Above Ground Pool Installation Kissimmee

Having an above-ground swimming pool installed in Kissimmee, Florida? Not sure of the cost, how long it takes, or what’s involved?

Kissimmee is a very well-established area of Central Florida just south of Orlando. Although much of it has older homes, a lot of the outer areas are growing with new neighborhoods.

KISSIMMEE IS BIG AND DIVERSE

In the 36 years of installing above-ground pools out of Orlando, I have installed pools in every area of Kissimmee.

Some areas have older homes with different-sized lots having old big oak trees and some are new with neighborhoods that start out bare. This matters when installing an above-ground pool.

Kissimmee is a big area stretching from Hunter’s Creek alllll the way down to Poinciana. And it starts west from Disney World property to St Cloud.

The central part of Kissimmee is older with older homes and established landscaping. Installing a pool in this area can have big roots to deal with and maybe a surprise or two buried in the ground from long ago.

Areas south towards Poinciana and Intercession City have a lot of new growth. The homes in this area of Kissimmee are newer with more fenced yards and fewer old trees.

There is a lot of growth to the west to Celebration and then far east approaching St. Cloud. These areas have more neighborhoods with varied earth, lots of vinyl fencing, and HOAs.

KISSIMMEE IS MOSTLY HIGH AND DRY BUT THERE ARE SOME WET AREAS TOO

Out of all the areas and towns around Orlando, Kissimmee has the most diverse ground/earth.

When I schedule an installation in this area, there’s no telling what issues I’m going to encounter. Many areas of Kissimmee can get wet at times. Most of those areas were farmlands, but even Poinciana can have wet yards. You just never know.

ISSUES YOU MAY ENCOUNTER WHEN INSTALLING AN ABOVE-GROUND POOL IN KISSIMMEE

About the only thing I can expect in the Kissimmee area (South of Orlando) is that the yard will be flat. Some yards aren’t, but as a general rule, south of Orlando is flat.

Here are some variations with installs in Kissimmee.

1 Yard could have vinyl fencing

Vinyl fences are nice and clean looking, but they don’t come apart easily. This can be an issue if you have a pool installed by a guy with a machine like me. New neighborhoods in Kissimmee usually have vinyl fencing.

My machine needs at least 4.5ft wide of access. Many standard-sized vinyl gates aren’t wide enough. Many are at 5ft wide too, which is nice.

Wood fencing has the advantage of a section being taken down fairly easily to allow a machine in the yard. Older homes in Kissimmee mostly have wood fences.

2 Big and old trees

I love big trees, but they can be an issue if you install a pool too close to one. Even though it’s called an “above-ground” pool, you still have to go into the ground some. And there are big roots in the ground next to big trees.

Some established areas of Kissimmee have big trees in the yards.

3 Very hard earth

The natural ground in Kissimmee is not hard at all. It’s usually made up of sand or soil with very little clay. The problem comes when a developer uses poor fill to raise an area for a neighborhood.

Most neighborhoods around Orlando will be raised with fill dirt to make them high and dry. Where a developer gets the fill and what it’s made of can vary greatly.

Some of the hardest earth I have ever worked with was in a couple of neighborhoods in Kissimmee. If you have a hard time digging in your yard, then you may have a lot of clay in the earth, which can be a pain to level a pool on.

4 Buried construction trash

Sometime in the late 1980s, they stopped allowing home builders to just bury their construction trash in the yard of the newly built home. So, if your home was built before the mid-1980s, then there can be pieces of broken tile, shingles, glass, nails, metal, and beer cans buried in your yard.

So when you dig to level the yard for the pool install, you can run into this construction trash, which sucks.

Kissimmee has a lot of older homes, so this is always a possibility when installing in this area.

5 Old drain field

Some homes in Kissimmee that were built in the 50s, 60s, and even 1970s can have existing drain fields that are no longer used. The house is either now connected to the sewerage system or has a new drain field in use somewhere else in the yard.

Running into an old drain field sucks when installing an above-ground pool. There are tons of rocks that either mostly have to be removed OR a thick layer of clean earth has to be put down on top of them.

With all the older homes in Kissimmee, running into an old drain field is always a possibility.

