Liberty Virtuous 16x40 Fiberglass Pool, Installed

Liberty describes the Virtuous as a design that removes the unnecessary and focuses on what needs to be there, generous in size and elegant in design. It is a long, deep rectangle. Forty feet is real lap length, and an 8 ft deep end gives teenagers and strong swimmers somewhere to go. It is still a non-diving pool, as Liberty rates all its shells.

We see it chosen by families with several kids, by adults who swim for exercise and by owners on larger lots in Portage, Medina and Geauga counties who want the pool to hold its own in a big yard.

Liberty tags the Virtuous with swim-up seating and as auto cover ready. The floor runs from 3 ft 6 in to 8 ft, the deepest of any model we price. At about 21,000 gallons, it holds nearly seven times the water of the smallest Enrichment.

Its closest relative is the Devotion, also 16 by 40 ft but freeform, 6 ft 6 in at its deepest and about 17,000 gallons. The Virtuous costs $6,400 more in our packages. You are paying for the extra depth and water, and for a shape that takes an automatic cover easily.

With our 4 ft deck, the Virtuous covers about 24 by 48 ft. In Hudson, pools must sit behind the main mass of the house and 15 ft from side and rear lines, and 50 ft from the side line on a corner lot. Strongsville uses 15 ft from every lot line and counts the equipment. You need a yard of real size, well over 50 ft wide and deep, before adding fence and patio.

Depth matters on our ground. An 8 ft deep end puts the bottom of the dig well into the clay and closer to any seasonal water table. We plan dewatering and a drain at the deep end to manage groundwater pressure, and we follow the manufacturer's sequence of filling the pool and backfilling together. Latham, which makes Liberty pools, describes that same process.

Delivery is the other check. A 16 by 40 shell comes on a truck in one piece and needs a crane with a clear swing. We look at the route, wires and ground during the site visit.

You get the Liberty shell and full installation, a Pentair variable-speed pump, a Pentair DE filter, Pentair MicroBrite color-changing LED lights, a 4 ft concrete wrap deck, a cleaning kit, starter chemicals and the electrical hook-up at the equipment. We design it in 3D and handle the permits.

Priced after the site visit: the barrier fence, extra decking, spoils haul-off, dewatering and the power run from the panel. A 16 by 40 by 8 ft dig produces a lot of soil, so haul-off is a larger item here than on any other model.

An automatic cover is our first recommendation on a pool this size. It holds heat, keeps leaves out and acts as a barrier when closed. A heater follows. Many owners add a spillover spa at the shallow end, sheer descents along a long wall, automation and a wide patio.