The Approximate Cost of Building Your Own Pool

In-ground Pool Kits

• A common way to reduce the cost of having an in-ground swimming pool built is to purchase a complete pool kit from a builder. Prices of DIY in-ground pool kits vary by the type of material used to build them. At the time of publication, for example, one online pool builder retailer offers a 12 foot by 25 foot, 5.5-foot deep fiberglass shell DIY pool kit for $8,599. Pool hole excavation costs, however, aren't included in any DIY in-ground pool kit.

Block Pool Building

• Another way to build a relatively large and very complete in-ground swimming pool is to build a cinder block pool piecemeal after purchasing all the pool's components. Using piecemeal pool building, an 18-foot by 40-foot in-ground cinder block vinyl liner swimming pool at the time of publication costs about $11,000, excluding excavation. Cinder block pool costs include concrete for footings, a vinyl liner, a plumbing system, an electrical system and all the pool equipment, plus concrete decking. DIY in-ground pool project costs rise, though, the more you contract out portions of the work.

Pool Excavation

• One area of DIY in-ground swimming pool building that most DIYers don't touch is excavation of a swimming pool's hole. Swimming pool hole excavation requires the use of heavy equipment to dig the hole and truck the dirt away. Excavation costs at the time of publication from one pool building company run from $900 to $2,000. Pool excavation costs increase, however, if any special soil engineering is needed or in-ground rock deposits are found.

Considerations

• A basic 16-foot by 32-foot professionally installed vinyl liner in-ground swimming pool costs about $17,000 at the time of publication. Also, states and municipalities often have permitting requirements for building any type of swimming pool. In addition, you may have to build a barrier fence around your newly built in-ground pool, depending on your state or municipality. It costs about $1,120 at the time of publication to have a pool barrier fence professionally installed, or about $8 per liner foot to install your fence as a DIY project.