KISSIMMEE HAS A FAIR AMOUNT OF NUTGRASS

Nutgrass can be in any yard. I have seen nutgrass in the areas south of Orlando often. I always recommend putting down (and do with my installs) granular nutgrass killer and maybe a ground pad to help prevent it from damaging your pool liner.

POINCIANA IS CONSIDERED KISSIMMEE, BUT IT IS FAR FROM ORLANDO

When I install an above-ground pool in Poinciana, I usually charge a travel fee. This is because it’s about an hour away from Orlando and there’s no fast or easy way to get to Poinciana.

And taking the toll road is very expensive, especially when pulling a machine trailer.

Leveling the Ground for an Above Ground Pool in Orlando

Leveling the ground to install an above-ground pool in Orlando is easier to do than in most areas of the country.

This is mainly because the Orlando area is fairly flat and mostly sand based.

Leveling the ground for an above-ground pool in Orlando requires completely removing the grass/sod and then transferring some of the earth from the high side of the pool site to the low side. This is done to level the area so the pool will have an even waterline. The site of removed sod should be level to within one inch or less.

MOST OF THE YARDS IN ORLANDO HAVE GRASS, WHICH WILL HAVE TO GO IF INSTALLING ANY TYPE OF ABOVE-GROUND POOL

Orlando and all of Central Florida are considered humid subtropical. I don’t know exactly what that means, but I can tell you things here grow like crazy, especially grass.

In order to properly install an above-ground swimming pool, you must remove all the grass and its sod from the pool site. This will allow you to properly level the earth AND prevent a poor and bumpy pool bottom later on.

THE BIGGEST MISTAKE SOFT-SIDED (INTEX) TYPE POOL DIYers MAKE

Soft-side above-ground pools don’t cost much and usually don’t last very long.
Because of this, people won’t want to spend a lot of time or energy on installing them.

People will buy a pool from Walmart for less than $500 and will want to put it up real quick. Removing the grass is tough to do, so instead, DIYers will just add sand to their yard to level an area out and put up the pool.

In a week or so, the soft-sided pool they put up on sand over grass will start leaning over and eventually, the water will spill out of it from being off level. FAIL!

AFTER THE GRASS IS REMOVED, THE GROUND HAS TO BE LEVELED

When the sod gets removed, that doesn’t make the area any more level than it was, so the earth then has to be leveled. This is done by moving the earth from the high part of the pool site (where the grass was removed) to the lower side.

Moving the earth from the high side to the low side can be tough depending on the type of earth the yard has.

ORLANDO IS MOSTLY FLAT. MOST ABOVE-GROUND POOL INSTALLS REQUIRE LESS THAN SIX INCHES OF GRADING/LEVELING

Graded backyard using a laser level for an above ground pool in Orlando — This site shows a grade of about six inches down on the house side

Fortunately, you won’t have to level the earth too much in most yards in Orlando. This is much easier than when moving a lot of earth to level, like in areas of Clermont and Howey-in-the-Hills. Yeah, there are a couple of hills in Central Florida.

SOME AREAS OF ORLANDO HAVE DIFFERENT EARTH

What your yard is made up of can make a big difference in how difficult it will be to level the ground for an above-ground pool.

Conway area

A big section of the Conway area used to be farmland. For this reason, areas of Conway can be made up of dark soil, which is quite different from a sand-based earth.

Any homes between Lake Margret and Judge road can have dark soil.

East Orlando

East Orlando can have decent earth but can be wet during the rainy season. Areas near Goldenrod, Azalea Park, Alafaya, and Union Park can get wet at times.

This can mean the pool install will have to wait until the ground dries a bit.

Oviedo and East of Orlando

The further east you go from Orlando, the greater the likelihood of the ground being wet.

The ground is usually good in these areas as far as the quality of the dirt, but Oviedo, Chuluota, Bithlo, and especially Geneva can have wet ground.

South Orlando

Areas heading towards Kissimmee can have some harder and drier earth.

Buena Ventura Lakes, Hunter’s Creek, Peppermill, Meadow Woods, and Southchase can have harder earth, which makes leveling tougher.

North Orlando areas are generally good

Most yards in Altamonte Springs, Casselberry, Longwood, Maitland, and Winter Park have decent earth for leveling the ground.

