There are quite a few above-ground swimming pools in Altamonte Springs. And over the last 37 years, I’ve installed my share of them there.
To a guy like me who’s lived in Orlando since 1972, Altamonte Springs is more known for its mall (Altamonte Mall). For many years, this mall was considered the best mall in Central Florida.
Malls aren’t as much of a thing anymore thanks to online shopping, so the only mall in Orlando that is still fully intact is the Mall of Millenia.
In later years, Altamonte is also known for the Cranes Roost area. This is a large non-residential area that is most famous for hosting the Red Hot and Boom event.
This north suburb of Orlando sits between Winter Park and Casselberry and has a much different vibe than downtown Orlando.
With a population of under fifty thousand, Altamonte Springs hasn’t grown as much as other areas of Central Florida. This is mainly because most of its area has long been populated with residents, so there’s not a lot of room for new houses.
ABOVE-GROUND POOLS IN ALTAMONTE SPRINGS
A lot of families live in Altamonte and since the houses are older, the yards are bigger. This makes for an area with many above-ground pools.
6 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT INSTALLING AN ABOVE-GROUND POOL IN ALTAMONTE SPRINGS
1 Some areas are hilly
Most of Orlando (and all of Central Florida) is fairly flat. Some areas of Altamonte can be hilly though. This is usually nice, but not as much if you want to install an above-ground pool.
A swimming pool has to be very even, so if you have some slope to your yard, it’s going to take more to level the earth for a pool.
Pool installers (and myself) will have to charge more for the install if they have to level the ground more than six inches or so.
2 Altamonte Springs has a lot of big trees
Established landscaping is beautiful and the one thing that you can’t have done. It already has to be there. Older, big trees are the main part of great landscaping
Big trees are not necessarily a good thing when having a swimming pool or getting it installed. This is because big trees have big roots. And you can’t have big roots where you are installing an above-ground pool.
Also, big trees close to your swimming pool are both good and bad. The good is that it provides shade, which keeps the pool water temperature cool in the summer. The bad is that trees have leaves. And leaves fall.
3 Yards in Altamonte are usually bigger
As Orlando has gotten more homes during the last 50 years, the lots have gotten smaller. This is so they can fit more houses per acre as the area populates. Duh.
Smaller lots are not good for swimming pools. A small lot means a smaller backyard. And a smaller backyard means larger swimming pools won’t fit.
Fortunately for Altamonte Springs, most of the neighborhoods are older, so most have larger-sized backyards.
4 The earth in North Orlando
Most above-ground swimming pools are set up directly on the ground or what pool guys (like me) call “the earth”. Many are now set in the ground some too, which is called semi-inground.
Regardless of whether the pool is going on top of the ground or in it some, the type of earth matters.
Your yard (the earth) can be made up of different things. It can have sand, soil, clay, rocks, and buried debris. It can also be very wet or very dry.
The earth in Altamonte is usually really good for installing an above-ground pool. It is mostly sand-based and may have some darker soil in it. This is a good thing.
5 Yard Access
When I started installing above-ground pools in the 1980s, we only used shovels to do the groundwork. Now, most installers who have any level of experience at all will use a skid/steer machine to level and prepare the ground.
So, access for an earth machine is needed.
Yards in Altamonte are older, so this is usually good for providing access.
How much access is needed?
As an example, my skid/steer machine is very small (but perfect for the job). It is 48 inches wide. This means you will need a gate to be at least 4.5ft wide so the machine can get in the yard.
If the gate/s aren’t wide enough, a section of wood fence can usually come down fairly easily. If you have a vinyl fence though, it will be much tougher to gain access.
6 Groundwater/moisture
Some of the areas east of Orlando can have very wet ground. This is not good for installing an above-ground pool.
Fortunately for Altamonte Springs, the ground is almost all “high and dry”. This is very good for getting a pool.
Considering me for installing your above-ground pool? Here’s my price page
Want me to dig the hole for a semi-inground installation? Here’s my price page
Installing to pool yourself but want me to do the ground preparation? Here are my prices for that.
Pool stores in Altamonte Springs
Pinch-A-Penny
623 Montgomery Road
Altamonte Springs, FL 32714
Leslies’s
445 West S.R. 436 STE 1053
Altamonte Springs, FL 32714-4107