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We are an independent, advertising-supported comparison service. Our goal is to help you make smarter financial decisions by providing you with interactive tools and financial calculators, publishing original and objective content, by enabling you to conduct research and compare information for free - so that you can make financial decisions with confidence. Bankrate has partnerships with issuers including, but not limited to, American Express, Bank of America, Capital One, Chase, Citi and Discover.

The offers that appear on this site are from companies that compensate us. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site, including, for example, the order in which they may appear within the listing categories. But this compensation does not influence the information we publish, or the reviews that you see on this site. We do not include the universe of companies or financial offers that may be available to you.

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With summertime approaching you may well be thinking about how nice your own watering hole could be — a personal pool to lounge around and splash about in.

First off, you should know this is not a DIY job for almost anyone. A swimming pool is a complex thing to install, and different localities have different regulations about exactly what you can and can’t do.

Second, you better be ready to dive deep into your pockets before you can dive off the deep end. For an in-ground swimming pool — the permanent kind that requires a large hole to be dug in your yard — you can expect to spend $20,000-$65,000, depending on the size, material and layout you choose, according to HomeAdvisor. Larger, more complicated designs, intricate finishes and elaborate landscaping will, of course, up the cost; it’s not unknown to spend six figures on swimming pools.

So let’s dig into the basics of built-in swimming pools, as the in-ground variety is also called. (We won’t be getting into above-ground pools, a different animal that tend to be a little less expensive and involved to install.)

When it comes to in-ground pools, one of the first decisions you’ll have to make is what material you want yours to be made of.

The three most common types are concrete/gunite, vinyl-lined and prefabricated fiberglass.

According to HomeAdvisor, vinyl-lined pools are usually the cheapest option up-front, but tend to have higher maintenance costs over time, because the liner usually needs to be replaced every 10 years or so. Meanwhile, fiberglass pools are more expensive to install but cheaper to maintain. Old-fashioned concrete and gunite pools are the most customizable, but have high installation and maintenance costs.

No two pool projects are exactly the same, and your construction and installation costs will depend on where you live, your property’s geography and your pool’s specs.

It’s generally cheaper to build a pool in warmer-weather states, where personal watering holes are more of an everyday feature, and supplies and contractors are more plentiful. Those who live in more temperate climates tend to pay about a 20 percent premium on pool construction, according to HomeAdvisor.

No matter what they’re made of, larger pools are generally more expensive to install, and local regulations including permitting costs and debris disposal can also influence the price.

The features you choose for your pool will also influence the cost: unusual shapes (beyond the classic rectangle or kidney shape) tend to be more expensive to install, and add-ons like waterfalls, hot tubs and diving boards will also up the cost — by at least $2,000 to $10,000, according to HomeGuide.

Beyond the pool itself, your other backyard finishes can influence the overall cost of the project. If you’re using the pool installation as a reason to spruce up your property, say with a new deck, expensive patio pavers, landscaping or even a pool house, you’ll want to make sure to budget accordingly.

Keep in mind, most municipalities require fences to go up once a pool goes in, which can add a few thousand more dollars to your project, depending on the size of your property, fence materials you choose and specific local requirements. For example, if your city or town requires self-closing gates, you’ll pay more. In general, you can expect to pay $13-$25 per linear foot to install a fence, according to HomeGuide.

Pools are like almost every other home renovation or design project in that trends for finishes and features shift over time.

Here are some things that are hot in new pools today:

“Automation in general is becoming more prevalent in the field,” says Jay Vogt, owner of Sherwin Pools in Massapequa Park, New York. “You can shut things off on your phone. A lot of this stuff I find is becoming more common, it’s going to become unavoidable.”

Traditional wisdom is that a pool is more of a liability than a benefit when it’s time to resell your home, but that calculation has been shifting. “Over the past few years due to the trend of more outdoor space, pools have been exceptionally popular with buyers paying a premium to get those homes,” says Kevin Kieffer, broker associate with Compass Walnut Creek in the San Francisco Bay  area. Buying a home without a pool and then building one is often significantly more expensive than buying a property with an existing pool, he adds.

The National Association of Realtors estimates that pools add at most about 7 percent in value to a property. And that’s usually less than the installation cost.

Many house-hunters just don’t care about swimming all that much. Or, they shy away from the extra responsibilities and costs associated with the feature, making your potential purchasers pool (pun intended) smaller. “There are buyers that absolutely have to have one and buyers that definitively do not want one,” Kieffer says.

Understanding your neighborhood is key when it comes to evaluating the resale value of a pool. If all of your neighbors have one and you don’t, your property may not command as high a price when you’re ready to sell.

A built-in pool is a big investment for homeowners to make. They’re expensive to install and have fairly high ongoing maintenance costs. But they’re still as popular as ever — if not more so — and many find that the costs are worth it for the fun they get in return.

If you’re considering adding a pool to your property, make sure to solicit multiple bids and get a good handle on your budget before the excavators dig in.

Bankrate.com is an independent, advertising-supported publisher and comparison service. Bankrate is compensated in exchange for featured placement of sponsored products and services, or your clicking on links posted on this website. This compensation may impact how, where and in what order products appear. Bankrate.com does not include all companies or all available products.

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