GOT TREES? IT’S BEST TO LEVEL THE EARTH FURTHER AWAY FROM THEM

Orlando has a climate for a lot of different trees. Every tree species has different root characteristics.

As a general rule, I would stay at least five feet away from the trunk of any decent-sized tree. And with really big trees, at least ten feet away is a good idea.

When you level the earth for an above ground pool, you want to cut out any roots in the way. This can make the job much harder, so the further away from trees the better.

IF DOING IT YOURSELF, RENT A SOD CUTTER

I can’t overstate how hard it can be to remove the grass with just a shovel. Most homeowners have cheaper quality shovels with no sharpened edge. This makes it very hard to remove the sod.

For under $100, you can rent a machine called a “sod cutter”. Do that. It will be the best money you have spent since your great grandfather bought a share of Coca-Cola stock before the “Great War”.

I OFFER GROUND LEVELING AND POOL GROUND PREP-ONLY IN ORLANDO

If you are looking for someone to just level your ground for your pool, then contact me and I’ll give you a price. It may not be as cheap as you think, but it will be worth it for you.

Above Ground Pool Installation Clermont

Looking to install an above-ground swimming pool in Clermont, Florida? Here’s some basic information.

Installing an above-ground pool in Clermont usually requires more grading than average. The earth in Clermont is often very sandy and clean, which can make for a nice bottom.

SOME HISTORY OF CLERMONT AND ABOVE-GROUND POOLS

Coming from a guy who has been installing above grounds out of Orlando for 36 years, I remember there not being many homes in Clermont back in the day.

Clermont used to be an area with nothing but orange groves. When you drove through Clermont, all that you could see were hills of orange trees. During the 1980s and as the world started connecting better, the orange industry in Florida began to lose its market to other countries.

Groves were lost due to things like freezes and diseases ( and who knows how true most of that was) and Clermont turned into an area of not much but rolling hills of open land.

Despite Central Florida needing a lot of new housing, Clermont stayed free of rapid growth through the 1980s and into the 1990s. This was because of the added cost to developers having to level out the land to make neighborhoods fit a lot of houses.

Eventually, the local government changed its building restrictions which enabled builders to buy large parcels and work the earth enough (level it out) to build thousands of homes.

By the 2000s, Clermont was growing faster than a Chinaberry tree (which is considered a weed tree). This is when I started installing a lot of above-ground swimming pools in Clermont, Oakland, Montverde, Ferndale, and Minneola.

Before I bought and started using a skid/steer machine, installing an above-ground pool in Clermont meant we were going to be getting our “dig” on.

Clermont is notorious for having yards with severe slopes to them, so since a pool has to be level, we would know that a lot of earth moving was going to happen. With only shovels, this makes for a bigger install job.

Currently, when I have a pool to install in Clermont, I have the pool owner send pics of the yard to help me determine the potential slope. With a machine though, big slopes aren’t as much of an issue.

10 RANDOM THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT INSTALLING AN ABOVE-GROUND POOL IN CLERMONT

Each area around Orlando has unique characteristics about its ground. This is what I know about the Clermont area

1 The earth is very sandy

In most parts of Clermont, the earth is very loose and sandy. This is good for digging and mostly for making a nice pool bottom. It’s also usually very clean earth, meaning not a lot of rocks, roots, or hard clay.

2 Clermont has a lot of elevation and grade

The area with the most elevation in all of Central Florida is Clermont and some surrounding areas into Lake County. This makes the area very unique as most of Florida is very flat.

Above-ground pools installed in Clermont will often be partially buried in the ground some as pools have to be level.

NOTE: Since there is some much grade in Clermont, the price to install a pool can be more.

3 Older homes may have septic tanks. New homes do not.

There are some “old Florida” parts of Clermont. And in those areas, most of the homes have septic tanks. This matters when getting an above-ground pool as you don’t want to get too close to the tank or its drain field.

Most homes in Clermont are newer, and the newer homes mostly do not have septic tanks.

4 Semi-inground pools in Clermont need special backfilling

When you install an above-ground pool in the ground, a much bigger hole is dug and the pool is built in the middle of the hole.

After the pool is filled with water, the bigger hole around the pool is backfilled which brings earth right up and next to the outside of the pool.

