Do you own a house with a pool?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Only 3 months use? Really? I grew up in an area where the summers were shorter than around here, and we'd go swimming May 15 to September 15, easy (4 months). With some extra days in April and September if it was sunny and in the 80s. Here, I've always wondered why community/apartment pool season was so short (Memorial Day to Labor Day), when it seems like that shuts out two dozen or more "pool days" on either side -- I always figured it was because of limited lifeguard availability and liability rules, not because people were afraid of a little cold water.

There's no way you can regularly swim in an unheated pool around here before mid-June. And heating a pool is crazy crazy expensive. I'll give you September 15, but even still that's a huge liability, hazard, expenditure, maintenance hassle, and eyesore that you're not using 75% of the time. For some people it might be worth it but, I've looked at houses with pools and I'm always mentally subtracting the cost of filling it in from the asking price.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP...go for it!!! We just got an estimate for a pool and it was out of our range, unfortunately. My kids are all swim age now, so I was looking forward to the fun. I grew up with a pool as well and have fond memories of summer fun.


I say go for it!!!

PP how much was the estimate for? I've always wondered how much it would cost to put a pool in - I have no idea.

My parents are having one put in right now... I overheard them mention a figure around 40k, which was pretty shocking to me. I don't think they're even going that fancy with the pool (as far as tons of stonework, etc).

I'm in Leesburg. We got an estimate from NVblue for a gunite pool:

Dimensions of Pool: Width 20’-0” and Length 42’-0”
Area: 840 sq. ft.
Shape of Pool: Rectangle
Depth: 3’-6” to 8’-6”

The estimate included fencing around the pool, an automatic cover, salt water system.....it was just over $100K, which I thought was a bit excessive.

Wow. We just bought a new house, and I sort of wondered about putting in a pool. You just sold me on the country club down the street. It's cheaper, and has a golf course, tennis courts and dining facilities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP...go for it!!! We just got an estimate for a pool and it was out of our range, unfortunately. My kids are all swim age now, so I was looking forward to the fun. I grew up with a pool as well and have fond memories of summer fun.


I say go for it!!!

PP how much was the estimate for? I've always wondered how much it would cost to put a pool in - I have no idea.

My parents are having one put in right now... I overheard them mention a figure around 40k, which was pretty shocking to me. I don't think they're even going that fancy with the pool (as far as tons of stonework, etc).

Yup. $40k is the going basic pool rate around here. We were quoted $120k for a pool/full patio/stonework/landscaping in our backyard...we laughed at the guy.

I had heard 75. 40K is less than I thought.

[Anonymous]

I live in Forest Hills. I do not have a pool but my next-door neighbors do. They absolutely use their pool from mid-May until October, so about six months.

Since this is "DC" Urban Moms, not Tampa or Anchorage, I thought I'd throw this data point out there. A 6-month season is probably correct in DC.

[Anonymous]

Did anyone give an estimate on how much it costs to heat the pool?

[Anonymous]

We're thinking of installing one in a few years time. The estimates posted on here for installation are quite useful. Can anyone comment on the impact on homeowner's insurance?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I live in Forest Hills. I do not have a pool but my next-door neighbors do. They absolutely use their pool from mid-May until October, so about six months.

Since this is "DC" Urban Moms, not Tampa or Anchorage, I thought I'd throw this data point out there. A 6-month season is probably correct in DC.

"Until" October, or "through" October? "Until" October would be 4.5 months. "Through" October would be 5.5 months, meaning they are still swimming on Halloween. Really?

[Anonymous]

Since this is "DC" Urban Moms, not Tampa or Anchorage, I thought I'd throw this data point out there. A 6-month season is probably correct in DC.


"Until" October, or "through" October? "Until" October would be 4.5 months. "Through" October would be 5.5 months, meaning they are still swimming on Halloween. Really?

Good catch; 5+ months. But I did mean "through" October. They are not having toddler pool parties in October necessarily but they (Mr. and Mrs.) absolutely swim laps about every day. It's often ~70 here in October and if you have a heated pool, which they do, October is no problem. I also use their pool to swim laps! so.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So many darn kill-joys here. If you can afford it, get a pool, make sure it's fenced, teach your kids to swim and supervise the hell out of them. But then I'm one of those strange eccentric moms who believe that trampolines are cool (we have one), the odd dose of fast food will not going to turn baby into a fatty, and, once a week, teaching to jelly snakes to swim in the bath before being eaten is good for a laugh. We grew up in a lovely place with a pool and it didn't draw kids there. What did draw kids there was that my mom was always welcoming and inclusive (in a slightly matriarchal way), always had extra food for dinner for hangers-on (when we were older), listened without judging, stuck to her rules and was wonderfully empathetic. And she never tried to be our age or our friend - I mean that in the nicest possible way. Lots of my friends still visit her and my dad when they are around because my parents were so much part of the fabric of their adolescent lives.

I guess what I'm saying is that the pool is unlikely to be the attraction. It's your family that will define whether people want to be in your space. You cannot buy or create the spirit of inclusion - it's you that matter.

And to the complete COW who would never let her child go on a play-date to a place with a pool. I hope she is saving for therapy as we speak.

I wish you were my neighbor. And that you had a pool.

[Anonymous]

Glad I found this thread. Every summer I get pool envy. I wonder if we should get a house with a pool. My husband is against it. Our kids are small, pool require such upkeep, etc. Not sure if it would be a reselling plus or minus. (A resell would be in our nearish future). This is also an area of many many neighborhood pools, so that option is not lacking.

I guess it's a no then. But the poster who talked about popping into the pool, rather than packing to the swim club. Sigh. Now to get rid of my pool envy. I will just imagine it as full of slimy algae and sad in the wintertime.

[Anonymous]

We bought a house with a pool and the first we did is demolish it. Too much hassle, too much liability vs. units of fun, and would rather have a bigger backyard.

[Anonymous]

Ugh. Friends of tween DD just got a new house with a pool. She has a (not obvious) medical condition that requires her never to swim without a lifeguard. I'm already worrying -- do I let her go for sleepovers and risk a "midnight swim" without supervision?

[Anonymous]

We had a pool and got it filled in. Out neighborhood has a pool just 7 houses away, and you have to belong if your kids want to be on swim team. Plus this is where you meet a ton of people. It was so nice when my kids were toddlers to just go to the pool for an hour and come home. No upkeep, etc. We have absolutely no regrets. If your neighborhood doesn't have a pool it might be a different story.

[Anonymous]

This is interesting because I posted a thread a while back asking about putting in a pool and got overwhelmingly positive "go for it!" responses. It seems many people on this thread would definitely not want one. We belong to a private club but it is not down the street and I find it a hassle. We go about 5 times a summer and would love to have our own pool.