What do you wish you knew before you had a pool?

[VandVsmama]

We recently moved a few months ago and we were so jaded after our experience with a pool at our old house that we opted to go for a house that has NO pool in the backyard.

 

[cvjw]

We had an in ground pool growing up and we lived in it all summer when we were young. Then, as we got older, the pool was never used.

But, all the maintenance and upkeep continued, even when no one used the pool anymore. Our yard was huge and covered in trees, so keeping it clean was a big undertaking. Not to mention expensive between the electricity, chemicals and repairs.

Then, one spring a hurricane blew thru and knocked 3 trees into the pool.

My parents were giddy with excitement!! They had a bulldozer out the next day to fill the pool in!

 

[1GoldenSun]

Where we live in Florida it's more the norm to have a pool than to not have one, so we don't have to worry about people wanting to come over to use our pool. That said, WE don't use our pool nearly as much as I would have thought. I myself haven't been in it in over a year. It's kind of boring, really.

But the neighborhood kids do "pool hop" all summer long, spending time in the pool at one child's house before moving on to the pool at another child's house. I don't know why they don't just stay in one place. I suspect it's because they're hitting up a succession of moms for ice pops and other snacks.

Although I rarely get in our pool, I really do enjoy the sight of it. Our house backs up to woods, so the view through all our glass sliders is the pool with the woods behind it, and it really is pretty. In that vein, be prepared to spend a lot more than you'd think on pool furniture and landscaping. We have lots of palm trees and flower planters, which look nice but weren't cheap and aren't cheap to keep looking nice. And pool furniture doesn't last as long as you might hope and is expensive to replace regularly, especially cushions. Pool toys also add up. I usually invest in one of those big pool floats at Easter as a gift for the kids, and expect it to last only one season and need to be replaced the following spring. Those can be pricy, but it actually is kind of fun to get a new one every year. They make such cute pool floats these days; just about any object you can imagine likely exists in the form of a pool float.

I do not regret buying a house with a pool. We entertain fairly regularly and the pool area is a lovely place for this; we use this space when entertaining company on all but the coldest days of the year. We've hung lights around the inside of the pool enclosure and it's very festive. So I enjoy the pool even though I don't get in it, haha!

I don't think it's really all that much work, nor is it all that expensive. DH takes care of ours himself and doesn't seem to spend a lot of time on it. Ours is salt water. If I were to get a pool again, I'd want salt water again. It seems a lot easier on the eyes and skin to me--less harsh. When my son comes home from swimming in the only neighboring pool that I'm aware of that isn't salt water, his eyes are so red and he smells like chlorine--I can always tell when he's been in that pool.

Have fun with it!

 

[Disneefun]

I think pools are in the same class of purchases as RV's, boats, time-share contracts, etc. Sometimes there is a desire to buy because you think it will be a wonderful thing and how great it will be to go swimming all the time, or vacation all the time, etc. Oh, just think of the family bonding! The fun we'll have! How great it will be to relax in our own stuff! But.. For many that remains a dream. Time doesn't magically appear to be used for swimming or vacationing. Work still runs late every night, or you have to work weekends. Family members still heed help, the house still needs work. Whatever it is, the time sucks don't magically stop when you spend boatloads on something. Or, the kids who swore they want to do this thing suddenly want to do other things or hang out with their friends and not in the pool or the camper. They get older and get summer jobs, cutting into pool time. Everyone who promised to pitch in on the maintenance finds other things to do. Life throws a curveball and suddenly the expenses are too much, or you can't use the thing. (I have a neighbor that no sooner did the pool go in, they got into a car wreck and now he's quadriplegic. Another bought an RV only to have his wife die at a young age and he no longer wanted to travel. Granted that stuff is really rare, but just an illustration.)

These things can work for some people and many people do enjoy them. But my advice is to separate the emotion and the dream from the likely reality before shelling out the money. Is this really something you want, or is it part of a fantasy of a lifestyle that work and obligations will keep you from attaining, no matter how much you may really want it. Especially with a pool. At least an RV/boat/timeshare can be sold. A pool is a sunk cost. There's no returning it, or selling it to get some money out of it, unless you sell the house.

 

[gotomu212]

This fascinates me. May I ask if before you had a house with a pool, did you ALWAYS wish for a house with a pool? We live in the city, and having a pool is not and never has been in the cards for us, between lack of space and a huge 100 year old plus Oak tree in our back yard, but DH and I fantasize about having a pool I couldn't imagine every leaving our yard. I'm not being sarcastic, I truly would LOVE to know your thoughts before the pool and why your feelings changed.

I had dreamed about a house with a pool my whole life, was involved in swimming as a sport, had kids that loved the water, and was SO EXCITED when we put in our pool, but after the first year we just didn’t use it much. It’s probably different for everyone but for us we found that it actually takes some effort to go out there (you have to change into swimsuits, then you swim, and then you’re all wet and if you’re going somewhere you have to get dressed again and maybe do hair and makeup) and most days we just didn’t have time for what really wasn’t “a quick dip”. The first year I loved floating around, exercising, reading by the pool...but it actually gets a little boring day after day (shocking! Seriously shocked me). A dream vacation is hanging at the pool but I guess it gets old, plus it’s a little hard finding time to laze around on a continual basis. The most surprising was my son who prefers the neighborhood pool. He really wants to play with other people and we’re not huge fans of having other kids in the pool a lot for safety reasons (plus most kids that would come over to swim would get bored after 45 minutes and want to come inside and run around wet and now I’ve got an indoor play date that I didn’t really want).

