Steamboat

I installed a 12 x 24 FG pool above ground with a 24 x 36 wood deck around the pool and then covered the wood deck with a prefab 24 x 36 metal carport then screened in the whole enclosure. For heat, I installed a solar collector system sized 12 x 40. This was the least expensive method I could manage to get an enclosed pool. Total cost was about $30K and the same pool in a totally enclosed heated/cooled wood structure would have cost better than $80K. All depends on what you want and how much you can afford. Humidity and heating will dictate much of the cost of construction.

Ask the vendor if their product can be installed above ground and request complete installation instructions (make sure this doesn't void their warranty). You will most likely have to build a wood deck around the pool with substantial bracing for the side walls of the pool. Our Alaglass pool is installed partially above ground (4 feet out of the ground at the deep end) but getting correct installation guidelines from the factory was extremely difficult until we asked the right person then it was a simple fax of 2 pages. We braced the pool with much more substantial bracing than called for by their instructions ( we felt their instructions weren't adequate and didn't match their current pool construction).

We are currently trying to finalize the installation of an Alaglass pool installed by their factory installer. We like the pool and expect it to give us many years of good service. As far as the installation services provided by Alaglass, I'd make sure you've checked for quotes from other local installers before signing a contract with Alaglass. We ordered a pool from Alaglass on June 1st with a suprising delivery/installation date of June 5th. Got a call on June 3rd that the pool would be delivered and installed on June 8th. On June 7th, during discussions with Alaglass about the poolfilling instructions (we're installing the pool partialy above ground witha wood deck surrounding it), we weretold that the pool scheduled for delivery the next day was not built correctly for an aboveground with wood deck. Suprisingly enough to us, the very first question we asked the salesman on the factory visit was "can the pool be installed above ground with a wood deck" and the answer was "YES". Every time we talked with the factory during the order/scheduling process, we had to repeat the above ground wood deck installtion. After determing that the "correct" pool could be built, they quaranteed delivery and installation on Monday starting at 8 in the morning. I take off work and wait at home for the installation crew to provide instructions on location, etc. At 9:30, I get a call that the original installer has been fired and the "new" installer (factory guy instead of contract installer) would be there by 12 noon. At 11:00 backfill material is delivered with n installation crew to tell them where to dump so I give a best estimate of location and am told there is a second load to be delivered (40 tons of rock dust for a partial above ground installation, hey their the experts so I say OK). Installation crew arrives (2 guys) and they get to work. These guys are good but it takes longer than they expect to dig the hole. Pool arrives and all looks good. Set pool in hole and since this is a wood deck installation I need the pool at a specific height in relation to the house for the deck to be level. We measure off the rimof the pool and set pool. Backfill is completed and I realize the company ordered twice as much rock dust as needed (20 tons would have been more than adequate so now what do I do with all this extra material?). Installation crew is rushed since they weren't suppose to be installing my pool until that morning and they still have two more calls to make and here it is 7:30 at night. The correct equipmentwas delivered with the pool so now we have a partially installed system (functional but not complete). Two weeks later, we start construction of the deck (took two weks to get someone at the factory to provide any installation details for wood deck installation with their product) and find out that the pool rim to flange lip is not a constant height! There is a difference of over 2 inches in their mold for the pool flange which makes building the deck a severe problem. Call to schedule final start up of pool and am guaranteed someone will be there on a specific date (July 3rd). This time I did not plan on leaving work until they actually arive at home but wife calls the company to verify appointment and they say "OH, someone was suppose to call on Friday to reschedule!" They dropped the ball again. Now we're scheduled for Wednesday but I'll believe it after they show up. Lessons learned - understand EXACTLY what the installation covers, only buy what you have to from Alaglass (we were able to buy all their extras at 1/2 price through the internet), expect them to never keep a scheduled appointment, if you buy from them- ask what 99% of the buyers get with their pool to avoid the constant add on fees (just prior to installation we found out that we were responsible for crane service cost and they were going to charge us $600 when we could get the service for $250, estimated cost for rock dust was $500 they got $587 delivered 1/2 of which we didn't need and then tried to charge us $650 anyway). Yard was left in a mess so be sure to include lots landscaping to deal with a destroyed section of yard but this will be a common issue with any pool installer. Was it worth it to have Alaglass install the pool - NO. What should have been a trouble free installation has been anything but and the stress level involed was great.