Would you sell this?

[DawnM]

My youngest got really into playing pool.  He asked if we could have a place for a pool table when we move.  I said we would try.

Well, we found a house with a really beautiful room with a pool table and a bar and a fireplace and everything.  The owners agreed to leave the pool table when we bought the house.

I think it gets used 30-45 min. per week, and it has tapered off the longer we have lived here.

That room is such a great room.  I would love to make it a fully utilized room.  A large TV, foosball table, some exercise equipment, a sofa and chair or two, etc.....

But there is a part of me that hates that we have this really nice pool table people asked for and we are getting rid of it.  And I don't think there is anywhere else in the house to put it.  It would need to go.

Will I regret getting rid of it?

[happi duck]

Personally, I'd give it some more time. 

Has everyone given it a try?  It can be relaxing just clearing the table by yourself.  Maybe it would also be worth setting up a little family tournament or a pool night for fun.

[Chris in VA]

NONONONONONONO 

GET RID OF IT. 

NO REGRETS. 

Lol--there, I feel better. 

I came to loathe ours. It just took up so much space, was used once a year by the teenagers who came for our youth group Superbowl party, and turned into a giant laundry folding table. 

I couldn't fathom why my husband was so resistant to getting rid of it! Turns out having a pool table was a sign you had "made it" when he was a kid. It was deeply ingrained in him that it was a symbol of success. I was shocked. 

We never got rid of it and I really wish we had--that room could've been wonderful. 

[Pintosrock]

Our house came with a pool table (and a shuffle board table, too!) We kept them for about 6 months to a year, then got rid of them. We didn't ask for them, so we had no regrets getting rid of them after the novelty wore off. 

[Spryte]

I’d talk to the people who asked for it, and get their thoughts.

[klmama]

Do you quilt?  A friend uses hers to lay out her quilt pieces before sewing.  It helps her visualize it and keeps the dog from messing it up.  The room still has a tv and couch, so maybe bigger than yours.  

Are you sure foosball and exercise equipment would be used more?

[school17777]

I wonder if you set up other activities in the room, if the table would get used more often?  (Tv, comfy couch, fussball)

[DawnM]

16 minutes ago, Spryte said:

I’d talk to the people who asked for it, and get their thoughts.

 

We all go back and forth.  The ONE person who wanted it has used it fewer than 10 times in the 6 months we have lived here.  Quite honestly, I am not sure he gets a vote at the moment! J/K!

Edited January 1, 2020 by DawnM

[DawnM]

13 minutes ago, school17777 said:

I wonder if you set up other activities in the room, if the table would get used more often?  (Tv, comfy couch, fussball)

 

Pool table takes up too much room to do much else.   

[DawnM]

14 minutes ago, klmama said:

Do you quilt?  A friend uses hers to lay out her quilt pieces before sewing.  It helps her visualize it and keeps the dog from messing it up.  The room still has a tv and couch, so maybe bigger than yours.  

Are you sure foosball and exercise equipment would be used more?

 

Yes, exercise equipment would be used more.  TV would be used, we had a gym in our last house and it got used.  And if there is also a sofa and game console it will def. get used.

Foosball, I am not sure, which is why I bought a very inexpensive one, used.

[PeterPan]

I've invested in some big equipment like that (air hockey, ping pong which was actually a hand me down but still bulky, etc.), and I think after the novelty wears off you're down to social use. So does he have a peer group coming over weekly and hanging out to play with him? That to me would be the thing to bump up. Pool isn't really fun by yourself, lol. I mean, maybe if you want to get really good at those competitions where they take it all down in one round or whatever, but most people do it as a social thing I would think.

Did he lose his friend group with the move? Are they farther away or have them been unable to come over because of boxes and stress?

If you *don't* sell it, do you have another spot in the house for your exercise equipment and tv?

[DawnM]

35 minutes ago, PeterPan said:

I've invested in some big equipment like that (air hockey, ping pong which was actually a hand me down but still bulky, etc.), and I think after the novelty wears off you're down to social use. So does he have a peer group coming over weekly and hanging out to play with him? That to me would be the thing to bump up. Pool isn't really fun by yourself, lol. I mean, maybe if you want to get really good at those competitions where they take it all down in one round or whatever, but most people do it as a social thing I would think.

Did he lose his friend group with the move? Are they farther away or have them been unable to come over because of boxes and stress?

If you *don't* sell it, do you have another spot in the house for your exercise equipment and tv?

