Care for both is nearly identical. Fiberglass can be done very quickly since there are no cure times for the shell or plaster. Fiberglass is usually a smaller pool. Larger pools may require a two piece which means significant changes in the installation process. Choosing an installer that works with you is important for both. When caring bids, make the bidders meet your specs so you can compare them equally. Try to look at pools they have done that are of varied ages on ground that is similar to yours. It's not just the pool but it's surrounding areas that shoud be noticed. Keep enough money on the back of the payment schedule to keep the builder interested in completing everything. Pool chems and energy cost every year. Repair money is a good thing to budget for too. Expect the food budget to need an increase. There will be more mouths to feed. That got me a few times. Remember, if it isn't in writing, it wasn't said. Expect the unexpected to drive anticipated costs up. Ask what it costs if water is hit during excavation before hand. Dry wells, extra gravel, big boulders and bedrock cost, sometimes dearly. What went well in other nearby yards is no guarantee that this is the case in your yard. Hope this helps. Scott

I really think it's just personal preference. I'm in MD, too and we went with gunite. A couple of people I work with got vinyl and love it and our friend has vinyl. When we were in their vinyl pool I slipped a bit when I got to the slope and that's basically why I decided I wanted a gunite pool (with pebbletec).

Like automobiles, there is a huge variety of doors and windows with varying prices. If you're in Florida, I'd check out PGT.

Fiberglass offers the flexibility to paint the interior, whereas vinyl does not. The "strength" factor as well as the expansion issue are dramatically overstated by those pushing fiberglass products. Some fiberglass windows are very nice (particularly those made in Canada like Inline that have excellent performance ratings). Dollar for dollar, there are some pros and cons to each when looking the higher end choices in each respective material, however I find it very difficult to justify a price premium either way. IMO, the extra $$$ that fiberglass typically costs is due to nothing more than the fact that it is somewhat of a "niche" product. The look and performance of a top FG product vs a top vinyl product will be very comparable.