Quick answer
A custom gunite in-ground pool in Delaware County typically costs $90,000–$160,000 for the pool by itself. Full backyard packages — pool, coping, decking, plantings, sometimes an outdoor kitchen — run $200,000–$350,000.
The variance is mostly driven by three things: pool size, materials selected (plaster, coping, tile), and how much site work your lot requires before we can dig.
What's included in the pool-only number
The $90k–$160k pool-only range covers excavation, gunite shell, plumbing, interior finish (quartz or pebble), waterline tile, coping stone, standard equipment (pump, filter, salt system or chlorine), automation, and a basic concrete deck footprint.
Anything decorative — waterfalls, sun shelves, integrated spas, custom lighting, high-end coping — sits above that range. Sun shelves start around $5,000, integrated spas around $15,000, and custom water features are quoted per project.
What's included in the full backyard number
The $200k–$350k full backyard range adds paver patios (typically $30k–$80k depending on square footage), retaining walls or grading, outdoor kitchens ($30k+), pergolas or pavilions ($20k+), landscape architecture (plantings, softscape, lighting), and often an outdoor bathroom or pool house.
Since Pro Pool Experts is a one-stop shop — we handle pool, hardscape, and landscape in-house — you save the coordination premium that comes with hiring three separate contractors.
How much does pool maintenance cost per month?
Weekly maintenance in Delaware County starts around $200 per visit during the swim season. Most homeowners run weekly service May through September, so you're looking at $800–$1,000 per month during peak season, plus chemicals billed as-used.
Fall closings run $400 (basic) or $550 (premium). Spring openings are the same price. Repair work is billed separately with the diagnostic fee credited to any approved repair.
What drives the number up
Difficult site access (tight lot, sloped grade, mature trees) adds excavation cost. Rocky soil common in parts of Delaware and Chester Counties can add $5k–$15k in extra excavation. Complex shapes (freeform, L-shape) cost more than rectangles because forming and rebar work take longer.
Premium finishes are the biggest single line-item swing: quartz plaster runs $2–$3 per sq. ft., pebble is $3–$5, glass-bead is $5–$8. Multiply by the shell surface area (typically 1,000–1,600 sq. ft.) and it adds up fast.