What is the primary use for the water?
Drives size, depth, heating and whether a spa is the better project.
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Pool Plan Compass · Polls
Pool planning polls
Sixteen quick polls across planning, shells and equipment, spas, features and decking, and budget. Vote once per question and see the running results from other homeowners planning a pool or spa on this site.
Go to the pollsPoll results by topic
Every poll below is answered by visitors planning pool and spa construction. Results update the moment you vote, one vote per poll per browser, and your own choices stay highlighted so you can compare them with everyone else's. Nothing here is a sales survey; use it to see which trade-offs other homeowners are weighing before you request estimates.
16 polls · newly opened, so every vote shapes the first results · results saved on this device. Vote on any poll you have not answered; your own votes are highlighted.
Planning the whole yard
Which part of the scope are you most likely to cut if the budget is tight?
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What worries you most about building a pool?
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How many months a year do you expect to use the pool?
EIA's 2024 survey found 77% of Western pool homes swim year-round versus a small minority in the Northeast.
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What matters most when choosing a builder?
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Shell and equipment
Which shell type are you leaning toward?
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Which sanitizer do you plan to use?
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How do you plan to heat the pool?
EIA's 2024 survey found 60% of U.S. pool homes report an unheated pool.
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Spas and hot tubs
If you want a spa, which type fits your plan?
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How many months a year would you use a hot tub?
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Features and decking
Which water feature appeals most?
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How much water sound do you want on the deck?
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Which deck material are you planning?
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What matters most in the deck?
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Budget and regrets
What total budget are you planning for the whole project?
Angi's 2026 benchmark for the pool alone is $44,499 to $87,349.
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If you already own a pool, what do you most wish you had done differently?
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By the numbers
What the published surveys say
Poll results above are from visitors to this site; these figures come from published research.
48.2%
of U.S. pool homes report no variable-speed pump
EIA's 2024 survey finds 4,629,000 pool homes still on single or dual-speed pumps, an installed-base figure that reflects older pools. Since the 2021 DOE rule, nearly all new residential pumps sold are variable speed.
EIA 2024 Residential Energy Consumption Survey (preliminary microdata, May 2026) (2024)Just under 60,000
new pools were built in 2025, a mid-single-digit decline
Pool Corporation's Q4 2025 call said 2026 guidance assumes construction stays near 60,000 units, and that Florida will soon be its largest installed-base market. New pool construction has stabilized at about half the 2021–2022 pace.
Pool Corporation Q4 2025 earnings call transcript (MarketBeat) (2026)$65,000–$120,000
Gunite $65k–$120k, fiberglass $25k–$60k, vinyl $20k–$40k installed
HomeAdvisor's 2026 material breakdown shows concrete costs two to three times a vinyl-liner pool up front. Concrete buys unlimited shape freedom; fiberglass and vinyl buy lower cost and faster installation.
HomeAdvisor, How Much Does It Cost to Build a Pool (2026)$960–$1,800 per year
Annual pool maintenance runs $960–$1,800; pump electricity up to $300 a year
HomeAdvisor's 2026 guide puts monthly service at $30–$260, seasonal opening or closing at $150–$300 each, and notes saltwater pools average only about $100 a year in salt and chemicals. Budget the ongoing cost before you commit to the build.
HomeAdvisor, Pool Maintenance Cost (2026)National data tells you what pool owners have; polls tell you what people planning right now are choosing. EIA's 2024 survey found 48.2% of existing pool homes report no variable-speed pump, an installed-base figure that says nothing about new builds, where the 2021 Department of Energy rule makes variable speed the default. The polls fill that gap with what planners on this site are specifying.
Vote on the questions that match your project, then compare your answers with the running results. Where the crowd diverges from your plan, the comparison pages explain the trade-off. Where it agrees, you have one less thing to second-guess.
What do the polls ask, and why these questions?
The planning category asks about primary use, scope priority, the biggest worry, the regional season and what matters most in a builder. Shells and equipment asks shell type, sanitizer and heating plan. The spa category asks portable versus in-ground and months of use. Features and decking asks feature type, noise tolerance, deck material and deck priority. Budget asks the total range and the one thing owners regret. Each is a decision that shows up as a line in a proposal.
They are phrased so the options are mutually exclusive and neutral. There is no option labeled 'best'. Pool Corporation estimated just under 60,000 new pools in 2025; these polls are a window into what a slice of that year's planners chose.