 

No, no other place to put it.  He kind of lost a friend group, it is a long story, that involves a girlfriend, and is a touchy subject for him.  The older boys' friends don't really play pool.

[beaners]

I know pool tables are expensive. Would you be able to replace it if you did regret it? That might influence my decision. If the cost wasn't prohibitive for me I would be more willing to make a change. 

[Lady Florida.]

I sold ours just before Thanksgiving! It was my IL's and when they were getting rid of it I had visions of ds' friends coming over and hanging out to play pool. When dh was a teen MIL often knew where her boys were and who they were with because friends liked to come over to play pool at their house. I was hoping for the same thing to happen when we took it. It didn't happen that way and the table rarely got used while it took up my entire living room for years. Currently ds has exactly one friend who likes to play and he doesn't even come over that often. There is no way we can fit it in our new house when we move so while I had no choice, no one was really sad to see it go. And we have more cash in the bank. I really don't think you'll regret getting rid of it. You already know it hardly ever gets used. The time isn't likely to increase but rather it will probably become just a big thing taking up room in your house and no one will bother with it. 

[PeterPan]

2 hours ago, DawnM said:

He kind of lost a friend group

Sorry, that's rough. But maybe that's the thing to work on. Then I would keep the table and see if he can get in with new friends who will enjoy it with him. It doesn't sound like his interest faded so much as his opportunity. If he makes new friends and they still don't play, then I would sell, sure.

Edited January 1, 2020 by PeterPan

[DawnM]

1 hour ago, Seasider too said:

 

How old are the kids? I agree with giving it more time. 

So some things to encourage play. Family tournament, a running score of wins/losses, inviting people over specifically to play pool. If all that fails, maybe get rid of it then. But first be really sure you’d actually use the room the way you envision in the future, kwim? 

 

We had a room exactly like I am describing in our last house.  It was a basement.  We used it a lot, although what I didn't like about it was that it felt like a cave.  This room is better because are are windows and it is light.

[DawnM]

1 hour ago, Lady Florida. said:

I sold ours just before Thanksgiving! It was my IL's and when they were getting rid of it I had visions of ds' friends coming over and hanging out to play pool. When dh was a teen MIL often knew where her boys were and who they were with because friends liked to come over to play pool at their house. I was hoping for the same thing to happen when we took it. It didn't happen that way and the table rarely got used while it took up my entire living room for years. Currently ds has exactly one friend who likes to play and he doesn't even come over that often. There is no way we can fit it in our new house when we move so while I had no choice, no one was really sad to see it go. And we have more cash in the bank. I really don't think you'll regret getting rid of it. You already know it hardly ever gets used. The time isn't likely to increase but rather it will probably become just a big thing taking up room in your house and no one will bother with it. 

 

that is what I was hoping for too, but for some reason he is at the age where they want to be away from all parents as much as possible.  ARGH!  They go to rooms with doors or hang outside in the pool (in the summer) or the garage.

 

[DawnM]

4 minutes ago, PeterPan said:

Sorry, that's rough. But maybe that's the thing to work on. Then I would keep the table and see if he can get in with new friends who will enjoy it with him. It doesn't sound like his interest faded so much as his opportunity. If he makes new friends and they still don't play, then I would sell, sure.

 

He has another friend group, actually a couple, but they seem to not want to hang out in there at all.

[PeterPan]

1 minute ago, DawnM said:

 

We had a room exactly like I am describing in our last house.  It was a basement.  We used it a lot, although what I didn't like about it was that it felt like a cave.  This room is better because are are windows and it is light.

Reminds me of the Beverly Hillbillies dining room... Hahaha. 

 

[PeterPan]

1 minute ago, DawnM said:

 

He has another friend group, actually a couple, but they seem to not want to hang out in there at all.

Any chance of a basement relocation? Or turning it into more of a cave? Is it so close to the fam that they aren't getting that withdrawal/retreat they want? Can you convert an attic over the garage maybe? 

[DawnM]

1 minute ago, PeterPan said:

Any chance of a basement relocation? Or turning it into more of a cave? Is it so close to the fam that they aren't getting that withdrawal/retreat they want? Can you convert an attic over the garage maybe? 

 

We have no basement in this house.  We have a room upstairs they could go hang out in.  They don't.  I am not really understanding it since that was the purpose.  

[PeterPan]

Just now, DawnM said:

 

We have no basement in this house.  We have a room upstairs they could go hang out in.  They don't.  I am not really understanding it since that was the purpose.  

Laugh or cry, lol.

Maybe it needs black curtains and skulls and a disco light, I don't know. Maybe it's too clean? 

