Cristina Moreno-Garcia
(March 2022)
Before I was in the pool business, my husband and I were thinking about building our own pool and when we were doing some research online we realized there were a big amount of companies promising fiberglass swimming pools were better quality and cheaper than gunite ones… and we believed it.
We contacted a local company, signed a contract to have a simple rectangular pool. Soon enough the contractor brought a pool that was not the shape we wanted, but we decided to play cool and accept it. The second problem we faced started after the contractor started filling up the pool with water: turns out the shape of the precious object started to change in some parts. He explained that it was normal and that was a reason for not getting a rectangular shape. Nonetheless, there were several issues with the contractor and we ended up without a pool and a backyard that looked like a war zone.
Maybe after this terrible experience I started doing a lot of research and we decided to spend more money and get a gunite custom swimming pool with a spa and sun shelf, designed for our backyard, with the size we had in mind originally, instead of adjusting to what a fiberglass company offers.
Now we are a happy family with a beautiful swimming pool and I wanted to share this experience in the company page so other people don’t make the same mistake we made by hiring a contractor without proven experience and saying only beautiful things about fiberglass.
Gunite pros
- You get the shape you want and the size you want
- Option to add water features like sun shelf, colorful LED jets, bubblers, waterfalls, special designs on the bottom of the pool
- You can choose almost any kind of shape and color of tile for the waterline
- You can choose different plaster textures, with more or less sparkle and the plaster comes in a lot of colors, from white to black
- There are pools filled with salt water
- The swimming pool will last a lifetime, with proper care and maintenance
Gunite cons
- Initial investment is higher than with the other kind of pools
- It needs renovations from time to time
- It needs to be kept clean to avoid algae growth
Fiberglass pros
- Comes in different sizes and shapes
- Easy to clean
- It costs less than gunite pools
Fiberglass cons
- Companies offer some sizes or limited shapes
- Some companies offer more durability than others, but it won’t last as long as gunite
- Pools only come in certain colors
Martinez Pools & Patios 