Browse Forums Pools & Spas 1 Apr 06, 2012 4:29 pm We are currently deciding between two builders to install an 8 x 4 m fibreglass pool in our backyard. We live in the Hills District (Sydney). The choice is between Narellan & Compass pools. We've trawled a lot of websites and government sites and these two companies seem pretty good. Their quotes are both around the $39K area which inlcudes most of the important stuff needed to install the pool but not fencing, landscaping, heating & other options. Is this price reasonable? We have a really strict budget and we do not want to go over it. Has anyone out there had a fibreglass pool installed recently? Any tips or suggestion would be greatly appreciated. After reading through a lot of complaints (not with these two builders though)...we want to make sure that we are making the right choice. Thanks heaps. Re: Building a New Pool 2Apr 07, 2012 6:24 am Having a strict budget have you factored the other costs already? Depending on site and final result required you could double that figure easily. Get estimates of the plan for everything before you start. Landscape Design & Construction http://cherub.squarespace.com/ Re: Building a New Pool 3Apr 07, 2012 3:07 pm hi cherub! thanks for your reply. what do you mean by estimates of the plan? isn't that the same as the quote? or is it a more detailed quote? we have an amount set aside for this project which we were hoping would include installation of the pool, fencing & landscaping but we were really surprised at the quotes that we were getting. we have researched and enquired around to make sure we have covered every possible costs that could occur so i am really worried about it now . our site is on level ground with mainly clay soil and when our house was built, we especially requested our builder to set the sewer lines, etc. to be installed/set in such a way that it will not be affected if we decide to put down a pool in the future. we showed our plans & sewer diagram to the pool builders and there seem to be no problem. one thing that we are unsure of though is what they call water board "peg out". what is this and is this a standard charge? we are leaning towards compass pools only because of the self cleaning system but if the cost will leave us over our budget, we are happy to go with the other pool builder. thanks again for your comment. we really appreciate it . Re: Building a New Pool 4Apr 07, 2012 4:06 pm Hey PB, We had a pool put in by Narellan around 9 months ago. We are in SE Qld so arranged it through their Yatala branch. There were no hidden "additional" costs - the amount they quoted us was the amount we paid ($25,800 for a Madeira 6, saltwater chlorinator, pump, pool cover, coping etc. They had to crane the pool in which was at no exta cost). We found their staff, particularly their sales rep & branch manager, extremely helpful when working out the pool & equipment best suited to our needs (they actually suggested a smaller pool than what we had originally planned, which we decided to go with as their reasons for doing so made sense). We rang them up with all sorts of silly & not-so-silly questions before, during & after the installation, which they were only too happy to discuss. Only a couple of days ago, one of their senior staff gave us a courtesy call to find out how we were enjoying the pool & if we had any questions they could help us with. We had a very positive experience with Narellan, although we did only deal with the Yatala branch. Having said that, Narellan does seem to contribute much of their success to customer service, so I would hope the other branches would give a similar quality of customer care. "Whoever says sunshine brings happiness has never danced in the rain!" Re: Building a New Pool 5Apr 08, 2012 6:09 am prettyboyinc, I was referring more to the other items, such as fencing, landscaping, lighting, plumbing etc. Extras from the pool builder would include rock excavation, (if found), If you wanted to move the filter or backwash line. The other thing to take in consideration with fibreglass pools is the coping, if you pave over the edge extra costs will be incurred as its not just bedded with cement but glued. Peg out for sewer would be someone marking where the sewer line is before excavation Landscape Design & Construction http://cherub.squarespace.com/ Re: Building a New Pool 6Apr 08, 2012 6:48 am cherub prettyboyinc, The other thing to take in consideration with fibreglass pools is the coping, if you pave over the edge extra costs will be incurred as its not just bedded with cement but glued. Our coping hangs over (see photo) & was both bedded with cement & glued. This was all part of the original quote - not extra, as this is how they generally do the coping for the more contemporary designs. You can choose any of their pavers or source your own & they will deduct it from the quote. We chose one of theirs - Vitripave - as it is a vitrified paver (as the name suggests) & never needs sealing. The sunpod was a promotional addition they had going at the time (1/3 normal cost, plus we got a further discount as we sourced our own feature mosaic tiles & put them on ourselves - still not quite finished). "Whoever says sunshine brings happiness has never danced in the rain!" Re: Building a New Pool 8Apr 08, 2012 8:43 am KTKTKT Wow Keza that is a beautiful pool. They did a lovely job. Location looks fab too. Just one question. What's a sunpod? Hi KT. Its the horizontal mosaic tiled area on the left. There will be 4 water bubblers coming from the plumbing which you can just make out in the photo. D/H still has to fabricate some s/s nozzles & connect it to the pool pump. If you google "pool sunpod" in images you'll bring up some that are actually working (unlike ours). "Whoever says sunshine