When researching ideas for your backyard it’s easy to lose track of budget. There are so many beautiful pictures out there of pool projects in the $250k + range. If you don’t keep your budget in mind when planning your project it’s easy to dream bigger than your checkbook. So, how do you keep your inground backyard pool ideas on a budget?
Inground Backyard Pool Ideas On A Budget
We have designed pools for homeowners across the country. Our clients have featured extremely limited to very wealthy budgets. In this article, we will explain how to manage inground backyard pool ideas on a budget.
Step 1: Determine Your Real Budget
First, it’s important to know what your budget actually is. Really do some soul searching and come up with a hard number you don’t want to exceed. Then, be realistic about what your number is going to include. You’ll have a few definite components and some maybes. You’ll definitely have a pool, a patio around the pool, and at least some landscaping to clean the yard up after construction is completed. Maybe you want to consider adding an outdoor kitchen, an inground trampoline, a fire pit and a putting green.
Step 2: Layout Your Inground Backyard Pool Ideas On A Budget With A Landscape/Pool Designer
Typically I would recommend starting by building in all your must haves and maybes into a plan. Then hire a landscape designer to put these all together in a logical flow pattern. Alternatively, maybe you have a good pool designer you can trust. Either way, by getting everything on paper you can have a starting point for pricing the project. Next, make sure you are getting pricing with each component broken out separately, something like this initial budget.
- Pool: $65,000
- Patio: $30,000
- Landscaping: $25,000
- Outdoor Kitchen: $15,000
- Trampoline: $25,000
- Fire pit: $12,000
- Putting green: $19,000
- Total: $191,000
Step 4: Put Pressure On Your First Quote
Now, let’s assume you have a budget of $120,000 to do your project. As you can see, it’s just not going to happen as it’s designed. You’ll need to put some pressure on each of the components you must have to get them into the budget range you need to meet your goals. The biggest mistake people make at this point in the process is giving up. It can be extremely disheartening to think you have a reasonable budget only to see it blown out of the water at the first pass at pricing. You need to think creatively to get the project in on budget.
Step 4: Sort Out Your Musts From Your Maybes
First, you’ll want to start with the must haves. Can you whittle the cost of the pool down at all? Have you included some options you don’t need or things you could add later? Get your designer and/or salesperson’s help in doing this work. They want you to build a pool as much as you want to build a pool. Make your salesperson put in the work! Your patio material might be able to be changed to save some money. Maybe you don’t need the fancy stonework and you can live with a poured concrete patio around the pool. Can you choose smaller caliper trees and smaller shrubs in your landscaping package?
Step 5: Ask The Hard Questions That Will Lower The Price
Would it make sense to buy a nice stand alone grill instead of the outdoor kitchen? Do you really want the liability of a trampoline? Can you buy a prefabricated fire pit instead of having one custom built? Can you put in the putting green a few years down the road after you’ve recovered from the initial pool installation investment? Now maybe your budget looks something like this revised budget.
Pool: $65,000 $55,000
Patio: $30,000 $25,000
Landscaping: $25,000 $18,000
Outdoor Kitchen: $15,000 $4,000
Trampoline: $25,000 $0
Fire pit: $12,000 $8,000
Putting green: $19,000 $0
Total: $191,000 $110,000
Step 6: Leave 5-10% Aside For Unexpected Expenses
Now, you may be thinking, hey there’s an extra $10,000, let’s add something. In our experience it is always best to save 5-10% out of your total budget for the unexpected expenses which arise during pool construction. Maybe your soil type requires additional drainage rock under the pool to allow groundwater to drain properly. Maybe your electrical panel needs upgrading. Does your gas meter need to be replaced when you add the pool heater and the fire pit to the total btus?
Inground Backyard Pool Ideas On A Budget Summary
There are all sorts of potentialities which can come up seemingly unexpectedly. Obviously it’s best to research and plan for these, but that can’t always be done. A good part of doing a backyard inground pool ideas on a budget is to plan for the unexpected happening by keeping some money aside.