How Much Does a Plunge Pool Cost? Real Prices by Size, Plus What Installation Adds

A plunge pool is a small pool for cooling off, sitting in the water and taking short swims instead of swimming laps. It is also the pool most people can fit in their yard. Comparing plunge pool cost takes some care because the name covers everything from a stock tank to a custom concrete pool with an attached spa. We sell one, the Oahu fiberglass shell, which measures 9.8 by 20 feet. We will start with its listed price, then explain what delivery, installation and size add to your total.

How much does a plunge pool cost: the short answer

Our fiberglass plunge pool shell is $18,400. Delivery is free within 250 miles of Rio Medina, Texas, and $5.50 a mile after that. Your pool builder quotes the digging, crane, equipment and deck. Those three amounts make up the whole plunge pool cost. You know the shell and delivery prices before you order. The installation quote needs a closer look, so we spend most of this post explaining it.

What the shell price buys

The Oahu is a one-piece inground fiberglass pool with a rectangular shape. It is 9.8 feet wide and 20 feet long, with a flat 5 foot floor and wide entry steps molded into the shell. The depth stays at five feet throughout, so you can stand anywhere, float, sit on the steps or swim a few strokes along its 20 foot length. There is no shallow end or slope, which keeps excavation simple. You can choose from three shades at no extra charge: Caribbean Blue, Cancun White or Eclipse Gray. The color is part of the shell, rather than a liner or plaster coat. You get the same limited lifetime warranty as our full-size pools for as long as you own the home. A professional must install it, and the pool must stay full.

The shell does not include mechanical equipment. It comes without a pump, filter, heater or jets. Your builder supplies those as part of installation. That is normal for every inground pool, whether you choose fiberglass or concrete.

Delivery: quoted before you pay

Your shell ships by flatbed from our distributor in Rio Medina, Texas, to anywhere in the lower 48. Delivery is guaranteed within 4 to 5 weeks. It is free within 250 miles, then $5.50 a mile. A yard 500 miles from Rio Medina pays about $1,375. A yard 1,200 miles away pays about $5,200. We confirm your delivery charge in writing before you order, so the invoice has no freight surprise. No sales tax is charged unless the pool ships to Wyoming.

What it costs to install a plunge pool: the pool builder’s side

Installation is the part of your plunge pool cost that varies most because it depends on your yard. An in-ground plunge pool is the easiest swimming pool to install. As a homeowner, knowing the reasons can help you read a builder’s quote:

• A smaller hole. A 9.8 by 20 foot pool with a flat floor needs less digging and leaves less dirt to haul away than a 14 by 30 pool with a deep end. A shorter shell is also easier to set level if your yard slopes.
• A simpler crane lift. The 20 foot shell needs a shorter swing path between the truck and the hole than our 30 and 35 foot pools. That is what makes a plunge pool workable in yards a full-size shell could never reach. Walk that route with your builder before you order.
• Smaller equipment. Less water needs a smaller pump and filter. If you want heat, it also needs a smaller heater that runs less. Ask your builder to list each piece of equipment separately on the quote.
• Less pool deck. Coping, the edging around the pool, costs less around a 60 foot perimeter than a 90 foot one. A small plunge pool also suits a small surround. That can mean a paver band and a couple of loungers instead of a whole patio.
• The same permit and fence. Your building department still treats a plunge pool as an inground pool. The permit and any barrier your town requires cost the same as they would for a big pool.

Ask your builder to quote those items separately. Check whether the crane is included and what happens if digging uncovers rock or groundwater. Those are the surprises on most pool projects.

How size drives the price

Choosing plunge pool size mostly comes down to width and depth. Our Oahu is 9.8 feet wide and 5 feet deep throughout. That gives an adult waist-to-chest deep water across the whole floor. The next size up in our range is the Kauai pool, a 12 by 25 foot rectangle with a sloping floor, priced at $24,000. The extra 2 feet of width and 5 feet of length add $5,600 to the shell price. They also add to the digging, deck and water you heat. With a plunge pool, you give up laps and a deep end. In return, the pool, hole, equipment and running costs all get smaller. Dimensions below about 10 by 20 feet start to feel like a hot tub, which is why ours stops there.

Types of plunge pools: above-ground plunge pool, concrete and fiberglass

An above-ground plunge pool arrives as a tank and sits on a pad. It costs less to install because you do not need excavation. It sits above the yard, though, and cannot take a flush deck. A concrete plunge pool is built on your property from sprayed concrete and can be any shape. You get a price for the individual job rather than a listed shell price. It usually costs more because the labor happens on your property over weeks. Fiberglass sits between these options. The shell goes inground and sits flush with the deck like concrete. It also has the fixed price and one-day set of a delivered product. We only sell fiberglass, so that is what we can quote.

Can a plunge pool be heated?

Yes. Heating is the strongest reason to choose a small pool. The Oahu holds far less water than a full-size pool. Your builder can install a smaller heater, and the water reaches temperature faster. That makes a heated plunge pool practical from spring into late fall instead of three summer months. If you want a hot tub beside it, choose Add a Fiberglass Spa on the Oahu’s page. You can add a Santorini Spa, measuring 7 by 7 feet, for $4,500. The other option is a Mykonos, measuring 8 feet 8 by 9 feet 4, for $6,400. Either spa travels with the same delivery, and your builder sizes the heater for both. The inground hot tub shells have their own page too.

Benefits of a plunge pool: is it worth the money?

A plunge pool makes sense if your yard cannot fit a full-size pool or you want to cool off and sit in the water. You get a real inground pool for $4,000 to $16,600 less on the shell than our full-size pools. It also needs a fraction of their digging and deck. If you want to swim lengths, spend the extra on the Kauai. If you want cold water for recovery, a cold plunge tub with a chiller runs $3,500 to $7,320. It sits on a patio and needs no builder.

Getting your own number

Start with the $18,400 shell price and add delivery for your ZIP code. Give that delivered quote to a licensed pool builder for an installation quote. Those two quotes give you one total. Visit our fiberglass plunge pool page for Oahu details. Our fiberglass pool price guide compares every shell we sell. MCO Pools is our own label, with no sales tax except in Wyoming and guaranteed 4 to 5 week delivery. We have real people you can talk to before ordering. Send us your yard measurements and ZIP code, and we will tell you the plunge pool cost delivered to your door.