How should you read the results?
As a sample of homeowners planning on this site, skewed toward people doing research before hiring, which is a particular kind of buyer. If 60% chose gunite, that reflects this sample's tastes and sites, not the national market, where HomeAdvisor's pricing of gunite at $65,000–$120,000 keeps many buyers in fiberglass or vinyl. Use the results to spot a question worth asking, not to settle it.
The regret poll is the most useful. Owners who wish they had bought the cover, sized the heater, or paid for the wider deck are telling you where the second-year money goes. Read it alongside HomeAdvisor's $960–$1,800 per year maintenance range, then adjust your estimate request accordingly.
Which polls matter most for a spa-only project?
The spa category and the regional season poll. If most planners with your climate report year-round hot tub use, as EIA's 2024 survey suggests for the Northeast where 42.2% of tub homes soak all twelve months, a portable unit with a good cover is the plan. The spa type poll shows how many planners attach the spa to a new pool versus buying a standalone unit, and the spa page prices both routes with the pad and circuit included.
The months-of-use poll is the honest one. Nationally, our analysis of EIA's 2024 survey found 30.0% of hot-tub homes use the tub all year and 52.7% heat it with electricity. A hot tub kept at temperature but used twice a month costs the same to run as one used nightly; HomeAdvisor budgets $20 to $30 a month in electricity and $500 to $1,000 a year in upkeep either way.
How do the polls connect to the rest of the site?
Each poll also appears on the service page whose decision it covers, so the shell poll sits on the design and build page and the deck material poll on the decking page. The running results give you a sense of what other planners chose while you read the trade-offs. Vote on the question, read the section, and if the crowd went the other way, check the comparison page to see why they might have.
None of this replaces a written proposal. The polls tell you what to ask; the estimate request gets you the answer for your yard, from independent pros who have seen it.
About these polls
Can I vote more than once?
One vote per question per browser. Results update as votes come in and are shown as percentages with the total count. There is no login, and nothing about you is stored beyond the vote itself.
Are these polls a survey of pool owners?
No. They are a sample of homeowners planning on this site, self-selected and unweighted. National ownership and equipment data comes from EIA's 2024 survey and is cited separately. The polls show planner intent; the survey shows installed reality.
Why is there no 'other' option?
Because 'other' absorbs votes and tells nobody anything. Each poll lists the realistic choices for that decision. If none fits, skip the question; the comparisons and service pages cover edge cases.
Do the results affect what pros I am matched with?
No. Matching is by service area and the scope you describe in the estimate request. Your poll votes are not attached to your request.
How often are new polls added?
When a decision starts showing up repeatedly in estimate requests or in reader questions. Existing polls are not reset, so early results carry forward.
Which poll should I answer first?
Primary use. It drives size, depth, heating and whether a spa is the better project, and it is the first thing a builder will ask. The shell and budget polls follow from it.
Can I see results without voting?
Results appear after you vote on a question, which keeps the sample honest. Voting takes one click and does not commit you to anything.
More free tools
Free toolInground pool cost calculatorSize, material tier and complexity in, a realistic budget range out.
Free toolPool and spa comparisons, decided by your conditionsSide-by-side tables for the decisions that change the price most.
Free toolPool planning quiz: nine things to know before the first site visit9 questions that show what you already know and what to check next.
Service guides
Service guideCustom Pool Design & BuildCustom pool design and build covers everything from the site plan to first swim: excavation, the shell in gunite, fiberglass or vinyl, equipment and plumbing, electrical and bonding, the barrier, startup and training.
Service guideSpa & Hot Tub InstallationSpa and hot tub installation covers the base, the delivery route, the dedicated electrical circuit with GFCI protection, drainage around the unit, and the cover and access arrangement that make it usable every week.
Service guideWater Features & WaterfallsWater features add sound and motion to a pool through sheer descents, bubblers, deck jets, scuppers, spillover spas or rock waterfalls.
Service guidePool Decking & CopingPool decking and coping form the transition from water to yard: the coping caps the bond beam and the deck carries foot traffic and sheds water.
Ready to price your pool and spa construction?
Tell us the size, the condition of what is there now, and what you want to change. Pool Plan Compass passes your request to independent local professionals, who reply with written, no-obligation estimates. The service is free to use.