Well folks I have sad news. No pool
. A few issues got us here which weren't revealed until the digging nearly started. First, the governing docs in our condo regime that allow pools were never properly recorded, sigh. So the ones on file say no pools! I could fight for a variance or get two-thirds to vote on an updated set of CC&Rs. I don't really want to. Some background is that yes we are condos although single family homes. Platted up this way in the city. So yards are Limited Common Elements, not full ownership. I knew this before we started the process but was having a hard time finding any info on what's possible so decided to see how far we could get.
The second thing is there is now fear that a lender would not finance the purchase of my home when we sell one day. There is a lawyer looking into that for the association so we have all the facts. Either way I did warn my builder upfront about this before we signed the contract, and he is getting me our down payment back. I'll pay him for his time and sunken costs (permit, cad designs) as that's only fair.
My family and I were devastated when we heard the news earlier this week. But you know it's all first world problems
. It helps us focus on our next phase in home ownership as we are now going to search for a new home that has a pool or is setup for our dream pool. I also learned a TON from this site. I won't be buying my test kit just yet
. I am happy to have donated to support such a community and knowledge base. We are now equipped to build a pool within the next few years or know what to watch out for if we buy a house with an existing pool. The builder kindly offered to help identify any risks with potential home/pools we buy in the near future.
We are going to take our time finding the right property for our family because our current house is just fine for us today. And it's just insanely expensive to buy in Austin.
Thanks for all the support on this build! I'm sorry we aren't going to see another pool built, yet. I'll post a lawyer update within a few weeks once I receive it. I don't anticipate changing my mind on putting a pool here because we now know we should move to pool up.