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Putting a pool in your backyard can be exhausting before the building crew even arrives. First, you have to decide what kind of pool you want, and there are a lot of options out there: cement pools, fiberglass pools, vinyl pools, above ground pools etc. All have their pluses and minuses. Currently gunite pools are the most popular. They are durable and extremely flexible as far as design goes (meaning they can be built in almost any shape). Here we will go over what a gunite pool is, the standard maintenance required for gunite pools, any common repair problems, and approximate cost. The hope is that this information will help you in deciding whether a gunite pool is right for your needs.

Building a pool is an exact process and each type of pool has a specific set of steps that must be followed in order to get the desired outcome. A gunite pool is built by first digging a hole of the desired size and then installing the plumbing. After the plumbing is installed a framework is inserted made up of steel and reinforced with wire. The gunite mixture (cement, sand and water) is then sprayed on top. The crew then smoothes the mixture out and allows it to set for about a week before applying the finishing layer. The top layer can be made of a variety of substances, including but not limited to plaster, concrete paint, fiberglass, or exposed aggregate. Plaster is currently the most popular finish. Cement pools are made in a similar manner with wooden molds rather than the steel framework.

Nobody likes the word maintenance. However, gunite pool maintenance is fairly low-maintenance. The chemical levels should be checked daily, however you could probably check them every other day without too many problems. After checking the chemical levels they should be balanced (add more acid etc). The pool will also need to be cleaned on a regular basis either with an automatic cleaner or by you. Chemical balancing shouldn’t take more than a couple of minutes. Cleaning will take on average 30-45 minutes a week depending on the size of your pool (that is if you opt not to get an automatic cleaning machine).

As far as I could tell there were no major repairs reserved exclusively or more common to gunite pools. The most common minor repairs that were needed were to the finishing layer. As the pool ages the plaster (or other material) will chip and/or bubble, exposing the gunite underneath. These minor repairs can be done fairly easily as a do it yourself project. However, if they are not taken care of promptly they could expand into larger fissures that could leak into and/or affect the foundation, which would obviously require the help of a professional. Obviously, other repairs are sometimes necessary, to plumbing etc, but there don’t seem to be any that are universal to gunite pools.

It is very difficult to pin point a good price for a gunite pool. The cost is obviously affected by the very flexibility that makes these pools so attractive. The final number will be affected by the square footage of the pool (both size and depth), the location, any special features etc etc. However, a good ball park number to have in your head as you begin the process is $30,000. That is about what the average home owner spends on installing a gunite pool. Now are you average? Only you know.

To recap; gunite pools are very durable. The special features that can be added in addition to the flexibility concerning shape and size make them a very popular choice for families of all ages.

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