With the hot temperatures of summer starting to ramp up, you may be considering adding an inground swimming pool to your home. But before you move forward with getting one installed, you'll need to decide on what material you want to use to make the swimming pool.

Concrete

Constructing a concrete pool is a bit different than other materials. The ground needs to be excavated and lined with blocks of cement that have been mortared together, and then you must create a mold and pour cement in order to form a shape that is seamless.

The biggest advantage of using concrete is that it can be customized to the exact shape and size that you want. Looking for a shallow walk-in area and a deep end for diving with a small pool footprint? It will be very difficult to find another material that you can do this with.

However, concrete will require more maintenance than its vinyl and fiberglass counterparts. But tiling the pool can help prevent pitting or cracking, which is an expensive repair.

Vinyl

Vinyl is a versatile material that keeps the cost of building a pool low. The structure of the pool is constructed using a material like galvanized steel that is coated with the slick liner made of vinyl that sticks to the surface.

The construction of a vinyl pool can happen very quickly, but repairing vinyl that has been damaged can be complicated. The vinyl skin will need to be removed and replaced if there is a problem with it, which is more involved when compared to repairing concrete or fiberglass. That said, the vinyl liner will prevent algae from growing within your pool, and the installation costs are cheaper than concrete.

Fiberglass

Selecting a fiberglass pool is a great compromise between concrete and vinyl in terms of durability and construction costs. The installation process will be incredibly easy to do, since the pool arrives as an existing mold that just needs to be placed into the ground and secured. It makes the installation a breeze, which significantly cuts down on the installation costs when having a contractor do the work for you.

Fiberglass will also contract and expand with the surrounding soil, which makes it a great choice for areas like Southern California that have small earthquakes. A vinyl or concrete pool can easily sustain structural damage if it needs to deal with this type of problem.

Once you have decided on the type of material that you want your pool to be made out of, contact swimming pool contractors in your area for more info on how to have it installed.