Since the earth is so sandy and loose in the Clermont area, you usually have to fortify the earth going back in around the pool OR build a retaining wall for it.

5 West Orange County and up through Lake county is very high and dry

Since Clermont has elevation AND is very sand based, there is rarely any wet ground. This is good for installing pools as you don’t want wet ground.

6 Clermont pool installs very rarely need added sand

The earth in some areas can be hard and dirty, which makes it tough to create a nice pool bottom. Since Clermont’s earth is already clean sand-based, it doesn’t need added sand.

NOTE: Adding sand to an already soft earth will result in a too soft and “footprinty” pool bottom.

7 Below average incidence of nutgrass

Nutgrass can be present in any yard, but some areas have more of it than others. I have noticed fewer occurrences of nutgrass damage to pool liners in the Clermont area.

I still recommend using a granular nutgrass/nutsedge killer when installing a pool anywhere.

8 Most new home lots are big enough to have a decent-sized pool

There aren’t as many “zero lot line” neighborhoods in the Clermont area. This is good if you want a nice-sized pool in your yard.

9 Some yards will have to address possible future erosion

If your yard has a severe slope to it, then the pool will be going in the hillside. Whenever there is an elevation difference next to where a pool is, there’s a possibility of erosion.

Many yards on Clermont have severe slopes to them.

10 There are a decent amount of pool stores in the area

Clermont has its fair share of pool supply stores. This is good for pool owners.

PinchAPenny 1778 E Highway 50
Clermont, FL 34711

South Clermont Pinch A Penny 17445 US Hwy 192
Ste 5
Clermont, FL 34714

Pool Doctor
4383 S Highway 27
Clermont, Florida 34711

Leslie’s Pool Supplies 2670 E HIGHWAY 50 UNIT H CLERMONT, FL 34711-6038

JOHNNYS POOL SUPER CENTER FL LLC

2430 Us Highway 27 Ste 350 Clermont, FL 34714-9118 US

Above Ground Pool Liner Replacement in Orlando

For those needing a liner changed in your above-ground pool in the Orlando area, this article will answer questions about what it takes, how long, and how much?

There are a lot of above-ground swimming pools in Orlando and surrounding areas. Although a decent quality above-ground pool will last between ten and twenty years, the liners they come with don’t last as long.

Replacing an above-ground pool liner in Orlando usually takes less than a day to do. The pool has to be bone dry and the replacement liner delivered before starting the job. After completion, the average pool fills in about 24 hours.

WHEN DOES AN ABOVE-GROUND POOL LINER NEED REPLACING?

Here in the Orlando area, the elements are harsh with summers lasting a very long time. This will take some life away from pool liners.

Most decent quality liners will last between 5-8 years, but not always.

1 Liner is getting old

If your liner has gotten more than a couple of leaks in it over a short period of time AND the liner is four years old or older, then it may be getting brittle and little micro-cracks are causing leaks.

If you can find these leaks, patching them is easy. But since the liner is old, it will continue to get more leaks. Usually, after three separate leak fixes, the pool owner decides it’s time to replace the liner.

2 When you can’t find the leak

It’s not easy to find a leak in an above-ground pool. Many times leaks never get found and the pool owner has no choice but to replace the entire liner to solve the problem.

3 The liner is stained or bleached out

As mentioned earlier, the Orlando sun is brutal and long-lasting during the summer. Direct sunlight can cause a liner to fade from the nice dark pattern it started with to an off-white color.

Also, some liners are stained from neglected pool water and look permanently bad at the waterline.

4 The liner blew out

Sometimes when a liner gets old, it will blow out usually at the bottom of the wall somewhere. This will result in the pool emptying very quickly and flooding out the yard. Yikes!

5 Something or someone damaged the pool

Trees fall on pools and kids bring sharp things in pools. This can often cause the need for a new liner.

COST TO HAVE A LINER CHANGED IN THE ORLANDO AREA

Here is my price sheet for changing a liner in Orlando.

NOTE: Areas further away like Titusville, Port St John, Cocoa, Poinciana, and some areas of Lake county may have a travel charge.

BEST TIME TO CHANGE AN ABOVE-GROUND POOL LINER IN ORLANDO

In Orlando, you can change the liner in a pool almost year round. Most will want to change their pool liner during the summer months because that is when they use the pool most.

