tell me about owning a pool

[Jeannie in NJ]

we are thinking about moving off shore. We don't go to the beach and we would like a yard with trees and a pool. We would probably want to hire a pool service. Tell me what it is like (the good and the bad) about having a pool.

[nono]

To me it comes down to how big is it and how close are the trees?

 

A well-built pool isn't that difficult to maintain. I had one years ago when I lived in PA, and we were fortunate that our deciduous trees were away from the pool. I ask how big, because it always seems to me that the bigger the pool, the more unstable the water (and therefore more work) the pool is. Realize, though, I was a lifeguard dealing with an Olympic-sized pool when I wasn't dealing with my backyard kidney-shaped one...

 

I don't have a pool now. I don't feel like here in the mid-Atlantic I get enough time for the annoyance of opening and closing to make it worthwhile. HOWEVER, you and your family may feel totally differently! If I lived where I could reliably open the pool on May 1 and have it open until Oct. 31, I would have a pool again. You may be fine with a slightly shorter season. :)

 

In the interest of full disclosure, I do have a hot tub. I find it SUPER easy to maintain the 650 gal. necessary for that. ;) And, I get to use it all year.

 

If you feel like you want one, GO FOR IT!

[thescrappyhomeschooler]

We love having a pool. But, it is expensive. Our pool service is $50.00 per week. And it's about $300 to open and $300 to close and the cost of chlorine, etc. We have a cement inground pool, so we had to get it painted last summer and that was a couple thousand.

 

We have really used our pool for all it's worth, though. We've had lots of family and friend parties and spend quite a bit of time out there. I had a swimming instructor come here to give the boys lessons, and that worked out much better for my Aspie boy. We chose the pool over more elaborate summer vacations.

[ChristusG]

Will you be getting an inground pool or above ground? Inground pools are EXPENSIVE. We have one, but we did not install it. It was here when we moved in. I'm glad that we have it, but we would not have paid to have one installed. We live in Florida so we can use our pool for many months out of the year. Our kids just went swimming the last weekend of March for the first time this year.

 

If you hire a pool service, it's not difficult to maintain. DH started out doing it but we quickly realized that it would be easier for us to leave it to people who deal with it all the time. So we have a guy that comes once a week. It's a bit expensive though. Basically all we have to do is skim it from time to time.

 

Trees and pools do not mix well. Our backyard is small and does not have any trees (I love trees but there was none when we moved in 6 years ago and adding trees would mean LOTS more pool work). You would be skimming forever if there were trees close by.

[kdeno]

at first I hated the high cost and work involved but we use it so much. I don't go in very much but the kids live in it. We have friends over almost every day, I love it!

[SailorMom]

We love our pool. We live in FL and are able to use it from April to October, sometimes November. We never close it, leave it open all year (this is much easier).

We have a Polaris pool vacuum - have never seen a need for a "pool guy"- I seriously spend hardly anytime maintaining it (25,000 gallon gunite, salt-water pool). We empty the leaves from the Polaris, and empty the skimmer baskets, and I get the salt levels and other chemicals checked about every two weeks during the swimming season ( less than once a month in the winter).

Pools are rather expensive to maintain - just the electricity for running the pump 8 to 12 hours a day is a bit steep. Salt, anti-algae stuff, PH-balancers, calcium - all cost $$$$.

[justamouse]

I love ours. It costs about 300 dollars a month to maintain (city water so filling it up after evaporation, electric to run, chemicals) but we don't ahve AC so it's worth it to us.

 

It's about 500 to ahve a service open it up, clean and the adjust the chemicals, but we've learned to. We also have a Polaris robot so we don't have to have anyone come out and clean it weekly and it's gunite so there is no liner to rip.

 

The hardest part for *me* was getting over the stark terror of having one of my kids drown. For the first few weeks I had nightmares every night that one of them had taken it into their heads to go out and swim at night. We got very good locks for the doors and there is no way for them to get out there at night, but it took a long time for that fear to go away. So, teach them to swim and we keep the toys to a minimum so I can see into the water at all times.

 

If it's sunny, we're by the pool. Books, drinks, food and tunes. :-)

[bettyandbob]

You don't want around the pool. You will spend a lot time skimming debris. Do your kids now how to swim well? Are they mature enough to make good safety decisions (I know teens and adults who aren't)? Do you know how well your dc friends know how to swim? Are you willing to constantly monitor other people's children while they are at your home? Have you checked how much a backyard pool affects your home owner's insurance rate?

 

Some of the rates listed for maintenance companies way, way more than a local pool membership in my area, which is a fairly expensive place to live.

 

As a kid I wished for a backyard pool. I worked at pools. I always lived walking distance to a pool. I live within 200 yards of a neighborhood pool today. I don't have to take care of it. I like not being responsible and yet very close. My neighborhood pool is not overly crowded either--if it was I guess I might feel differently. Also, I have to be able to swim laps. Most backyard pools don't allow that. I guess you could install one of those endless pool things.

[In2why]

I have a large above ground pool and we LOVE it. It isn't cheap to maintain, and do not go by what the pool manufacturer tells you. If you have kids and use it a lot then count on doubling the need for maintenance. But it is worth it. The kids live in the pool all summer long, and we enjoy it as a family most nights.

You will also be swarmed by other kids, and it can get annoying. Make it clear that they need to bring their own towels, goggles, and sunscreen, or you will go broke.

[readinmom]

I agree with the cost of running the pump/filter. 8-10 hours a day adds up on the summer utility bill. Run it any less, and the algae takes over.

 

Finally convinced dh to hire a pool service just for the chemicals. We could never get the balance right. ds 14 does the daily brush, 2x week vacuum. It runs us about 50-60 dollars a month.

 

I don't know about pool maintenance during the winter if you live in a snowy state. Be interested to know what people do...

[In The Great White North]

We had a pool at our last house, in one of those high cost of living areas. The chlorine alone cost more than the membership at our local pool. I felt like I was life-guarding 24/7 and nothing else ever got done (somewhat of an exaggeration but that is what it felt like). The dc always wanted to be in the pool. We could only open it from about Memorial Day til Labor Day. I had to pick dead squirrels and moles out of the filter basket many times :tongue_smilie:. It was too small to work out in, so as far as I was concerned it was nothing but a big cold bathtub.

 

OTOH, we have a hot tub here and it is simple to maintain, feels great, no squirrels, etc.

[Peela]

pool near trees = lots and lots of leaves in pool = lots and lots of work.

 

DH swears we will never rent a house with a pool again.

 

The teens don't use it much anymore. Our last house had a pool (no nearby trees) and when they were younger they did use it a lot more.