OT- Above ground pool

There was a pool at our house when we moved in. Kids used it a lot and we had to replace it. Total PITA. The good news is that once the kids move on I can take it down. Sharkline makes a nice one. Looked into an in the ground but too expensive. I am in MA and we are lucky to have 3 months to use it. 

@johnkitchens and once again my disdain for you ( read severe jealousy of) grows. 

I could not drink beer in that backyard, I would have to learn to like white wine.

But to answer the OP, I have friends and family that have had above ground and those that like them also take them down each year.  Before we had room for an in ground, we bought a really big above ground spa that our kids used as a pool.  They were little, so it was fine.  Although keeping balanced chem in a small volume is a pita.

We now have inground and it is a lot of work, or you can pay someone a lot of money. Was great for the kids growing up as they had their friends over to our house more than they were somewhere else and that was invaluable to us.  You don't have to go epic, simple small is great for a pool, most of the time kids are just jumping in and adults just float with a cocktail, so you don't need room for laps.

I think most pool owners will tell you it's better to have a neighbor with a pool than a pool of your own.  I'm lucky in that respect.  My across the street neighbor has a nice pool(nothing like@johnkitchens) that she lets my wife and I use whenever we want.  As far as above ground pools go I can't really help man. 

I just went thru this as my previous above ground pool finally corroded.  Lasted about 10 years.  The quality above ground pool is Doughboy.  It is made tough and comes with a great warranty, neighbors who have it put it in 20 years ago, and it still looks great with no problems.  The other above ground is Radiant pools which is not metal, this is a resin foam walls which have a great warranty.  They are pretty expensive, but no corrosion to worry about.  I went that route, and so far it is pretty awesome!

There was a deck around the previous pool I replaced.  I matched the new pool as close as I could, but there is still a gap.  That will be my project next year, redoing the decking boards to match up to the edge.  I need to save some more money for that project as I want to use a composite wood material which is more expensive than pressure treated. 

Check out http://www.troublefreepool.com/forum.php.  That's where I go when I need help with my pool. Folks are really nice and will not steer you wrong. They have a forum just for above-grond pools.

They also make maintaining a pool simple (hint: don't listen to the pool store's advice - they have no interest in your pool looking good). My pool is crystal clear and I do little more than add chlorine once a week.

Had a Doughboy 28' round. Sold the house and left the pool.  Next house went 16 x 32 inground. Best investment in our family we ever made.  We always knew where our kids were and who their friends were.  The more a pool is used, the easier it is to keep clean.  (If you get one, make sure to save some money and buy stock in a hotdog company.  You will cook lots of them. Or at least I did.)

My house is on a 30 acre pond. I feed the carp fermented feed corn in the spring a cup a day til it's gone,. My beach stays clean.  Way better than a pool and it cost me practically nothing. They stock trout in my pool