Sometimes you can’t get your liner changed during the summer though.

Being an above-ground pool installer in Orlando for 37 years, I can tell you that there are a lot of above-ground pools here, but not a lot of installers.

During a typical summer install season, I get too busy with doing full pool installs. For this reason, I don’t have time to change liners and can only offer to do liner change jobs during the off-season.

Some will be forced to wait a couple of months or longer to have me change their pool liner.

If you live in areas like Orlando, Clermont, Altomonte Springs, Winter Park, Lake Mary, Kissimmee, St Cloud, and surrounding towns, you may consider planning on your liner change between October and February.

Sometimes the season starts late or ends early, so if you need a liner change for your above-ground pool, you can contact me to ask about my schedule.

WHEN YOU SHOULD NOT CHANGE A POOL LINER IN ORLANDO

Here in Orlando, we don’t get much of a winter. But sometimes we will get a day or two that goes below 50°F as a daytime high.

In my opinion, you shouldn’t change a liner in weather below 60°F. I have successfully installed pool liners below 60° but there was full sun (not a single cloud in the sky) and I have a lot of experience.

Also, some areas in and around Orlando can have wet ground during the rainy season. Areas like Oviedo, parts of Kissimmee, Geneva, and parts of east Orlando have very wet areas that can stay too wet to successfully change a liner.

It may be hard to tell if your yard is too wet to install a liner in your pool. Sometimes the pool has to be drained and the old liner removed before you know it can’t be done.

With that, you usually have no choice but to wait until the earth dries up. This sometimes takes a month or two depending on when the dry season starts.

WHAT IS INCLUDED WITH A LINER CHANGEOUT

Here is my liner change page to tell you what to expect.

POOL DECKS CAN GET IN THE WAY OF LINER CHANGES

Orlando and the surrounding towns have a lot of pools with wood decks attached to them.

Many decks are built high to the pool and can get in the way of taking the top of the pool apart while performing a liner changeout.

If your pool has a deck high and next to the pool, it can cost you more to change the liner as some of the wood will have to be removed OR the installer will have to crawl under the deck to get to the screws.

Pool guys like myself don’t like crawling under decks. If I have to crawl under a deck, I will charge more to do the liner change. Many times, the pool owner will crawl under their deck and take the necessary screws off before I get there.

I always have the pool owner send me pics of the pool and the deck so I can determine if I can do the job without having to deal with the deck much.

POOLS WITH DEEP ENDS OR DEEP CENTERS WILL COST MORE FOR A LINER CHANGEOUT

It’s nice to have an above-ground pool with a deep center. They are more work to change the liner in though, so it can cost $100 or more additional depending on the size of the pool and how deep the bottom is.

TREES TOO CLOSE TO THE POOL CAN CAUSE EXCESSIVE ROOTS UNDER THE LINER

excessive roots under 15' above ground pool

It can be nice to have trees close to an above ground pool. But their roots can grow under the pool.

This usually isn’t a big deal but will make the liner change job tougher.

IF YOUR POOL IS SEMI-INGROUND, THEN DRAIN THE POOL AND CHANGE THE LINER QUICKLY

Orlando and most of the towns around it have sand-based earth. This can mean that the ground is made of mainly loose-type sand.

Burying an above-ground pool partially in the ground is very popular here. Usually, it’s not an issue, but sometimes a pool will cave in some when emptied.

Metal-walled above-ground pools should never be completely drained. When changing the liner though, you have no choice. To help prevent a minor or major cave-in, you should drain the pool and very quickly change the liner and refill.

You don’t want to keep a semi-inground pool drained too long without refilling.

Areas that are “hilly” can have a lot of slope in backyards. Places like Clermont, Oakland, and Mount Dora can have many pools that had to be installed somewhat in the ground on one side.

If your pool was installed in the ground on one side, then it’s not as crucial, but you’ll not want to keep your pool empty for too long either.

CHOOSE A GOOD QUALITY REPLACEMENT LINER

Above-ground pools in Orlando and surrounding areas need a good liner in order to withstand the harsh summers.

I recommend a heavy gauge, fully printed, unibead/j-hook type liner made only in the US or Canada.

NOTE: Chinese-made pool liners cost less but only last 1-3 years. Not worth it.

