Who has a pool? Would you do it again?

[v.t.]

My DH is getting a great bonus this year and we are thinking of getting an inground pool. We would go simple, construction cost are low right now so we can pay cash. The boys are getting bigger and they love to swim, they wore out the big ugle blue pool. So my theory is we do it now or never. I am just thinking of the monthly upkeep as well as all the extra expenditures that go with it.
So...for those who have built a pool, would you do it again?

 

[everylastbreath]

Hi, We put in our built in about 20+ years ago, We go thru periods of loving / hating it. When the kids were young and used it a lot - it was great, but then they get to an age where they don't use it much and full seasons go by without anyone even using it, now my GS (4) is living with us and I'm loving the pool again, he is in it constantly during the summer.

Couple of things to remember about installing a built in- whatever you think it will cost DOUBLE it, because there is so much unexpected stuff that goes with the installation, plus now you have landscaping costs, cement/decking/paver costs, unexpected construction / permitting costs, possibily a new fence etc.

Upkeep is $$, nothing like an above ground, everything that goes wrong with a built in is $$, so first few years when everything is BRAND new will be fine, but down the line expect $ for repairs/upgrades.

Don't cheap it up, if your going to do it, go for what you really want- I insisted on a heater when we installed the pool and have never been sorry, what good is having a beautiful pool when no-one uses it because it's FREEZING.

& Get the slide- Kids will love it.

Invest in LOTS of towels, because you will officially be the "Kool-aid" house, every kid and their parents will be at your house, so anticipate more food & LOTS OF LAUNDRY!

Love my pool, but remember an built in, can't be taken down when your kids outgrow it, your stuck with it long after the kids are grown.

Good luck!!

 

[Mrs. Bradbury]

In a former marriage we built a gunite saline pool, and I loved it. Very little upkeep and a lot of fun. We had the automatic vacuum cleaner thingy (shaped like a Hummer, lol). If I could afford it now, I would have another saline pool in a second. I don't have a problem with liner pools; my ex-husband is something of a snob and had to have gunite.

Just remember, it doesn't add value to your home, if anything it takes away due to the liability. And I believe most places require that you have a pretty high fence.

Edited to add: check out how different color liners/gunite make the pool water look different colors. A tan color makes the water look green; gray makes the water look dark blue - that's what we had.

 

[mickeygaga]

We just had ours put in last fall so we cannot wait. We had an above ground but always wanted an in ground pool. I actually had quotes from 2 competing companies and basically negotiated the best price. I let them know that I was shopping around and what the other company was offering. I got a diving board, fountain sprayers, changing lights, extra concrete, and upgraded stairs and ladders due to the negotiating. I feel the same about making sure you get everything you want now. We still have to install the fence and do landscaping but I still love to look out the window at it. I say go for it! I can't wait!

 

[v.t.]

Thanks guys. I appreciate all the input. By simple, I just meant that it was just going to be a plain pool, no hot tub or waterfalls and not much landscaping to speak of. I want a pool I can swim laps in, so no crazy shapes, although the youngest wants Mickey ears! I love the heater idea, I will have to look into that. We want to be the Kool-Aid house but we live out in the country so we are more worried about animals getting into the pool then neighborhood kids. But we do have the materials to put up a fence. DH and I just picked up about 4000 feet of old oilfield pipe for free! Now all I have to do is learn how to weld.

 

[elmo2wdw]

Go for it! We got our 3 years ago and the best investment we made for our kids. They love it!!!

 

[WinchesterVol]

We live in the country also and have a standard 20 x 40 rectangle pool. I regret that we didn't add a slide. We did go salt water instead of chlorine which is wonderful! Very little discoloration. We've had ours about 6 years now and have had very little trouble. We get the occasional frog who shows up uninvited. We had a baby duckling last year swimming around in it. We haven't figured out how he got there; anyway, we took him to the lake and let him go.

My family loves our pool, my daughter has friends over and I'm able to keep an eye on them and it gives me piece of mind knowing where she is! I'd definitely do it again!

 

[J3nn78]

Our pool is used just about every day from late may to late September for the last 10 years.

 

[eliza61]

Probably not. When the kids were little we used it alot but now that my kids are teens and college students it doesn't get used all that much. plus like someone said for the price of the repairs and upkeep. ouch!!

If I had to do it again, I would have gotten an above ground pool and brought more points on my dvc.

 

[kkmcan]

We've had ours 4 years now and love it! It's so much better than schlepping all our pool stuff to the community pool. We use it everyday between April and October. We don't have a heater but we did invest in a solar cover ($100) last year and it extended our swimming season and made the water like bath water.

We definitely have a larger water bill and electric bill. This house is not our forever house so we probably won't be here when the kids are grown and gone.

We put in palm trees and plenty of decking area for chaise lounges and patio sets. Feels like our own paradise when we can't get away for vacation. We also have a big blank wall right next to the pool that we shine a projector on for dive-in movies during the summer. That is so much fun!!

We were hesitant about the expense of getting it but it has really changed the way my kids have grown up. The memories we have in our own backyard have been priceless!

 

[simonsmom]

we put in a pool 4 years ago. we love having it! my kids are 12,12,15. definitely put in a heater and lights!!! we have a light that can change colors(rotating) or you can stop on one color. It certainly adds to the ambience at night. even if you have a get together and no one is in the pool-having the lights on makes it look more festive. just be prepared that it putting it in will destroy your yard. we had to put down sod the following year.

