Today, I decided to write about what I couldn’t get help with as a new pool owner; the cost of a pool enclosure. For the sake of clarity, especially for newbies to the world of Swimming pools or you are an aspiring pool owner, Swimming pool enclosures have a great many functions, they are designed with the major aim and intent of restricting unwanted access to the pool.
You know a structure that helps keep your private swimming pool private. Some of its other various functions include acting as an attractive cover for your swimming pool, effective safety and security measures especially for kids and also helps to prevent disturbance from environmental factors like wind, UV rays, bugs and others. So how much would you pay for all of these functions?
A pool enclosure costs anywhere between $6,333 to $19,666 or $9 per square foot to $122 per square foot. The average cost of a pool enclosure around the US is $12,057
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How Much Does A Pool Enclosure Really Cost?
The type of design for your Swimming pool enclosure is highly dependent on the way the Swimming pool is styled. Though glass is the most preferred form of pool enclosures due to the fascinating look and beauty it adds to the pool, a host of other materials also exist that are used in making a pool enclosure.
The cost of an average Swimming pool enclosure is $12,057 however, the price ranges from $6,333 to $19,666 or $9 per square foot to $122 per square foot.
The table shows cost of the most common pool enclosures across the country.
| Class of Pool Enclosure | Average cost |
| National Average (In-ground pools) | $12,057 |
| Typical or Regular range | $6,333 to $19,666 |
| Low-end pool enclosure | $2,233 |
| High end pool enclosure | $61,033 |
| POOL ENCLOSURE SIZE | TYPICAL RANGE |
| 10×30 (300 sq. ft) | $2,700 to $36,600 |
| 15×30 (450 sq. ft) | $4,050 to $54,900 |
| 20×30 (600 sq. ft) | $5,400 to $73,200 |
| 30×30 (900 sq. ft) | $8,100 to $109,800 |
| 30×40 (1,200 sq. ft) | $10,800 to $146,400 |
| 30×45 (1,350 sq. ft) | $12,150 to $164,700 |
| 30×50 (1,500 sq. ft) | $13,500 to $183,000 |
What Affects The Cost Of Pool Enclosures?
The size of your swimming pool, though important, is not the only thing that affects the cost of your pool enclosure. A host of other materials like doors, materials, shape of your roof, and lighting also play a major role in influencing the cost of your pool enclosures.
Below are some of the components of pool enclosures that raises its final cost:
- Material: it is majorly of three (3) types: Screen mesh, polycarbonate, and glass.
- Roof Shape: this includes: Domed, gable roof, hip roof etc and they all come with varying prices.
- Retractable Pool Enclosures: Retractable enclosures let in the breeze, but they’ll take the Benjamin Franklins out of your wallet.
- Above-Ground Pool Enclosures: An enclosure can make an excellent addition to your above-ground pool, even if you’re on a budget.
- Pool Enclosure Doors: The more the number of doors your pool enclosure possesses, the more the cost you should expect.
- Lighting: Lighting is a beautifying feature to add around your pool enclosure, but it also comes at a cost
- Extended HVAC System: Lengthen the swimming season by extending the HVAC system to your pool enclosure.
Let’s go a little more into details about each of these components or factors affecting the cost of your pool enclosure.
What are the different types of materials for pool enclosure?
The three major types of pool enclosures materials that are readily available. They are glass, screen mesh and polycarbonates. All of these materials have their distinct advantages and disadvantages. Of all the three types, the screen mesh is the most affordable ax it sells lower than glass and polycarbonate enclosures. It however leaves out some features of the other two making it to not be the most ideal to many pool owners.
Another defining factor when deciding on pool enclosure material is deciding what you want in a pool enclosure. That is consider what the primary purpose the enclosure will be serving example is if it to just provide privacy.; Having a perfect understanding of what you want helps to know what type of material to use which equally influences the eventual cost. However, one unifying feature of all pool enclosures is that they all help to reduce a great amount of debris, UV rays, bugs and pool vandalism so be assured of a more enjoyable pool with an enclosure.
