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

[nkereina]

DH and I are considering having an inground pool installed. Its a huge purchase and commitment, so I'm trying to do as much due diligence as possible - considering all costs, what-if scenarios, etc. We've not decided on salt water or chlorine yet, but are leaning towards salt water.

So, if you have had a pool installed or moved into a house that has a pool, what do you wish you would have known beforehand? Would you do it all over again?

Appreciate all advice and considerations!

 

[dish rag]

I have had two houses with pools. Just sold the last one. I will never again have a house with a pool. My advice is not get one.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

How much electricity (filter) and chemicals cost. Still would've done it though. (Ours was above ground.)

 

[RedAngie]

I once bought a house with a pool. I wish I'd had known in advance how quickly my family would get bored with it.

 

[fla4fun]

How little we would use it.

The first house we lived in when we moved to Florida had an in ground pool. That first year, we lived in the pool.

We lived there about ten years. By the end, we maybe went in a half dozen times a year, but still had all the work of keeping it up. Life just seemed to get in the way-late nights at work, caring for an elderly relative, etc.

Think very hard about how much you will really use it vs. the cost and hard work of keeping it up.

 

[Deb & Bill]

We pay $95 a month for weekly pool service that includes the chemicals, cleaning, testing. The guy who does it is so nice and does an excellent job. We had to buy a new pool heater when we moved into the house since the old one had stopped working years ago. We really enjoy our pool and find it really doesn't cost us that much extra. Our pump runs from about 8:30AM until about 5:30PM every day. We've lived in this house almost two years now and are very pleased with our inground pool. We have a screened lanai around the pool, so we can sit out there without worrying about bugs. After Hurricane Irma, we had to replace the screening since it was severely damaged, but it was also 17 years old and needed replacing. Our cats also love the lanai since they think they are outside, but they are still save and cannot get out. We live in SW FL, so we can use the pool year round and we turn the heater on in Dec and just turned it off around April 1. We have a pool cover and reel that we cover the pool each night during colder weather to keep the heat in the water.

We live about 1.7 miles from the Gulf of Mexico, but we still use the pool pretty much daily and head to the beach a few times a month. We are both retired.

 

[gotomu212]

Where you live and whether it’s a climate that supports year-round swimming or requires opening/closing each year and heaters makes a big difference.
The cost and time it takes for upkeep (twice weekly chemical testing, balancing, skimming) even when you get equipment that helps do the work.

How many small critters would get in there (and then have to be pulled out of the skimmers- it’s not exactly for the faint of heart, but rabbits, squirrels, mice, bats, and rats- seriously where are RATS coming from?? do fall in and drown).

Even with kids that love the water we were surprised how little we used it after the first year.

 

[Cindy's Mom]

I once bought a house with a pool. I wish I'd had known in advance how quickly my family would get bored with it.

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.

 

[luvsJack]

That they can be expensive and a lot of work. Saltwater pools are better but not perfect. But, when all the kids are in the pool having a great time, it feels worth it (for a little while anyway lol).

 

[Meriweather]

I used to wish we didn't have one put in, but now the grand kids are older, I'm glad we have it. They love it.
It is a lot of work and expense.
We just put solar panels in for it last fall and that enabled the swimming to start 2 months earlier than usual.

However, I would never do it again

 

[VandVsmama]

DH and I are considering having an inground pool installed. Its a huge purchase and commitment, so I'm trying to do as much due diligence as possible - considering all costs, what-if scenarios, etc. We've not decided on salt water or chlorine yet, but are leaning towards salt water.

So, if you have had a pool installed or moved into a house that has a pool, what do you wish you would have known beforehand? Would you do it all over again?

Appreciate all advice and considerations!

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.

 

[PlaneJoy1]

Oh how I miss having a pool! (and I am the one who took care of it most of the time!)

1. Don't over build. We got one of the largest for home use - we could have done a much smaller one and still been very happy with it.
2. I wish I would have had a "shelf". A section of the pool in the shallow end that's like 1 ft deep for soaking, hanging out, etc.
3. I wish I had a heater to make the season last a little longer. Once the night got cool, so did the water and it didn't have enough time to heat up during the day.
4. SO glad I had an automatic cleaner (Polaris was our brand)
5. If I had to do it again, I would probably do the salt water vs. the chlorine.

That's all I can think of right now. As soon as we can afford it, I want to add at least a spa to our current house. I just love being in the water.

 

[Floridaman999]

How anxious I would be when kids are visiting. The possibility of an accident is so, so scary to me.

 

[nkereina]

Thank you all so much for the thoughts and considerations. Very helpful! Lots to think about!

 

[Feralpeg]

We pay $130 a month for a pool service. They clean the pool and take care of all chemicals. We have a screen enclosure, but we still get debris in the pool when they mow the lawn, so I also scoop it at least once a week.

Sadly, we only use it from about mid-May to mid-October. Even in Florida, it gets to chilly for a comfortable swim. Our pool is not currently heated. We are considering adding a heater to extend the months we can swim. Even with a heater, we would not be able to swim November through March.

I was surprised at how often I have to either add water or remove water. During the summer months, a lot of water evaporates. However, when it rains, it can fill the pool very quickly.

 

[luvmarypoppins]

Pool service versus doing the cleaning yourself. Time and cost.

We rented a house with a pool and people kept hinting about coming over. Everyone without a pool wants to be your BFF when it's 100 in the shade!!

Safety. 6 foot outer fence. Check your local ordinances. Our town wants inner fence guards too now. Alarm guards etc. Our house had a key to unlock the door to the pool. It was up high that my kids could not have reached it. Also an extra lock for safety. The owner had 2 little kids.

Happy swimming!

 

[FastPasser.]

The OP probably has read enough but I'll pile on.
I'm located less than a mile from WDW property. The really nice pool has been a money pit and big PIA. I didn't want it 20 years ago and regret agreeing to it. So glad we're moving and will finally be rid of it. It got old very quickly.

 

[wenrob]

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.

 

[Kitty 34]

One of my sisters bought a house here in town years ago with an in ground pool. She had three little ones at the time all under at least 6. She kept it very pristine. It was a beautiful pool but she actually ended despising the pool after just the first few months. Big sister (me) and my three boys loved the pool and really were the only ones that ever used the thing. I helped my sister pay for chemicals, I helped her with maintenance but she ended up hating it so much she and her DH moved. She always said it was wayyyyy too much for her.

 

[wenrob]

How anxious I would be when kids are visiting. The possibility of an accident is so, so scary to me.

This too. We had some good friends lose a baby to drowning. These were vigilant people, they had alarms and a locked gate and it still happened.

Pool service versus doing the cleaning yourself. Time and cost.

We rented a house with a pool and people kept hinting about coming over. Everyone without a pool wants to be your BFF when it's 100 in the shade!!

Safety. 6 foot outer fence. Check your local ordinances. Our town wants inner fence guards too now. Alarm guards etc. Our house had a key to unlock the door to the pool. It was up high that my kids could not have reached it. Also an extra lock for safety. The owner had 2 little kids.

Happy swimming!

Yep, suddenly everyone in the neighborhood is your best buddy expecting you to have a pool party and BBQ every weekend.