by Kelly Trickett

Created on: September 27, 2008   Last Updated: October 01, 2008

Have you been wishing for a pool to keep your family cool in the summer and provide entertainment? Have you looked at your backyard, wishing it was a little larger, so that you could install a pool, or wished that the money situation was a little better so you could provide the kids with lots of summer fun right at home? If space or finances are a concern, then an above-ground pool is the answer for you. They take up less space than in-ground pools, are less expensive, and are set up quicker and easier. An above-ground swimming pool can save you not only money, but the months of aggravation and chaos that the installation of an in-ground pool requires. It is much easier to level ground, and spread sand than it is to dig a huge hole, lay cement, etc.

Dough-boys are sturdy, though more complicated to set up as well as more costly than the Intex pools. . Dough-boy above-ground swimming pools usually have metal walls with a pool liner on the inside. The kits usually come with the pool ladder as well as the filter system. Once installed, however, they can last a lifetime if treated with regular maintenance.

The Intex above-ground pools, on the other hand, are much quicker to install as well as extremely affordable. As a matter of fact, it takes more time to fill the pool than it does to set it up. With Intex pools, the liner is the pool, held up with a metal pole or PVC framework. The Intex kits also come with the ladder and filter system.

Both types of above-ground swimming pool require the same maintenance as an in-ground pool. The chemicals and cleaning of the bottom and sides are the same. However, with the above-ground pool, you actually have the potential of swimming later on the same weekend as you began setup.

Whether you choose the sturdier but more expensive Dough-boy or the less expensive and easier to set up Intex, both are amenable to a raised deck. A raised deck around the pool gives a look of class, as well as giving parents a birds-eye view without actually having to be in the pool. Is there anything more satisfying than playing with your children in a pool or lounging beside your mate on a deck that you put together yourself? The investment in money and time will be well worth the hours and hours of family fun that an above-ground swimming pool provides.

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