Below is a table showing the cost of the different types of pool enclosure materials.
| MATERIAL | COST PER SQUARE FOOT | 700 SQUARE FEET |
| Screen Mesh | $6 to $20 | $4,200 to $14,000 |
| Polycarbonate | $18 to $123 | $12,600 to $86,100 |
| Glass | $30 to $68 | $21,000 to $47,600 |
Screen Mesh
This is the most affordable of all swimming pool enclosures which also offers a lot of benefits. On the average, a screen mesh pool enclosure cost $6 to $20 per square foot therefore, a homeowner will be spending about $4,200 to $14,000 for a 700 square foot enclosure round the pool.
The basic advantage this has over other types of material is that it gives room for the passage of wind through it and a major disadvantage is that it doesn’t give or provide the desired privacy expected of a pool enclosure.
Polycarbonate
This is the best and most popular replacement for glass enclosures. When compared to glass, it is a better insulator, it is highly flexible and about 250 times highly resistant to impact. It also helps to keep out the wind and also has the ability to withstand heavy snow. It also helps to retain the warm air and keep out the cold so you can swim anytime during the year.
A polycarbonate pool enclosure on the average cost ranges between $18 to $123 per square foot which goes to mean that for a 700 square foot enclosure, the cost will range between $12,600 to $86,100.
Glass
Glass enclosures are usually the most expensive when compared with the other two previously mentioned. Per square foot, the cost ranges from $30 to $68 thereby making a 700 square foot enclosure to cost between $21,000 to $47,600. It primarily helps to keep out UV rays and other elements.
Though strong, the major drawback to this pool enclosure is the probability of shattering which makes homeowners to prefer a polycarbonate pool enclosure to it. It also is not as flexible as a polycarbonate pool enclosure.
What are the things to know before buying a pool enclosure?
Roof Design
Just as there are various materials for a pool enclosure, so also, there are various types of roof design and this ranges from the mansard roofs, flat roofs, and lots more.
Therefore, when installing a pool enclosure, always remember that an addition of roof or some specific roof design will inevitably raise the overall cost of your pool enclosure due to an increase in labor and materials needed to erect them.
Retractable Enclosures
Do you love the way your swimming season is extended by a polycarbonate pool enclosure but still desire to have the regular airflow of a screen meshed pool enclosure? A retractable pool enclosure comes in handy for this purpose.
There are majorly two types of retractable pool enclosure. These are automatic and manual retractable pool enclosures.
Automatic pool enclosure
If you are about that stress-free life, then you might want to consider the automatic retractable pool enclosures. They are quite pricy but it iw as you don’t need to lift a finger to get them open, you simply do this at the press of a button.
Above-Ground Pool Enclosures
Above-ground pools are a great pool choice if you are on a budget, so it would only make sense for their enclosures to be budget-friendly, too. Above-ground pool enclosures are typically dome-shaped and attached to the pool’s rim.
Enclosure Doors
Every pool enclosure needs a door, even if the enclosure is attached to a home door, you still would require s door that is built into the enclosure. Like the cost of pool enclosures, the cost of enclosure doors varies with the material it is made from. The Screen mesh pool enclosure door cost varies from $75 to $425 while polycarbonate doors (for example; storm door) costs between $185 to $1,000
Conclusion
Pool enclosures adds to the overall cost of your pool installation and construction but are well worth the extra bucks. The benefits of not needing to worry about debris and safety of toddlers really make for a good argument when contemplating on purchasing a pool enclosure.
Pool enclosure projects often require the certain expertise and skills. You should consider hiring a local contractor if you do not feel handy enough or do not have the right tools for the job.
With an average cost of around $2,233 for Low-end enclosure projects and $61,033 for high-end projects, pool enclosures are a real good feature to add to your swimming pool.