Is the new foosball table going in that upstairs rec room? 

Is it possible your older ds will move out and want it?

Other than that, sounds like a sell. I guess just talk it out, but it sounds like you've worked through a lot of potential options. 

[DawnM]

4 hours ago, happi duck said:

Personally, I'd give it some more time. 

Has everyone given it a try?  It can be relaxing just clearing the table by yourself.  Maybe it would also be worth setting up a little family tournament or a pool night for fun.

 

Yeah, everyone has tried it, but only 3 actually somewhat enjoy it.n. I can give it more time.  Just thinking things through.

Edited January 1, 2020 by DawnM

[PeterPan]

On the plus side, at least you have time/space/breathing room finally to think about this! For a while there, things were pretty crazy. 

[DawnM]

I am looking at this guide.  We currently have the pool table in a 20x20 room.  We have the longer pool cues.  

However, we have a dining room and formal living room.  We never use the living room.  It is 12x17.  It it 6" too short (pool table is 9') but could be workable with smaller cues.

Dh wasn't keen on that, but I may push more.

[Annie G]

21 minutes ago, DawnM said:

 

He has another friend group, actually a couple, but they seem to not want to hang out in there at all.

If he’ll be living at home for at least another year, it might be worth it to ask him why they don’t use the room. maybe you could mount a tv in there, or add something else to make it more attractive to him and his friends.  And he might surprise you and say he thought he’d enjoy the pool table but he doesn’t, and he’ll be ok w getting rid of it. But adding a wall mounted tv or a mini fridge might do the trick. 
 

[DawnM]

9 minutes ago, Annie G said:

If he’ll be living at home for at least another year, it might be worth it to ask him why they don’t use the room. maybe you could mount a tv in there, or add something else to make it more attractive to him and his friends.  And he might surprise you and say he thought he’d enjoy the pool table but he doesn’t, and he’ll be ok w getting rid of it. But adding a wall mounted tv or a mini fridge might do the trick. 
 

 

We have already had that conversation.  He says he will use it some but he isn't as interested.

He is a Sophomore in high school.

 

[Annie G]

20 minutes ago, DawnM said:

 

We have already had that conversation.  He says he will use it some but he isn't as interested.

He is a Sophomore in high school.

 

“Use it some” would not be enough for me to keep something that large.  My vote would be to get rid of it. Hope you find a good solution. 

[KungFuPanda]

5 hours ago, DawnM said:

My youngest got really into playing pool.  He asked if we could have a place for a pool table when we move.  I said we would try.

Well, we found a house with a really beautiful room with a pool table and a bar and a fireplace and everything.  The owners agreed to leave the pool table when we bought the house.

I think it gets used 30-45 min. per week, and it has tapered off the longer we have lived here.

That room is such a great room.  I would love to make it a fully utilized room.  A large TV, foosball table, some exercise equipment, a sofa and chair or two, etc.....

But there is a part of me that hates that we have this really nice pool table people asked for and we are getting rid of it.  And I don't think there is anywhere else in the house to put it.  It would need to go.

Will I regret getting rid of it?

I'd sell it, re-purpose the space, AND try to find a youth pool league for my son.  My friend who plays pool more than anyone I know doesn't even have a pool table.  It's a social thing so you might as well seek out other pool players rather than try to convert your friends.  Maybe he'd be happy with ping pong?  You can fold that up. 

I did go to a birthday party at a pool place where they turned some of the pool tables into dining tables for the event.  If you have a formal dining room that you only use when you have company, this might be a way to have it all. 

[AngieW in Texas]

I was very happy to get rid of our pool table. It came with our 2nd house and then we moved it to our 3rd. We didn't really have enough room for it here. We gave it away and nobody missed it.

[gardenmom5]

If no one is playing it, kids are growing up and moving out.  I don't think so.

eta: I meant I wouldn't feel bad about selling it.

Edited January 4, 2020 by gardenmom5

[Shoeless]

I think that any activity or recreational item that requires use-reminders and cajoling from mom needs to go. Maybe tell everyone that you noticed the pool table isn't getting used much, so if by X date you don't notice an increase in usage, it will be put up for sale. Give it 6 months and see what happens. 

[DawnM]

Thanks guys.

[ktgrok]

10 hours ago, DawnM said:

 

We all go back and forth.  The ONE person who wanted it has used it fewer than 10 times in the 6 months we have lived here.  Quite honestly, I am not sure he gets a vote at the moment! J/K!