 

[RayJay]

Thanks guys. I appreciate all the input. By simple, I just meant that it was just going to be a plain pool, no hot tub or waterfalls and not much landscaping to speak of. I want a pool I can swim laps in, so no crazy shapes, although the youngest wants Mickey ears! I love the heater idea, I will have to look into that. We want to be the Kool-Aid house but we live out in the country so we are more worried about animals getting into the pool then neighborhood kids. But we do have the materials to put up a fence. DH and I just picked up about 4000 feet of old oilfield pipe for free! Now all I have to do is learn how to weld.

Putting in our pool was the best thing we could do. Being in Texas you might not have to worry about a heater and you can always add it later. We have a liner pool which kept the costs down, you do need to replace the liner every 10 to 15 years.

We went with a pool vs a boat or camper. Love it and you will to.

RayJay

 

[scooterpig]

Love our in-ground pool. It is a vinyl lined rectangle. When we bought the house, the hole was there, as was the plumbing (which needed repair) There was a little tree growing in the hole, and the thing was pretty ghastly. Still, I didn't have to pay up front for landscape or excavation. We tried to repair the existing pool ourselves, but ended up wasting a lot of time and money. We spent somewhere around $5k to have the job finished professionally. There is a slide, and we use it all the time. I'd love to splurge for a heater one day. Worth it? YES.

 

[Mrs. Bradbury]

we put in a pool 4 years ago. we love having it! my kids are 12,12,15. definitely put in a heater and lights!!! we have a light that can change colors(rotating) or you can stop on one color. It certainly adds to the ambience at night. even if you have a get together and no one is in the pool-having the lights on makes it look more festive. just be prepared that it putting it in will destroy your yard. we had to put down sod the following year.

Speaking of lights, we already had flood lights in the backyard and my then-husband insisted on putting a blue bulb in the one for the pool area. He said it would look like moonlight instead of harsh bright light. I thought it was the cheesiest idea ever, but danged if it didn't look GREAT! It really did soften the light but we could still see very well; it didn't "shine" blue at all to me.

 

[bored]

Bought a house that has a pool. It gets used everyday May - End Sept. and wouldn't want to live in a house without one. Kiddies love it. We converted it from chlorine to salt (cost around $1500) and I highly recommend this.

 

[Mono~rail]

We love having a pool but not the expenses that go with it -increased electric bill, chemicals. Our water is a flat rate system so it doesn't increase that. Also, it is a bit time consuming to keep it up.

May thru Sept we use it pretty much everyday and really enjoy it. Bottom line, I do loathe the time and money the pool consumes, but it is a luxury I like having.

We are moving soon, and I found a perfect medium! An apt complex that has 2 pools! We will get to enjoy the pools without having to spend any money or time on it.

 

[StitchFanZ]

We went with a standard size pool - I now wish we had gone a bit bigger. The pool seems much smaller with teens in it. We do have both the slide and diving board - something that the older kids spend hours playing with. If we didn't have those things, I think they would head to the river more often. We also heat our pool with solar panels.

The one thing that really caught us by suprise was the cost of the concrete to put around the pool. It added several thousand dollars to the overall price.

We also live in the country and put up a fence to keep the animals out. We went with a 6 ft chain link fence as deer will jump anything lower. Our neighbors have had more then one deer rip up their pool lining. In hindsight, it would look much better if we had gone with a 3 ft fence and just put in 6 ft poles with wires running around at 4,5, and 6 ft. It would have made it easier for the kids to hang thier towels on the fence as well.

 

[Disney-Kim]

We love our pool. We put it in about 5 yrs ago and it was the best thing we ever did.
We went old school and did a plaster kidney shaped pool. It does have a water feature and its a salt pool (something I absolutely recommend) !!

We built with Shasta and can't say enough good things about them as we have a high quality pool and they have been great with warranty/repairs. Not sure if they are in Texas or not.

We went with a Navigator (the vacuum that drives around the pool all night) and we are on our 3rd one...they only last about 2 yrs and they cost about $450...just be prepared for that.

other than that our pool is pretty mainenance free. We do not regret it for one minute. We didn't notice a huge jump in our electrical or water costs either.

Believe it or not...here in AZ...the swim season really only is May-Sept...our nights are still cool and our pool is 60...so until the nights warm up the pool wont.

 

[JoiseyMom]

My DH would say NO, I say yes. We didn't build ours, it came with the house. We have had some issues, but I blame the first money sucking pool company. We did add a heater 2 years ago, and it was the best thing ever! Much easier to get into a warm pool then a cold one! We use it more (ok I go in more). The kids don't mind the cold water!

My kids use it over the weekends and durning the week when they aren't in camp. They go swimming after camp sometimes too. WE usually open it in May and close after Labor day.

 

[southbarringtonjen]

The pool decking is almost as important as the pool itself. I've seen so many people get something that gets way too hot, or went for a natural stone that gets wet and slippery. We love our automatic pool cover. You can walk across it without worry. Our only incident was a drunk and naked pair of teens who thought they would sneak in for a skinny dip and not see/comprehend the pool cover. I got a good chuckle watching the police fish them out.