Pool Prices Going Up... Again

If you’ve been holding out and waiting for pool prices to drop, you may have to continue waiting. Analysts are predicting pool prices to increase this year due to rising costs for labor, materials, and equipment.

The Federal Reserve approved the first rate increase in three years back in March in an effort to combat inflation, and a 50 basis point hike may be looming on the horizon.

Consumers who plan on buying a swimming pool this year can expect to pay a premium according to analysts. Builders across the nation are feeling the pinch of rising costs. Across the board; increased costs for labor and equipment are driving a need to recalibrate pricing structures yet again this season.

Construction materials used to build swimming pools rose 31.3% percent from early 2020 to early 2022.

As pool builders and swimming pool contractors attempt to maneuver a vastly different landscape of pricing, year over year increases can immediately be seen on the following materials:

PRICES FOR RAW MATERIALS

Concrete – Up 11.6%

Lumber – Up 79.5%

Steel – Up 74.4%

PVC Pipe – Up 36.9%

(Statistics provided by the Associated General Contractors of America)

A round of price increase letters began circulating early this spring from some of the nation’s largest manufacturers and distributors. Consequently, builders are looking at big jumps in cost for pool pumps, filters, heaters, and a variety of other related equipment and components. Builders aren’t the only ones struggling, however. Pool service companies are also looking at sharp price increases from last year on chlorine as well as other chemicals.

To get a better understanding of how rising costs are impacting pool companies day to day operations, we asked several pool builders how they are navigating an environment of continuous price increases and what they are telling customers.

“Honestly, there is a disconnect with consumers over how much pools really cost these days,” said Scot Reynolds of Purpose Pools in Las Vegas,. “Homeowners are reading outdated or just completely inaccurate information when price shopping for a swimming pool.”

The majority of pool builders we surveyed in a recent poll say they have had to increase prices by 40-50% in order to keep up with inflation. “Unfortunately the base price of a swimming pool has gone up over the last two years,” said pool builder, JC Rodriguez who builds concrete in-ground pools, “for a basic pool without all the bells and whistles, we’re starting at around the $60,000 range and go up from there. Most of the time if we’re talking about a pool and spa with decking your average swimming pool is going to wind up at the $120,000-$130,000 price range.”

Pool Magazine surveyed a sample of 1,000 pool builders to see how their prices had increased since 2020. 52.7% of pool builders surveyed said they have raised prices 30-50% since 2020.

Out of 1,000 pool professionals surveyed on April 1, 2022, 72.7% said they raised prices by over 30% since the pandemic began. 28.2% of builders surveyed reported they increased prices by over 50% since the start of 2020. Out of 1,000 builders surveyed, only 49 respondents indicated that they had raised prices less than 10% or not at all. While not indicative of price increases for the entire industry, this survey of builders provides a good cross sampling of increases across the country based off individual responses.

In light of numerous global events, some of the largest pool builders are waiting to see exactly how the market will react before making any radical changes. “The geopolitical climate may certainly impact how our industry performs and how we’re able to enjoy the surge in demand, post-pandemic,” said Bonnie Chong, CEO of Anthony & Sylvan Pools who is actively monitoring developments in the industry.

“Not every market may experience the same factors that drive demand at the same time,” said Chong, who says that she plans to leverage Anthony & Sylvan’s footprint in a changing environment. Her outlook, however, remains optimistic that the demand will remain strong with consumers well into 2023. “Hopefully now folks have really started to find value in the home and value in spending time with family and friends in the backyard.”

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