as no surprise. The installation is one thing, but the upkeep and regular maintenance are not easy on the wallet either. Maintenance entails keeping the water clean and the pH-balanced, servicing support equipment like pumps and heaters, and cleaning the surfaces in and around the pool.

You’ll also want to make sure you have proper insurance coverage on your home before you begin the pool installation. Your installer should have their own liability and property damage protection, but you’ll definitely want to make sure all your insurance bases are covered before breaking ground.

How big is your yard, and how much of it will you sacrifice for your beautiful new pool? Aside from figuring out where the pool would look best, you’ll also need to determine the slope of the yard and the soil composition as well. If your yard is too sloped, it will need leveling off, and if the soil is less than ideal, it will take extra steps and precautions to do the installation property, all of which costs more money.

Now that we’ve got everything assessed, you can start thinking about how you want everything to look. What kind of pool shape works best for you? What kind of features and landscaping might you want to include? How should the patio look? There’s a lot to consider, but it’s all very exciting! Have fun drawing up some sketches and ideas of your ideal pool scenario.

If you’re having trouble figuring any of the above out on your own, have no fear! You have pool professionals (like us!) who’ve been doing this for years and years, and we live for this kind of thing. A good pool professional can help you make decisions on placement and design and advise of any extra work that might be needed. They’ll also have a better idea of what sort of building codes and regulations regarding pools apply to your area.

It is absolutely essential that you do your research on any and all contractors that you’re considering to do your installation. We recommend getting estimates from at least three different contractors and interviewing each of them. Ask how long they’ve been in business, how many installations they’ve done vs how many references they have, if they’re properly bonded and insured, and if they subcontract any of their work out. If they have subcontractors, make sure you get information on them as well.