 

6 hours ago, DawnM said:

 

He has another friend group, actually a couple, but they seem to not want to hang out in there at all.

Would the friends be more likely to hang out in there if it was gym equipment?

Heck - put up an anonymous suggestion box and let the kids and friends toss ideas of what to do with the room in there 🙂 That way you are repurposing it in a way that works for them. 

[DawnM]

6 hours ago, Ktgrok said:

 

Would the friends be more likely to hang out in there if it was gym equipment?

Heck - put up an anonymous suggestion box and let the kids and friends toss ideas of what to do with the room in there 🙂 That way you are repurposing it in a way that works for them. 

 

Not sure.  But WE would use it more!  

He wants a gym in the garage for his friends to hang out, but we simply don't have room in the garage, so it isn't going to happen.

[PeterPan]

They might get more done if they hang out at a gym and have some mentoring of the older lifters.

[katilac]

Have you considered buying or making an insert that converts the pool table to a flat table surface that you remove when you want to play pool? This gives you the option of adding tabletop foosball, air hockey, and whatever. Or you could even buy a regular foosball table and cut off the legs, the height would be about perfect on top of the pool table. 

On 1/1/2020 at 12:32 PM, DawnM said:

Foosball, I am not sure, which is why I bought a very inexpensive one, used.

 Oh, dude, you already have an inexpensive one? Hack it to a tabletop version for sure! 

[DawnM]

On 1/2/2020 at 10:18 AM, PeterPan said:

They might get more done if they hang out at a gym and have some mentoring of the older lifters.

 

bahahahaha!  No, they want social time without adults while they exercise......and then they will just hang out in there.  They want privacy so they can talk about whatever.  So, the point is not really exercise, that is just one small aspect.

[DawnM]

1 hour ago, katilac said:

Have you considered buying or making an insert that converts the pool table to a flat table surface that you remove when you want to play pool? This gives you the option of adding tabletop foosball, air hockey, and whatever. Or you could even buy a regular foosball table and cut off the legs, the height would be about perfect on top of the pool table. 

 Oh, dude, you already have an inexpensive one? Hack it to a tabletop version for sure! 

 

They aren't as sturdy and it wouldn't fit at all.  It would be a 48" table on top of a 9' table.

And it definitely won't leave room for exercise equipment if we leave the pool table in there.   Converting to other play pieces isn't really the issue.....it is the space this thing takes up, which is pretty much the entire room, a beautiful room that isn't getting utilized properly, IMO.

 

Edited January 4, 2020 by DawnM

[DawnM]

Ok, I think we have decided to give it a bit more time, and if it doesn't get used much, we are strongly considering moving it to the current formal living room area and forgoing a formal living room.  We have a great room off the kitchen AND a media/den room upstairs.  We really don't need 3 hang out rooms, plus the area where the pool table is will become another general hang out area with a sofa, TV, and exercise equipment.  

But we will wait to make a decision.

[Lady Florida.]

Dawn, if you, your dh , or your boys aren't ready to let it go, then hang on to it for a while and see if it starts getting more use. I agree with @MissLemon that sometimes these things require reminders to get used. Oh, and ours was in the formal living room. When we first got it from IL's dh wanted to convert the garage to a game room. I was unwilling to give up parking my car in the garage and we never really used the living room (we have a family room where we watch tv or hang out), so the pool table went in the living room. 

 

3 hours ago, katilac said:

Have you considered buying or making an insert that converts the pool table to a flat table surface that you remove when you want to play pool?

 

1 hour ago, parent said:

How about table tennis/ ping pong?  We had a ping table table that fit over pool table. 

 

Dh made a ping pong top for our pool table. Originally we just needed something to keep the cats off of it. At first I would just throw a sheet over it but it looked awful to have that in the living room when someone came over. Dh is something of a Macgyver so he made two piece a ping pong table cover. Two pieces made it easier to remove. I think it got used for ping pong a handful of times when he first made it. After that it became a really good laundry folding table, a good table for cutting out sewing patterns, and other chores or activities that required a large flat surface. At least the cats weren't able to ruin the felt with their claws and cat hairs.

It usually doesn't matter to me who buys something I sell but every now and then I'm happy about where my item is going. A young couple - they looked to be in their early 20s - bought ours.They came with their friends, the guy's father, and their 3 year old. The guy's father used to work for Brunswick (ours was a Brunswick) so he came along to look at it, and he told them it was definitely worth the price we were asking. While the men were dismantling it and loading it on their truck I talked to the woman, and gave her little one something to keep her occupied. She said they have a group of friends who like to play pool together. Sometimes they go to a pool hall or bar but they don't really like doing that plus babysitters are expensive. One friend has a pool table so he and his wife often host. She was excited that she and her husband would now be able to take turns hosting pool nights. This was one of those times I was happy to see my item go to a home where it will be loved and appreciated. 🙂 

[DawnM]

3 hours ago, parent said:

How about table tennis/ ping pong?  We had a ping table table that fit over pool table. 

