Do you have pool regrets?

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I wish I had done it sooner.

I still waiver on wishing I would have gone with Salt

We financed quite a bit - but we stay at home so much more now - we actually save money. We grill out by the pool - we party by the pool and we swim. It makes the house such a great place to entertain. As far as resale - it depends on the market. Where we are - houses are pretty hard to find - 2 houses in our neighborhood went up for sale a couple months back. One had 14 offers on the first day the other had 9- it was a bidding war. Our real estate agent said if the pool is in an upscale area people will pay over asking/fair market value for a pool - if it is nice. We aren't planning on moving anytime soon - but I feel pretty confident that my home is more like a showcase home with the pool it will attract more upscale buyers because of it.
 
bmoreswim said:
And being able to swim at a moments notice. This is great for a grey dreary day that has a sudden and brief pop of sunshine. You would never think of driving to the pool on such a day.
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The "moment's notice" isn't just a surprise opportunity. When I've been out mowing or doing other work out in the sun, I'm not even driving 5 minutes to a lake nearby, much less the nearest public pool. But the pool is on the way back to the house from the shed...
 
In our case, had the house not been so nice, we wouldn't have bought with a pool in the back yard. And if there hadn't been a pool in the back yard of the house we bought, we wouldn't put one in. $30-35k financed is just not going to happen around our household for the luxury of swimming. For that amount of money, a family YMCA membership can be had for 30 years. But it's not as convenient as the backyard!

Also, you have to factor in future costs of maintenance. Regular chemicals and electricity are pretty minimal, maybe a few hundred dollars a year. But liners, new plaster, filters, pumps, covers, furniture, toys, floats, ladders, etc. all cost more money. If you have the funds, I would say go for it. It really is nice to entertain by the pool and just going swimming when you want. But I wouldn't jeopardize anything else financially to do it.

That being said, I love my pool. I just wish I had a bigger budget to do the upgrades I would like to do to it!
 
The house we purchased had an in-ground gunite pool and even though we put about $15k into it over the past 4 years, it is well worth it. My wife teaches and is off all summer, so it gets a lot of use. We also find that we tend to take staycations rather than vacations since we don't feel the need to "get away" when we have a beautiful backyard and pool to hang out in. This certainly saves money and is a lot more convenient. We just closed the pool this weekend and we already miss the view. Between gas for the heater (northern climate), pump electric (1HP 12 hours a day), chemicals and other stuff, we probably spend about $1500 per year. I open and close the pool myself and do all regular maintenance.
 
jkrupp said:
My husband and I are considering getting an in ground pool. We live in the Sacramento area and temperatures are mid-high 90's and well into the 100's from, typically, May to October. It's hot. We have three kids (ages 2, 4, 5) who all love to swim. We've had two companies come out to give us estimates, and we are having a difficult time deciding between taking a loan out for (the majority of) $30-35k and enjoying the pool each Summer, and saving the money and being either cooped up indoors and/or using public pools when they are open. Since almost all of you have pools, I was wondering if anyone regrets getting an in ground pool, given the cost of it?

Also, my husband says it is not just the initial cost, but the monetary cost of maintenance (we would use the TFP method) and the additional electric charge for running the filter (no solar though). What do you find these expenses to be, in general?

Though my post sounds biased, both of us are undecided and having a difficulty picking a side on this!!! Such a difficult decision.
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I would never buy a house without a pool.

Nuf said? [emoji6]
 
It is costly but there are benefits besides the pure enjoyment
1) Children who have pools learn to swim which in my opinion, EVERYONE should know. We have just had a hurricaine here in NC and the flooding is record-breaking. 18 people have drowned so far that we know of.
2) Your house becomes the place where the kid and their friends want to hang out. This becomes increasingly important as they get older, I can see who they are hanging around with and get to know them.
3) Fun exercise for everone
4) Easy to plan birthday parties and events. My sister-in-law had her wedding rehersal dinner at our house. They put card tables all around the pool/carport with table clothes on them, candles, a few flowers, a few borrowed ferns, torches outside the fence and carport. It was beautiful.
 
My oldest is planning her wedding and has suggested the same thing for the rehearsal dinner. :hug:
sdunk said:
It is costly but there are benefits besides the pure enjoyment
1) Children who have pools learn to swim which in my opinion, EVERYONE should know. We have just had a hurricaine here in NC and the flooding is record-breaking. 18 people have drowned so far that we know of.
2) Your house becomes the place where the kid and their friends want to hang out. This becomes increasingly important as they get older, I can see who they are hanging around with and get to know them.
3) Fun exercise for everone
4) Easy to plan birthday parties and events. My sister-in-law had her wedding rehersal dinner at our house. They put card tables all around the pool/carport with table clothes on them, candles, a few flowers, a few borrowed ferns, torches outside the fence and carport. It was beautiful.
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As a previous pool owner, my regret was not getting the proper equipment. We moved into a house and took ownership of the pump, filter, hoses, clamps, etc. All was in bad shape but we "got by"....not without constant frustrations though. I also wasn't aware of TFP and dumped TONS of money into chemicals. Did that for 10 years but we definitely enjoyed the pool.

We've since moved (built a new house) and our in-ground gets installed in 2 weeks. My biggest fear is regret. I'm fearful that the pool will not be the oasis I dreamed of. I see some pools on here and feel like mine will be boring. In my climate, vinyl was the best option. And we decided on rectangle as it's easier for covering and uncovering (solar). Hopefully our choices in concrete design and landscaping will create the oasis. I also look forward to "doing it right" and not having the same frustrations I had with my last pool.
 

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Thanks again everyone for your opinions! We signed a contract yesterday and the builder said they would start the dig next week :D Very exciting.

We ended up going with a pool loan but kept everything very basic, total cost under 30k, and will pay it off in 5 years.

It will be small, both because of cost and yard space, 28x14 ft. No frills, only upgraded with an extra light and a variable speed pump.

Can't wait!!
 
jkrupp said:
Thanks again everyone for your opinions! We signed a contract yesterday and the builder said they would start the dig next week :D Very exciting.

We ended up going with a pool loan but kept everything very basic, total cost under 30k, and will pay it off in 5 years.

It will be small, both because of cost and yard space, 28x14 ft. No frills, only upgraded with an extra light and a variable speed pump.

Can't wait!!
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Please start a new build thread when you kick off the build process. There's always stuff to discuss along the way with a build and you can use that thread as a great way to share photos.
 
To the OP,

Ya sure, I have regrets. I should have started my own business, and relocated it to Hawaii. Then I could have all the palm trees I want, use lava rock for my coping, and never be indecisive about SWG (it would be surely be worth it, with tropical temps year round). Milk is expensive there (no cows), but everyone seems to be well fed.

Ohh, but that didn't happen. I had a pool built in Cypress, TX. It is a pain to upkeep.

Worth it? Yes. You get used to the lifestyle pretty quickly. As in a year or two. Not there yet ;)
 
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