We had a few weekends when my family would come to town and we’d have a weekend vacation pool party and they were some of the best times and everyone lived in the pool so they can be fantastic fun, but after the weekend it was back to being a pretty but expensive time consuming thing in the backyard.

 

[neverlandsky]

Pools are fun to play in, however they are not much fun to have 90% of the time. Better off getting a recreation pool pass or season waterpark tickets. Or you can go on 6-10 WDW trips for the total cost of an inground pool.

 

[quandrea]

Things I wish we'd known ahead of time before putting in a pool:

1. the salt cell (that converts to chlorine) will only last a couple of years and then you'll have to replace it
2. in order for the salt system to create chlorine, it had to run longer than we would have run the pool pump if we didn't have a salt system
3. how much a pool guy would cost...very pricey! So we did it ourselves and we sucked at it.
4. how little we would actually end up using it
5. what a pain in the neck the spa/hot tub would also end up being in terms of keeping it clean. Hated that thing. Should have just gone with the pool and not added an in ground spa/hot tub, too.

I hated the salt water system we inherited. Switched back to chlorine when it died. We love having the pool. Our kids are 15, 10 and 10 and they are in many hours per day in the summer. It should be said that they are all high performance swimmers though and being away from the water would be punishing for them. It’s expensive. Opening, closing, heating in the spring and fall, chemicals. We don’t find it a lot of work. DH puts the vacuum robot in and pulls it out, I’m in charge of balancing the chemicals and getting the chemicals at the store. We’ve had a pool 15 years now. I’ve had one for 46 years. Still not bored. There is nothing better than going for a run, coming home and jumping in the pool.

 

[quandrea]

That they’re a huge PITA and time suck when it comes to cleaning and maintenance. We had one when I was a teen and keeping it in decent shape seemed never ending. Swore I’d never own one and never have.

People always say this, but I find we only spend about fifteen minutes a week on balancing the water. The robot cleans the pool—maybe two to three minutes a day putting it in and pulling it out.

 

[wenrob]

People always say this, but I find we only spend about fifteen minutes a week on balancing the water. The robot cleans the pool—maybe two to three minutes a day putting it in and pulling it out.

I’m not just saying it, I lived it. For whatever reason it fell on me to take care of the pool. It was a never ending job that I’d never want to do again. More than half the people in this thread have said they wouldn’t do it again.

 

[nkereina]

I think pools are in the same class of purchases as RV's, boats, time-share contracts, etc. Sometimes there is a desire to buy because you think it will be a wonderful thing and how great it will be to go swimming all the time, or vacation all the time, etc. Oh, just think of the family bonding! The fun we'll have! How great it will be to relax in our own stuff! But.. For many that remains a dream. Time doesn't magically appear to be used for swimming or vacationing. Work still runs late every night, or you have to work weekends. Family members still heed help, the house still needs work. Whatever it is, the time sucks don't magically stop when you spend boatloads on something. Or, the kids who swore they want to do this thing suddenly want to do other things or hang out with their friends and not in the pool or the camper. They get older and get summer jobs, cutting into pool time. Everyone who promised to pitch in on the maintenance finds other things to do. Life throws a curveball and suddenly the expenses are too much, or you can't use the thing. (I have a neighbor that no sooner did the pool go in, they got into a car wreck and now he's quadriplegic. Another bought an RV only to have his wife die at a young age and he no longer wanted to travel. Granted that stuff is really rare, but just an illustration.)
These things can work for some people and many people do enjoy them. But my advice is to separate the emotion and the dream from the likely reality before shelling out the money. Is this really something you want, or is it part of a fantasy of a lifestyle that work and obligations will keep you from attaining, no matter how much you may really want it. Especially with a pool. At least an RV/boat/timeshare can be sold. A pool is a sunk cost. There's no returning it, or selling it to get some money out of it, unless you sell the house.

All good considerations and definitely food for thought. Its no doubt a luxury item that no one *needs*, so by this logic, I'm not sure who you think the target market would be. Few are wealthy enough to not work and enjoy their pool or boat all day. Those of us here in the middle class look to those items to provide enjoyment during downtime and weekends. Not trying to live out a fantasy, per se.

I hated the salt water system we inherited. Switched back to chlorine when it died. We love having the pool. Our kids are 15, 10 and 10 and they are in many hours per day in the summer. It should be said that they are all high performance swimmers though and being away from the water would be punishing for them. It’s expensive. Opening, closing, heating in the spring and fall, chemicals. We don’t find it a lot of work. DH puts the vacuum robot in and pulls it out, I’m in charge of balancing the chemicals and getting the chemicals at the store. We’ve had a pool 15 years now. I’ve had one for 46 years. Still not bored. There is nothing better than going for a run, coming home and jumping in the pool.