brings happiness has never danced in the rain!" Re: Building a New Pool 10Apr 08, 2012 2:49 pm Hi, Just a few tips from a previous pool owner, if you aren't getting heating now, I'd suggest at least getting plumbing for it installed now while you can. To be efficient heating uses a 2nd outlet/inlet & pump - the alternative if you have an existing pool is to put the heating though the filter plumbing so means running filter more than required. Another thing I'd wished I had done was have a small pipe installed running in pool, as we had a raintap fitted to one of our gutter downpipes & ran a hose from it into the pool which kept pool topped up. We did have a fair bit of evaporation. Was a nuisance having hose running across pathway. Got a life, just can't find it! Re: Building a New Pool 11Apr 08, 2012 3:30 pm Ours is a compass pool and the cost two years ago was about $60 000. This included everything, solar heating, extra lights, sunpod, fencing, paving, infloor cleaning (highly recommend this), a rendered brick wall and all electrical and plumbing. http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff245/rebel_radar/DSCN1181.jpg http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff245/rebel_radar/DSCN1180.jpg http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff245/rebel_radar/DSCN1187.jpg http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff245/rebel_radar/DSCN1213.jpg http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff245/rebel_radar/DSCN1182.jpg Re: Building a New Pool 12Apr 09, 2012 1:11 am thanks a lot everyone!!! getting feedback from you all with regards to your 'pool bulding' experience really helps a lot esp with being aware of possible 'hidden costs.' both pools on your photos look amazing!!! we are now really excited to have our one installed. the choice between the two builders really would depend on their final price and the inclusions that go with it. we favoured narellan pools right from the beginning until we discovered compass & their self cleaning pool. i'd say it is their biggest attraction for us. but as i said previously...it will all come down to the total cost & our budget. hopefully we would make the right decision in the end. just looking at the finished product & reading about the positive experience gives us some kind of assurance that we'd never go wrong with either pool builder. keeping our fingers crossed... Re: Building a New Pool 13Apr 10, 2012 6:07 pm If you wanted too get another quote with in floor cleaning 8 can help you . Cheers Andrew www.australiankitpoolsales.com.au Re: Building a New Pool 14Apr 21, 2012 10:37 pm wheeliworks If you wanted too get another quote with in floor cleaning 8 can help you . Cheers Andrew http://www.australiankitpoolsales.com.au oh thanks wheeliworks...sorry i didn't get to visit this site again after my last post but thanks for the offer anyways. we've finally decided on our builder about a week after my last post & chose compass pools over narellan. it was the self cleaning system that added to the attraction and a few more added features which we thought were good value for the amount of money that will be paid. it was a really tough decision to make and we (me especially ) were stressed to the limit from fear & anxiety. but straight after we signed our contract...everything just went like clockwork which eased our worries a little bit. we've received & approved our landscape concept plan which will be sent to the certifier and our dig date is around the 7th of may (weather permitting). our fingers & toes are all crossed that everything will go according to plan. it is really very exciting and nerve-wracking at the same time ( i was never this worried when we had our house built)....and when i get a chance i'll upload progress photos of the project. thanks all for your assistance btw Re: Building a New Pool 15Apr 22, 2012 11:26 am You won't regret getting the in floor cleaning. There is virtually no need to vacuum your pool. Saves a heap of maintenace time. Well saves my DH a heap of maintenance time. Good luck with your project. Re: Building a New Pool 16Oct 29, 2012 3:30 pm kezacheekychicken cherub prettyboyinc, The other thing to take in consideration with fibreglass pools is the coping, if you pave over the edge extra costs will be incurred as its not just bedded with cement but glued. Our coping hangs over (see photo) & was both bedded with cement & glued. This was all part of the original quote - not extra, as this is how they generally do the coping for the more contemporary designs. You can choose any of their pavers or source your own & they will deduct it from the quote. We chose one of theirs - Vitripave - as it is a vitrified paver (as the name suggests) & never needs sealing. The sunpod was a promotional addition they had going at the time (1/3 normal cost, plus we got a further discount as we sourced our own feature mosaic tiles & put them on ourselves - still not quite finished). Wow, that is an amazing pool (and property by the looks of things!) We just signed a contract on a Madiera 8 with Narellan and can't wait. Our building thread: viewtopic.php?f=31&t=53911 Re: Building a New Pool 17Oct 29, 2012 3:31 pm Prettyboy - is your pool finished? How did it turn out? Our building thread: viewtopic.php?f=31&t=53911 The last home I lived in didn't have a pool and when i went to sell it the agents were not happy, even telling me to put one in to sell the place. The agents weren't happy… 2 4239 Hi everyone, Looking for some advise. We are about to build an above ground pool in our backyard. There is a private sewer line running under the pool at 1.6m… 0 11757 Hi, I'm new to this forum so I hope I'm doing this post correctly. Please advise if it's not. 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