Yeah, get it.  Sounds like a waste of space for you.  I'm sure the owner was happy to leave it so they didn't have to move it.

 

This one came with a ping pong table that lays on top.  We haven't used it yet.

[MaBelle]

Sell it.  Yesterday.

 

[J-rap]

When I was growing up, we had a bumper pool table.  Does that even exist still?  🙂  It's much smaller, at the most half the size of a regular pool table.  We had sooo much fun with that, and we kept it up in a fairly small family room, with room for other things.   Anyway, just a thought...  You could replace the regular pool table with a bumper pool table.  

 

[DawnM]

10 hours ago, J-rap said:

When I was growing up, we had a bumper pool table.  Does that even exist still?  🙂  It's much smaller, at the most half the size of a regular pool table.  We had sooo much fun with that, and we kept it up in a fairly small family room, with room for other things.   Anyway, just a thought...  You could replace the regular pool table with a bumper pool table.  

 

 

I mentioned that in our last house, but apparently that doesn't interest them.

Here is what I think happened.......youngest had a girlfriend for 18 months (which for a 14/15 year old is a LONG time, right?). Her dad was some sort of league pool player back in the day and they had a nice professional pool table at their house.  So, DS got really into it.  They played when he was over there.    Now the girlfriend is gone, the friends he used to hang out with (the ones that were hers first) don't come over anymore.  His other friends, the ones HE had/has without her, aren't really into pool.

He had one other friend who was into it, but long story short, he moved in with his dad (left his mom) and now goes to a different school, has gotten into quite a bit of stuff we do not approve of (I posted about it a while back) and so they aren't nearly as close as they used to be.  He no longer comes over.

 

[DawnM]

Ok, so I am going to post a picture of the room.  Please keep in mind this was a picture from the listing of our house, it looks MUCH larger than it is, and we now have a foosball table where that chair is, and it almost touches the pool table, so there is NOT that much room around the pool table!  This is a very WIDE ANGLE lens.

But, you get an idea of what a great room it is.

 

[PeterPan]

1 hour ago, DawnM said:

Ok, so I am going to post a picture of the room.  Please keep in mind this was a picture from the listing of our house, it looks MUCH larger than it is, and we now have a foosball table where that chair is, and it almost touches the pool table, so there is NOT that much room around the pool table!  This is a very WIDE ANGLE lens.

But, you get an idea of what a great room it is.

 

Oh mercy, move that thing out of there and USE the room!!! That's a waste to leave it in there. It could go in a much smaller room, just fine.

Or put a top on it, paint those walls pink, and you've got a great sewing room. 

Edited January 5, 2020 by PeterPan

[PeterPan]

What was the room meant to be when they designed it? Was it supposed to be a dining room??? Those pendant lights are odd for in front of a fireplace. You might change them out to little spots to light art. With the fireplace and a room that big, you could have a regular Rock Hudson living room!

 

Edited January 5, 2020 by PeterPan

[DawnM]

20 hours ago, PeterPan said:

What was the room meant to be when they designed it? Was it supposed to be a dining room??? Those pendant lights are odd for in front of a fireplace. You might change them out to little spots to light art. With the fireplace and a room that big, you could have a regular Rock Hudson living room!

 

 

Pretty sure it was meant to be a pool from from the start.  The pendent lights are directly over the pool table.   There is a dining room in another area of the house.

[SKL]

I definitely would not get rid of it.

• It gets used weekly ... that's actually pretty good IMO.
• It can be really fun for when guests come over.
• You can still put chairs and a TV in the room.  You could put seats along the side and hang a flat screen TV on the wall.  You could also add a dart board or other wall stuff.

We have had a pool table in our basement for decades.  Some years it gets no use at all.  But we have no plans to get rid of it.  We like things that are fun to have when guests come over, even if that's the only time we use it.  (Plus, sometimes the kids get interested and play with it for a while.)

I might answer differently if you had a real need for the space, but that doesn't sound like your situation.

ETA: just read that you are thinking of putting it in another room.  Sounds like a good plan if that would result in better overall use of space.

 

Edited January 6, 2020 by SKL