OVERLAP-TYPE LINERS MAY NEED REPLACEMENT COPING STRIPS

If you are replacing your liner with an overlap type, then you may need to purchase a part called “coping strips”. Sometimes I will have coping strips on my truck and won’t charge to use them, but not always.

NOTE: You can avoid needing coping strips by buying a unibead/j-hook type liner instead of a 1980s style overlap.

Above Ground Pool Installation Ocoee

Do you live in Ocoee, Florida and are thinking about installing an above-ground swimming pool?

Like most places just outside of Orlando, Ocoee is a popular area for above-ground swimming pools. Here are some things to know.

11 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT INSTALLING AN ABOVE-GROUND POOL IN OCOEE, FL

1 Ocoee is growing. Mostly with new neighborhoods

I’ve lived near Ocoee for thirty years or so. There’s definitely an old and a new Ocoee. The new Ocoee is mostly made up of neighborhoods.

And when it comes to neighborhoods and installing an above-ground pool, there may be HOA, yard size, and access issues to deal with.

2 Most lots are big enough

In some areas, the neighborhoods really cram the houses in. Most new Ocoee neighborhoods have decent-sized lots that will fit a nice-sized pool in the yard.

3 Be aware if you have a vinyl fence

Vinyl fences look nice and many new homes in Ocoee have them. They don’t come apart easily though and many of them only have less than four-foot wide gates.

This can be an issue if you have someone like me come to install your above-ground pool. I use a machine that won’t fit through a standard-sized vinyl gate.

Many vinyl gates are five feet wide, which is wide enough to get a small machine through to do the groundwork.

4 The earth is generally good in Ocoee

In Central Florida, some areas have different kinds of earth. Overall, the earth is mostly sand-based, but there is still quite a bit of variation depending on the area.

Ocoee has decent earth. Some developers will use poor fill to raise an area for a neighborhood, and that can happen anywhere. Generally speaking though, West Orlando has good clean earth for installing a pool on.

5 Most yards are flat in Ocoee

West Orlando is somewhat flat until you get to Clermont. A flat yard is better for installing an above-ground pool because it’s easier to level the ground to install the pool AND you don’t have to worry about any erosion later after the pool is installed.

If your yard has a slope to it, then it can take more time and cost more to have a pool installed.

6 Older homes may have septic tanks, few new ones do

If you live in one of the older homes in Ocoee, then you most likely will have a septic tank. And you can’t install a pool on or too close to a septic tank OR its drain field.

It’s good to know IF you have a septic tank and then WHERE it is before considering putting in an above-ground pool.

If you have a new home in Ocoee, then chances are you don’t have a septic tank, so you don’t have to worry about it being in the way of where you want the pool.

7 Some homes have wells. Many new neighborhoods only have municipal water

Unless on a parcel of land, most of the homes in Ocoee don’t have wells. The new ones don’t for sure and most of the older houses (like off of Wurst rd) don’t have them either.

This means most getting an above-ground pool in Ocoee will use the city water to fill the pool.

8 Nutgrass can be found in Ocoee

Nutgrass or nut sedge is the only type of grass that will grow straight through a pool’s liner. Not every yard has nutgrass and it’s very hard to identify prior to an installation.

Some areas of Central Florida have more cases of nutgrass than others. Ocoee has nutgrass, but about an average amount.

For this area, I recommend putting down a quality granular nutgrass killer before installing the pool’s liner.

9 Ocoee is generally high and dry

As you travel east of Orlando, the ground can get low and wet. Ocoee is on the west side of Orlando, which is mostly higher and dry.

This is good when installing an above-ground pool as the ground can’t be too wet or the bottom will come out poor.

This is also good if you are thinking about sinking the pool down into the ground some.

10 Pool stores in Ocoee

Ocoee has a decent amount of pool stores. Only some will deal with above-ground pool-related things though.

The PinchAPenny store at Good Holmes road and 50 will sell some AG pool-related products like replacement liners.

11 Best time to have an above-ground pool installed in Ocoee

Because the earth is fairly clean, high, and dry, you can install a pool in the Ocoee area any time of year. I do always recommend installing during the off-season, which is October thru February.

Orlando Above Ground Pool Installations

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