18’x33’ oval above-ground pools are the most common size for larger ovals. In the Orlando area, there are a few of these large pools, but smaller yards aren’t big enough to fit them.
Towns and areas surrounding Orlando like Winter Park, Longwood, Ocoee, Apopka, Lk Mary, Kissimmee, etc., may have bigger yards that can fit an 18×33 oval.
THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT INSTALLING AN 18’X33’ OVAL ABOVE-GROUND POOL IN ORLANDO
1 Oval above-ground pools are hard to assemble. Period.
I think it’s important to get this fact known, accepted, and expected up front so everyone involved can have a better time with an oval installation.
With my now 37 years of experience with installing above-ground pools, I can tell you that anyone who says ovals are easy to install doesn’t have much experience with them.
Knowledge is power, so know that an above-ground oval-shaped pool will cost more to buy and have installed, be harder to assemble, and won’t come together as well as round-shaped above-ground.
My goal here is to set everyone’s expectations lower so there will be less disappointment with the less-than-perfect oval above-ground swimming pool.
2 18×33 ovals can have 4, 5, 6, or 7 buttresses depending on the model
There are many different oval designs on the market and I have installed every one. Buttresses stick out along the outside of the pool, so they require more yard space.
The more common Wilbar 18×33 models will have 6 buttresses. Some will have 5, and a few will have 7. I have installed a couple with 8, but that is too rare to consider.
Knowing how many buttresses may matter if the pool is going in a very tight spot or is going up against an existing deck.
3 Typically, an 18ftx33ft oval pool will need a cleared area of 23ftx35ft
The most common oval buttress designs are made by Wilbar and stick out about one foot, seven inches (19 inches) from the outside of the pool’s wall. The clearing dimensions above are based on this common size.
Some of the less expensive oval models can have the buttresses stick out as far as three feet, three inches (39 inches). With that design, you will need a cleared yard area of 24 ft x 35 ft, which is considerably wider.
4 18’x33’ oval pools are a good size for households of 6 or more
Some will be able to swim laps in this thirty-foot-long pool, which is nice as exercise is one of the top motivators for people to get a pool.
5 Installation of an 18’x33’ oval pool usually takes more than one day
Barring a lot of grading or some big mishaps, an installation crew of two should have no problem getting an 18×33 completed in about a day and a half. We are talking about an oval here though, so install snags can push the install to three days
This does not include the time to fill the pool.
6 I charge $2400 to install an 18’x33’ oval above-ground pool (Yikes!)
This is about the average cost to have an 18×33 oval pool installed in Orlando (In 2023-4) as my price includes PVC hard piping the equipment and up to 12 inches of off-level grading.
Some other pool installers may not include the hard piping or that much grading, so it’s good to know what is included as you don’t want any cost surprises.
NOTE: This is a price for metal-walled(hard-sided) type above-ground pools. Soft-sided Intex, Coleman, and Bestway made pools are different. With those, I only offer a ground-preparation service.
7 Installing an 18’x33’ oval above-ground pool takes at least two people
Ovals are technically harder to assemble, but they have buttresses that help keep the wall up during installation, which is great.
18x33s are too big of a monster for me to do by myself, but if I had to, I could do it only during the cooler seasons and it would take some days.
DIYers can install a large oval with 3 people or more. You don’t need as many people to keep the wall secured (because of the buttresses), so that is good.
8 A common 18ftx33ft oval semi-inground pool will require at least a 24’x36’ hole
Setting an above-ground pool partially in the ground has become quite common in Orlando.
A pool needs room in the hole to be assembled, so making the hole 1.5ft wider than the pool size all the way around will give enough room to build. This includes making room for the buttresses.
9 Protect your liner from nutgrass
Nutgrass in Orlando and surrounding areas can be a real problem for above-ground pools.
It’s essential to remove all of the root mass with the grass (sod) AND apply a quality GRANULAR ONLY nutgrass killer to the ground before installing the liner