Swimming Pools – Some Background

The first pools were concrete pools, they are constructed from concrete. Concrete was a bit expensive during the early 1900’sand it was a luxury to have a swimming pool. Things changed after Second World War where the mass production of concrete was introduced and many families that benefited from war bonuses constructed concrete swimming pools in their yards. Many on them still stand into this day and are in good condition.
Concrete was a very durable material for creating a swimming pool. It can be made to contour to the shape of your swimming pool; example you can take advantage of a thin strip of land and create a diving area with plunging waterfall, something fiberglass material can hardly do. It is heavy and strong, and it less expensive to use than fiberglass.
But fiberglass does have advantages over concrete too. Fiberglass was first used on boats before being used in constructing pools. Although they are more expensive than concrete, they save money on the long run by reducing costly maintenance of concrete consisting of periodic resurfacing to replace worn concrete lining and annual acid washes. Cleaning a fiberglass pool needs less chemicals because fiberglass does not leach alkalis into the pool waters. The electric bills are less because less electricity is used on pumps and cleaning devices because fiberglass does not hold dirt and algae so the pumps will not work hard and long. Concrete is porous that it keeps dirt. Any algae can be easily brushed off the surface of fiberglass. Fiberglass is also stronger and flexible than concrete, which are easily damaged in earthquakes. And fiberglass pools are faster to construct.
Constructing swimming pools can be expensive regardless of any material used so be sure to save for it and avoid the more expensive pool financing offers.