What did you hate about the salt water system?

 

[fab1976]

My sister had an above ground pool. A friend who had been drinking decided to dive into it. Litigation is still in the works over his paralysis and ongoing lifetime expenses. As much as I would love a pool, I look at her and the chance she could lose her house and say no thanks.

 

[quandrea]

All good considerations and definitely food for thought. Its no doubt a luxury item that no one *needs*, so by this logic, I'm not sure who you think the target market would be. Few are wealthy enough to not work and enjoy their pool or boat all day. Those of us here in the middle class look to those items to provide enjoyment during downtime and weekends. Not trying to live out a fantasy, per se.

What did you hate about the salt water system?

Cleaning the cell was not pleasant. It involved soaking the cell in a strong acid—so that meant protective clothing. The chemical reaction that converts the salt involves high temperatures and toxic compounds. Our cell was coming to the end of its life when we got it. That meant more frequent cleanings. Once the cell died, replacement was going to be one thousand dollars. Converting back to chlorine—$300. Sold on the chlorine. The chlorinator does all the work. I just add pucks once a week.

 

[quandrea]

I’m not just saying it, I lived it. For whatever reason it fell on me to take care of the pool. It was a never ending job that I’d never want to do again. More than half the people in this thread have said they wouldn’t do it again.

I’m sorry you took offence. None was intended. I personally find the pool to be some work—of course—but nothing onerous, and nothing more than a few minutes per week. Perhaps things have changed in the intervening years.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

These things can work for some people and many people do enjoy them. But my advice is to separate the emotion and the dream from the likely reality before shelling out the money. Is this really something you want, or is it part of a fantasy of a lifestyle that work and obligations will keep you from attaining, no matter how much you may really want it. Especially with a pool. At least an RV/boat/timeshare can be sold. A pool is a sunk cost. There's no returning it, or selling it to get some money out of it, unless you sell the house.

I think this is one of the benefits to having an above ground pool. It can be fairly easily dismantled and removed. I've seen some that look like in ground pools. Creative things can be done with decking and such. Look around online.

 

[starry_solo]

Haven't had a pool, but got a house with an above-ground spa that started leaking a few months after I got the house. I never used it, even though I planned to and bought the chemicals (still stored in the garage) to do the cleaning myself (this was before it started leaking). I had it looked at (to fix the leak) but decided not to, so it was empty for a few years. Got it removed last year for about $500..

 

[Disneefun]

All good considerations and definitely food for thought. Its no doubt a luxury item that no one *needs*, so by this logic, I'm not sure who you think the target market would be. Few are wealthy enough to not work and enjoy their pool or boat all day. Those of us here in the middle class look to those items to provide enjoyment during downtime and weekends. Not trying to live out a fantasy, per se.

I don't mean "fantasy" in terms of Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous and being able to afford it financially. I mean fantasy in terms of thinking that free time will magically appear to use the thing. If you work all the time now, will that change with the arrival of the pool/RV, etc.? If the kids are at activities from dawn till dusk, will that change? If you have other hobbies you love, will they be shelved when the pool comes? If you have very little leisure time to begin with, more won't magically appear when the pool does. I've seen too many people say, "We'll use it all the time," but they aren't thinking realistically about their life. Then they regret the money spent when it goes unused. All I'm saying is to realistically look at what free time you have, how you spend it, and how that might change if you have a pool. Then do the math on whether it would really get used and if the price tag is worth that amount.

 

[shoney]

We bought a house with a pool 15 years ago. We love it.
Switched to salt about 6 years ago and it is even easier.
We have someone open and close it but use the auto robot to clean it. Other than emptying the skimmer boxes we don’t find that it takes much work at all.

 

[Meriweather]

I already posted but I will add more
We live in AZ and about 1 in 2 houses, if not more, have pools.
We have salt water and we like it. We clean the salt cell....well, DH does and doesn't wear protective clothing. The cell just soaks, then he rinses it in the pool and dumps the leftover cleaner in the pool too.
You don't just put the vacuum in and it takes care of everything, the filters need cleaning. The vacuum gets clogged and sometimes breaks.
We have a "play" pool and it is just the right size. We have a baja step to sit on or kids to play on.
Our gates are locked and the inside door that lead to the yard have high up door knobs. Our grand kids take survival swimming as soon as they are old enough. Our 5 year old DGD can go every where in it, even to get things off the bottom.
It does need extra cleaning after a storm to get the debris out.
We also have a grotto and that is nice. Cooler on the step that is in there and DGD likes to climb the rock and jump in....but she is never out there alone

 

[barb969]

Years ago my niece and her friends were digging in the friend’s yard and found an in ground pool. Evidently someone was sick of the pool and took the easy way out. They were excited about having a pool but they never rehabbed it.

 

[wenrob]

I’m sorry you took offence. None was intended. I personally find the pool to be some work—of course—but nothing onerous, and nothing more than a few minutes per week. Perhaps things have changed in the intervening years.

I wasn’t offended.