I'm thinking of purchasing a home with a pool?

Question

I have never lived in a home with a pool. We have two kids and my son is begging for a house with a pool. I want to because I think I would enjoy it as well, but I'm curious about wether or not we can maintain it without it taking over our lives. Any insight would be great.

Answer 1

I have had an in-ground pool for 27 years. I do live in Florida so we can use it most of the year. For about 16 years our kid were home. Now its not used as much. OK, maintenance is not that hard. You may want to have a pool company check it out when you first move in and do a pro job of a full balance. Have them show you how to check the chemicals and how to clean the filter. I spend about 10 minutes a week on it. I do spend an additional 15 minutes once a month to clean the filter. Every 4 to 6 years the pump needs replaced, about $100 including having a repair man do the installing. In chemicals I spend about $20 per month. Over all not much of a problem. When the kids where home I had them do the sweeping. There are a number of easy to read books at a pool store. I did read one years ago. Enjoy your new pool.

Answer 2

We have owned an above ground pool for 14 years. We have replaced the liner only once and the pump once. Many other items will be replaced fairly regularly such as skimmers, nets, floating shock dispensers pool toys, return eyes, etc. I would guess that over that length of time we have spent about 16 thousand. That includes the original cost of the pool, ( about 4 thousand) and replacement stuff, liners, and cost of electricity and water, chemicals. We live in northern Illinois and now the kids are out on their own. We only get about 2 months or real use out of the pool but it costs us from April to Sept.So, if your kids are young and will use the pool, might be a good thing. They also don't mind getting into the water when it virtually freezes mom and dads joints up.

Unless you and your husband really enjoy the pool, or your seasons are long , you'll find opening and closing the pool difficult for 2 people to do. I refer to to my pool as a 16 thousand gallon emergency water supply. I mess with the pool about an hour and a half a week and am in it about and hour and a half a month. If you can get the kids to help, that's great. Just remember that buying a house for the pool will not be practical in the long run especially when the kids move on.

Answer 3

Some of it will depend on the age of the pool, anything under 20 and you shouldn't have too many problems, provided the previous owner took care of it, and you have no way of knowing that. Cracking can occur, but that usually won't happen if you keep the water level where it is supposed to be, a water leveler is a plus if it is already there, very expensive to retrofit one though. It can be a lot of work to get one clean ,but once it is clean it is not hard to keep it that way.
If the pool does not have a timer, get one installed. You will have to decide how long to run the filter. It was recommended to me that I run mine 8-12 hours a day. I chose to ignore that advice just because someone "said" that is what I should do. I run my filter 4 hours a day and it is spotless. So you will have to experement a little.Yes, your electric bill will go up. An in pool cleaning system is your best bet, there are lots of brands available. I use a Barracuda and am very happy with it. You will still have to sweep the pool every so often. Chemicals are not that expensive. I get by with 2 tubs of cholrine and a couple of containers of soda ash a summer $100-150. I could ramble on for another 50,000 - 100,000 words, but I want to go watch a football game. If you care to email me I can probably answer any specific questions you may have. But to answer your general question. Once you get the pool up and running it will NOT take over your life, besides you have two kids to help. :-)

Answer 4

Pro:

Swim when you want
Good exercise
Good family activity

Con
Higher electric bill ($50)
Higher water bill ($45)
Higher Insurance (230/year)
Chemical costs ($75/month)
Up to two hours a week in maintenance
Worry about small children drowning.

The $$ are what MY pool costs me - yours may be lower or higher depending on where you live, size of pool, utility costs etc. I do NOT have a pool service, tried it twice, it costs around $100 a month and neither time did the guy do a good job. Only you can answer the question of is it worth it - If I had to do it over, i would buy a house WITHOUT a pool!

Answer 5

Our first home had an inground pool. We loved it. Hubby did the maintenance and says he misses it. Our next home will probably have a pool. Hopefully, with a spa attached!

The biggest downside to a pool, in my opinion, is critters. We would get field mice, salamanders and the occasional frog in our pool. Growing up, we had an above ground pool and squirrels were forever getting into it. I don't like finding critters in my cement pond! ha ha ( Gotta' love Granny Clampett ).

If you think you will enjoy it, go for it. Your enjoyment is the biggest factor in your decision.

Answer 6

The more the kids use it the easier it is to maintain.Kids playing in the pool circulate the chemicals better.You have to vaccum the bottom and add chlorine,its pretty simple.On the down side your home owners insurance goes up because of the liability of someone drowning.

Answer 7

They are REALLY expensive and time consuming to maintain. They crack, chemicals are a pain to neutralize, plus homes with pools are much harder to get rid of when you want to sell because not many people want the hassle of a pool.

Answer 8

I have been told that they are a real pain in the a** to maintain. Not to mention your insurance will go up. Just something to think about.

Answer 9

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