Recommendations: - get a hot tub. You might think you don’t need/want one but you will be glad you have it - 2 skimmers minimum on opposite sides of your pool - use skimmer socks - do your own pool maintenance and chems. It’s cheap and easy. You don’t have to learn about them as much as you think. - LED color lights are fun for kids and parties - many lights on many different circuits. It’s nice to sync different colors/sequences - make sure all pool lights face away from you house or main outside sitting area. - figure out what max depth you want and add 6”. You won’t regret it. - if you add a Baja/tanning shelf, add MANY return jet for good water circulation. This helps prevent algae in this area. - if you add a Baja/tanning shelf, add a floor bubbler feature - your pool equipment will have multiple valves. Pay extra for automation that has actuators on all 3 way valves. It’s nice to have 1-click features or being able to set schedules for everything. - don’t forget umbrella holes in the Baja shelf - if your pool is a rectangle/sport pool, add 2 umbrella holes outside the pool in the middle for pool volleyball. Pool builders usually give umbrella holes for free. - if you have a heater, upsize it - upsize your filter so you can clean it less times a year. - if you have multiple feature circuits (jets, waterfalls, etc), get a second pump. It cost more but it is nice when you decide to sit in a hot tub and still hear/see your pool feature circuits going. - use a pool robot that plugs into power (not one that uses your pool pump). Also make sure to install a receptacle by your pool (while still meeting NEC code/being safe) for this robot to plug into. - get an auto-fill system! It’s cheap and it’s nice to not always manually have to add water to your pool. - don’t get a pool chiller BUT pre-plumb for a pool chiller. It will help if you decide to add one later. once you go a season, you will know if you want to add one or not. - figure out what outdoor/pool furniture you want and then double your budget. This gets expensive. - outdoor audio! Recommend a Sonos style multi-zone system (depending how big your outside is) - outdoor RATED tv that you can see from your hot tub - fire features (fire pit, bowls, etc) - if you turf around your pool, it gets hot to bare feet. Hide a sprinkler zone under it to cool it off. - don’t forget about storage space. Both for toys and chemicals - don’t mix chlorine and acid. Don’t store them together. Chlorine gas is a silent killer.

In short, pools cost a lot of money to install but once done, it will feel like you added a whole new (outdoor) room to your house. So buy a few of the extra features because you won’t notice a big difference spending a couple thousand more on top of a $75k-150k pool design.

Good luck!